Unnameable Books

An incredible treasure in Western Mass. Full of rare and exciting books. The owners are knowledgable and lovely to talk to. I would recommend this to everyone!

Not being the sort to one-star a business because I see a book title I don't like (unlike other reviewers), I went in to this downtown bookstore for the first time tonight. It has a wide and eclectic selection, reasonably priced ... and that's not even counting the large $1.00 racks outside the door, from which my wife and I grabbed six books, a far higher haul than such discount racks usually provide us. We left with a full backpack, and would have bought several more if our weekly budget had allowed. The owner was courteous and helpful, and we will certainly be back.

I went to Unnameable Books about 10 months ago for a poetry reading. Upon entering I generally had a good experience, it wasn't until I saw a book on the shelf ( front and center) called The Ni**ger's Holy Bible - considered a classic by the owner - as a black person in the shop it really pained me to see this. This is a book about how black people could have no God - which has a dubious irony considering all the violence done by white slaveowners and whites in history. I thought maybe I should buy the book to get it off the shelf, but when I asked the store owner about it he didn't bat an eye about its place in the shop. He proceeded to act unfazed like the fact that a black person finding this book on the shelf was just a common occurrence. I know rare books have a place in the world perhaps this would have been different if it came with a note so that customers of any race could be forewarned, but this is Amherst - a place named after a guy who pushed for the biological warfare against native and indigenous people - though undergoing change ? - still leaving a lifetime of hurt in its wake. This incident at Unnamable Books is indicative of the culture around us of white supremacy and the privilege of selective memory as far as history is concerned. I won't be visiting anymore and I'm sure there are those who will read this that will think otherwise or laugh thus proving my point further, but here's my take and hopefully it will considered when it comes to customer service and books.