Field Trip: Bookstores, Part Two

photo: Eric Diesel

As noted in the previous column, books and publishing are as fundamental to the cultural landscape of the Big Apple as movies are to the Big Orange. John’s and my story has taken us from New York City to a second home in Los Angeles. LA is not without its mythos but despite the efforts of Ellroy, Chandler and Cain, many believe that Los Angeles isn’t the literary town that New York is. Angelinos smile knowingly about that, because we know that our town is full of independent bookstores, and that they are filled with people buying books and discussing writing. Yes, this is the land of malls, most of which have a chain bookstore as anchor. But Hollywood and its environs is a place of neighborhoods, most of which support strips of small businesses that echo, even thrive, as the small town business districts that America is supposed to be struggling to maintain. In this way as in so many others, Tinseltown is the guardian of the American Dream.

In the artsy neighborhood of Los Feliz, Skylight Books anchors the Vermont Avenue strip with a photogenic bookshop whose shelves are curated with good novels, a strong section of California history and living, philosophy and anarchy. Skylight’s arts bookstore next door features film, graphics and art from monographs to zines. A short walk (yes, people walk in LA) away, one finds the counter culture landmark of Wacko. This former soap plant is the kind of business that thrives in LA by embodying the anything-goes vibe of the town. Wacko offers a pastiche of books, home goods, jewelry, art and, yes, soap. Skylight and Wacko symbolize this wonderful neighborhood: they are current, simultaneously retro and forward-looking, and bring such a secret smile to Angelino lips that I'm not sure I should even be betraying their existence. But then I'm an old East Villager, and anarchy is in my words.

Freedom of thought and assembly are core values of the independent bookstore, and when that’s married with inventory, true liberty can occur. Book Soup is one of the primary indy bookstores in the country. I had heard about Book Soup due to my work in publishing long before my first visit to LA. It is a bellwether in the publishing industry; a sought-after spot for author readings and book launches. Some will question the street cred of an indy bookstore that courts celebrity, but let any who do so remember that the credible street is the Sunset Strip. This twisty, historic drive houses a where’s where of gathering spots for artist and audience: the Viper Room, the Whiskey A Go-Go, Chateau Marmont, the former Garden of Allah. I can think of no good reason why a bookstore shouldn’t be in that company.

To most writers and definitely to this one, the independent bookseller is a hero. Nowhere is this truer than the Cosmopolitan Book Shop. This cramped bookstore on a forgotten block on Melrose Avenue is so cluttered that it appears to be a movie set, but it’s real. Set aside an afternoon to wade through its astounding stacks, where real finds await. I have obtained entire libraries of vintage home books from the Cosmopolitan, and have witnessed friends do the same with old airplane books, theatre books and pulp novels. Whatever your topic, it’s all but certain that the Cosmopolitan has a book or fifty on the subject: stacked on ladders, bundled into boxes, piled on other piles, sometimes even aligned on the shelves. The Cosmopolitan has been in existence for over half a century, and if the inventory and the dust show that, so does the owner's unequivocal love of books. Please visit and, as requested by the hand-lettered sign in the window, save a bookstore and buy a book -- or two.

Using the collision of thought and attention to champion survival isn’t just smart, it’s a statement. If you doubt it, just visit The Last Bookstore. The Last Bookstore is the closest LA, and as far as I know anywhere, comes to The Strand. In this beautiful downtown space, books, media, readings, discussions and performances merge to take a stand against the war on independent booksellers. In so doing, like Book Soup it has become a destination. Downtown LA is an historic neighborhood where sumptuous golden era movie palaces and decadent speakeasies await reader and writer alike. For true literary history, visit Vroman’s in Pasadena. This landmark California business was founded in the earliest days of Los Angeles, and remains fundamental to the cultural legend of Los Angeles.

Back in Hollywood, two steps through a retro doorway from the bustle and grift of Hollywood Boulevard one can enter the world of the movies through the pages of a book. Larry Edmunds Bookshop has been a presence on the Boulevard since the sign that overlooked it declared Hollywoodland. This is a great place to browse movie star biographies, rare picture books about the pictures, and quality film history ephemera including a vast collection of posters and stills. A stroll along the Boulevard is a must for visitors and natives, and if film history doesn’t entice you to visit Larry Edmunds, its location in a signature building in proximity to Musso and Frank and the Frolic Room should.

Circus of Books are used bookstores of a different vibe. These throwbacks to the golden era of smut offer the exploitation titles one associates more with dirty old Times Square than trendy new Silver Lake and West Hollywood. Consenting adults can peruse the wire racks for whatever friction fiction or grindcore appeal or compel, then proceed to the clerk who can also sell them anything from an ice cream bar to a pocket comb. There is very little judging in this hedonistic town, and the effects of its noted friendliness may give you either the jollies or the creeps, depending on whose notice you may catch while attending this Circus.

Horrors of another kind await at Dark Delicacies. This Burbank institution stocks a full graveyard of horror books, magazines, DVDs and art. To find creepier stacks, you’d have to haunt the book carousels at Necromance or the Hollywood Forever gift shop. If blood isn’t your quaff of choice, perhaps you’ll find your pour at Barkeeper. While not a book store, this Silver Lake bartending store stocks a significant enough inventory of current and vintage bar manuals to keep even lifestyle writers sated in this drinkingest of towns. As for lifestyle, the decorating and cooking sections are well stocked at Barnes and Noble in The Grove – and Crate and Barrel and Sur La Table are just around opposing corners to help you put your studies into practice.

Also at the Grove where it abuts the Farmers Market, the Taschen bookstore is a tiny oasis of that publisher’s exemplary titles, from budget to splurge. Load up on art and culture books there, but save a few bucks for Hennessey + Ingalls. This state-of-the-arts bookstore in the Sunset and Vine district offers an extensive, curated list of art, architecture, fashion, interiors, photography, film and local interest titles. The Hollywood store is just across Sunset from Amoeba, which does sell books and magazines, but you’ve earned the right to treat yourself to a CD or DVD. For if Tinseltown teaches us anything, it is that, for all of the thought that goes into it, entertainment is its own reward.

Finally, in honor of our literary October at Urban Home and our visits to bookstores in New York and Los Angeles, I am honored to provide a free, downloadable project: the official Urban Home Blog bookmark. Click here for this easy, printable project.