the Medit-Plants site 'books' section

Fellow M-P-Folks - 

I am a little surprised at the reaction to my recent addition to the M-P
site, but I guess I should know better.  Including Barnes&Noble links into
appropriate pages was certainly not intended to offend, nor does it
represent 'selling out', nor will it affect this e-mail forum (other than
posts like this one), nor does it force anyone to purchase books in any
place in particular.

I am not surprised at the local responses I have received - we do live in
an area (SF Bay Region) which has long been known for its many, small
bookstores.  The fact that this is changing has a lot to do with a lot of
factors and is rightly a concern.  I enjoy our local, small bookstores and
am sad to see some of them closing.

One thing I have also noticed even among the various book resources which
are abundant locally - I still cannot seem to find most of the books I am
looking for.  There are thousands of gardening books out there, and
hundreds on bookstore shelves.  I can go into almost any bookstore locally
and find piles of books that do not address any aspect of mediterranean
climate gardening.  Scores of Authors produce books which are interesting
and attractive, but often 'parrot' information for climes other than ours
locally.  Friends and clients ask me all the time where to get the books I
suggest, and they have a great deal of trouble finding them.  Perhaps 2-3
bookstores locally will routinely have titles of this type, or be
interested in finding them for patrons if they don't.  Most others do not
consider gardening books their top priority, or don't understand why the
books they have on their shelves don't meet the need.  Often, a book
suffers from poor marketing or distribution, and is remaindered long before
it should be, setting it into a sort of 'limbo' and making it hard for
booksellers to obtain.

I don't mean to be critical.  Books are a very subjective thing.  People
have different interests and tastes.  They should be free to choose for
themselves what books they'd like to purchase.  This was the intent behind
placing information about selected titles on the M-P site - to amass a list
of books which were within our focus.  To assemble more complete
information that was found elsewhere, allowing people to be informed in
their decision to purchase a book.  In most bookstores, what is often found
has more to do with a single buyer's or distributor's idea than with the
patron's.  And the fact that many of these books are presented on bookstore
shelves at all infers that they are appropriate for gardeners in that area.
 This is similar to nurseries who carry the same old tired plants that they
always have, regardless of how well they grow locally.  I am continually
frustrated with many local bookstores with regard to this, and with their
disinterest in finding a specific book for me.  Most people are not a
'pushy' as I am - they merely take what they are given.
Or, they don't make the purchases they might which can also contribute to
the demise of local bookshops.

I have been pleased with receiving feedback about the development of the
M-P site.  Unfortunately, most of the responses I have received about the
'books' section have related to varying levels of 'offense' with regard to
Barnes&Noble.  It is interesting to note that no one has ever taken offence
at the inclusion of 'web hosting by SupportNet' on the bottom of each and
every page of the site.  This is perhaps a specific volatile area for most
people.  I am also noting that I have yet to receive any indication that
people value the INFORMATION provided on the specific book pages on the M-P
site.  Is it of value to you?  Is it laid out in a way that helps you
understand the information?  Is it interesting or boring?  Whether B&N
stays on the page or not, I am mostly interested in knowing whether we are
hitting the mark with these pages at all.  I would also be very interested
to include more personal comments about the books we list - positive or
otherwise.  I think that this is what is the most interesting when
evaluating a book purchase.

I hope the above 'sermon' wasn't too much for anyone!
Regards,
Sean O.
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