TVBS news this morning: Page One to close down next month.
It had to happen one day, with each of their redecorations over the past years shrinking the store’s size and with people downloading e-books.
I will still be sad to see them go, because in my humble and subjective opinion, if you compare Page One to Eslite, the former has more often new books to sell and more UK books. Eslite is more US-oriented and - certainly outside their Xinyi store - seems to stick to the same bestsellers and movie tie-ins all the time. You can visit an Eslite 5 times in 2 months, and the books will be 99 percent the same, while at Page One, I felt there was always something new. news.tvbs.com.tw/life/news-603221/
Page One is also hard to find, hidden around the corner from what looks to be an emergency exit. They’re not doing much to make their presence known. Very poor marketing.
Huh. It had gotten so small on my last visit I decided not to go again. Also, I was trying to look at some photography books but they were all sealed up in plastic so that potential customers could not view a single page of any of them - so what was the point of me going to the store?
When I first went to Page One when it opened, I thought it was a great place. I also thought it would never last. For one, there were far too many English titles. I didn’t believe Taiwan had enough English readers to support a place like that in some of its most expensive retail space. They weren’t cheap, either. Over time, they seemed to shrink and shrink again. No loss, really. It’s much easier to get English books now than ever before. Just use these guys: books.com.tw Search by author or title and then pick up C.O.D. at your nearest 7-11. Prices much better than Page One was also. I suppose there’s a bit of nostalgia and remembering now that it’s closing. But I can’t remember the last time I went there.
Yes. Not unexpected, but as a long-time resident of Taipei and a book-lover,
I feel a little sad. It’s the only bookstore in Taipei that has/had a substantial
collection of English books. I remember when they opened in the new 101.
It took the low northwest corner of the 101 building which artistically steps
into the mall. The store was huge, amazing. The inventory was unreal.
I went down tonight and picked up a few books. There’s still lots of good books.
50% all English books, some are 70%.
Sure, one can buy books online, and Eslites do have a handful of English books,
but tonight I realized vividly the difference. On the shelves one can see the
sizes of the books, hold them, feel how much they weigh, and for those unsealed,
one can thumb through them, in full resolution. Smell them. See them lined up,
displayed, categorized with like books. The atmosphere of others browsing,
sitting, reading… it’s a wonderful experience.
Anyhow, I’ve lived long enough to know how life goes. Things change. Bookstores
are becoming a thing of the past.
You can’t hate reading physical books…that doesn’t make sense. Books are the cornerstone of our civilization. Its like saying you hate beer or bread or deep fried mars bars.
I liked going there whenever I was in Taipei and they were in Taipei 101 but when they closed Sundays.( or said they were on their website) they lost potential business from me and others who can usually only make it to the capital on a Sunday.
The fact that I could find UK authors I enjoy reading was a huge plus.
