That’s right. Amazon, the world’s largest online bookseller, is effectively BURNING BOOKS by making them unfindable. Whether you consider Amazon.com a monopoly or not, they are regarded as the go-to source for everything online. If it exists, Amazon has it. This is especially true of books. You can find books cheaper or better elsewhere, but as a rule, if it’s in print or out-of-print, it’s on Amazon. Except when Amazon doesn’t want to carry it. Then it doesn’t exist. It won’t come up while browsing categories, and it won’t generate a note of explanation for why it’s not on their shelf. The title simply fails to register. How is that unlike the burning of books which institutions of authority consider unacceptable?
Not My Tribe
The Myth of Middle Ground
Amazon probably does have too much power in the book selling business. Which is a really good reason to support local bookstores such as the Tattered Cover.
Uh, no, wait…I guess we couldn’t have that.
Chuck
Yes, FOX is all the information we will ever need…
Amazon can do what it wants; it’s a business, not the government. Don’t rely on Amazon. If it doesn’t have what you want, go somewhere else. Simple as that. Amazon doesn’t need to explain why it won’t sell a certain book. It also won’t come up in browsing categories and fails to register because they don’t sell it. Duh. It’s not a database. They’re not burning physical books, so don’t take it so seriously. there are other places to get books. Besides, it’s not like local bookstores have everything, either.
On the other hand, it does good to let people know what’s happening. Amazon sure isn’t. It’s not a secret unless nobody reveals it.