This is my first post as part of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies student blogging team:


When it comes to buying books for classes, I find myself feeling a little Ostrogothic. There is nothing that would make me happier than wielding a massive ax and burning a Roman edifice filled with ancient tomes to the ground while cackling at the inept legions sent against me from Rome. Don’t get me wrong, I am a bibliophile through-and-through; however, that doesn’t mean that buying the things en masse isn’t a royal pain.

One of the things I’ve noticed since coming to the University of Denver is a conspicuous lack of off-campus textbook brokers. While these places are not much cheaper than the on-campus guys, they are slightly cheaper and most likely have that book that you put off buying for half the semester/quarter. In the neighborhood immediately around DU, it’s slim pickings indeed. Let me show you:  


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Okay, that is my alma mater in little ol’ Conway, Arkansas. Immediately around campus, there are three off-campus wholesale bookstores that had any and every book you needed for your classes on hand (Usually used, to boot). Another university I spent a lot of time around in recent years, the University of Arkansas, was in a very similar setup. Not that this detracts from DU in any way whatsoever.

The lack of bookstores in the neighborhoods immediately around a campus shouldn’t be something that deters someone from attending a school (If it does, sort out your priorities ASAP). This is something to take into account, though. There are plenty of used bookstores in Denver, and that in and of itself is a godsend for someone like me. Just remember when it comes time to order books for your quarter, you are better off to build an order via Amazon, Thriftbooks, Half or even Barnes & Noble. Plan accordingly, or otherwise you’ll be stuck riding across town to track down a random lead on a book in some half-baked scheme.

Not that I’ve done that or anything.