Several years ago, my husband decided to buy me a special unabridged dictionary for Christmas. He headed to a large bookstore chain and asked a young sales clerk for help. When confronted with the task of searching for the dictionary, she seemed confused and headed for the computer to help her find this so very unusual book.

“No,” she said, “we don’t carry those.”

“You don’t carry an unabridged dictionary?” my husband asked in surprise.

Leaning over her computer to take a better look, my husband saw what the sales clerk had typed in: “On a Bridge Dictionary.”

This is why we shop at Schuler Books & Music. I’ve shopped there since childhood, back when there were no large chain bookstores, and it’s still my favorite. They’ve got a wide selection of books, the biggest assortment of magazines and newspapers I’ve seen, and a great cafe. But more importantly, their sales staff is filled with readers who actually know what their talking about. They understand books. And dictionaries.

So you’re not from these parts? No need to fear. This family owned business not only encompasses five of the nation’s largest indie bookstores, they have a wonderful online presence as well, featuring $1 shipping. Schuler Books & Music is providing a $10 gift card to one of you if you’d like to give them a whirl. You’ll enjoy shopping online with them, and you’ll have no problem finding what you’re looking for. They’ve got everything.

Even unabridged dictionaries.

Enter by midnight EST June 1st, 2008.

Three ways to win:

1.) Visit the Schuler Books & Music website. Leave a comment telling me what you like about the site. (Something more than “looks good” is kindly suggested.) Could be a feature of the site, what you found you’d spend the gift certificate on, or a nice little tidbit about the company.

2.) Subscribers are automatically entered into this and all future giveaways. Just enter your email address in the little white box on the upper part of the right hand column. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you don’t receive it, check your junk mail.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back.

Do all three, and you’ve got three entries to win!

If you look to the left of this post, you’ll see a cute little Book Sense logo. That logo will direct you to a website where you can buy books – locally! When you input your zip code, Book Sense will take you to the independent bookseller nearest you where you can purchase all those books you’ve had a hanker for, including the ones I review here! In fact, anywhere you see the name of a book mentioned on carp(e) libris, I’ve got it linked for you to purchase locally. And when you buy your books through the links on this site, you can help support carp(e) libris. That will make me ever so grateful, as it will keep me in postage for the book giveaways.

I must give a big special thanks to Di of Di’s Book Blog etc. for helping me through numerous emails! I’m not the technically savvy person I wish to someday be, and she helped me figure out how to set up my links. She’s the one who told me about Book Sense to begin with! So give her blog a visit because she’s a friendly blogger with an interesting site!

Don’t forget to support your local bookseller (and carp(e) libris!) through the Book Sense links!

I remember several years ago when I’d asked my husband for a dictionary for Christmas. A real, 30-pound dictionary that could also be used to hold down papers on my desk when the windows were open. He went to one of the major U.S. booksellers and asked the sales clerk for an unabridged dictionary. She looked confused and typed it into her computer. “We don’t have that,” she said. “How can you not have a dictionary?” he asked. My husband looked over her shoulder at the computer screen where the clerk had typed in “on a bridge dictionary”. This is when we realized we needed to stick with our local independent booksellers.

Whenever we visit our local bookstore, we can ask questions much more complicated than “Do you have a dictionary?” and we get an informed answer. The magazine shelves are filled with hard-to-find publications, and the bookshelves house much more than the usual mass market selections. We can still get a great cup of coffee, and if we want to hear a bluegrass band on a Friday night or learn Italian on Thursdays, that’s available too. And the staff is working there not just to cover the rising cost of beer and tuition, but because they love books, they’re obsessed with books, and they want to share their love and obsession with the community.

There are numerous reasons to support your local bookseller. During the holiday season find yours, go hang out, ask lots of questions. That’s what these people live for – they want to talk about books as much as you do, and I’ll bet you won’t find a single one that will send you looking for a dictionary on a bridge.