Author Archives: dorian thornley

About dorian thornley

bookseller, dad, manhattan

Norman’s Outburst.

Posted on February 26, 2012 by dorian thornley

I remember exactly the hour that I abandoned my childhood dream of becoming a Biology teacher, because it began as the most boring hour of my life thus far and ended with Norman’s famous outburst. It was double ‘A’ Level … Continue reading →

Posted in dream states, humor, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Kindle: The New Slush Pile

Posted on September 19, 2011 by dorian thornley

It used to be that if you couldn’t get your novel published it was because you probably couldn’t write very well. Discerning editors at the big publishing houses stood between you and the reading public, wading through and rejecting the trite, the clunky and the … Continue reading →

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Attack of the Killer Cyclists

Posted on July 30, 2011 by dorian thornley

I’m on my bike, hacking up the endless incline of Broadway in Hamilton Heights. It’s over 90 degrees and I’m slick with sweat, the heat baking off the moving engine blocks around me feels unbearable. My heart is beating faster … Continue reading →

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Oh My God, It’s.. A Case of Mistaken Identity.

Posted on July 13, 2011 by dorian thornley

Doppelganger  1: a ghostly counterpart of a living person.  2: a double 3: an alter ego For years now, since I was a teenager in fact, I have regularly been mistaken for other people. Not in the way that someone says ‘hi’, thinking you’re … Continue reading →

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The crap you have to deal with in retail

Posted on June 3, 2011 by dorian thornley

   Warning – this post is gross & not for the squeamish.    They say that ex-cons can spot another ex-con straight away, something about the way they move; guarded, alert & wary. The same is true of the retail manager, I can spot one a mile away, they … Continue reading →

Posted in retail | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Betty Blu Ray.

Posted on May 12, 2011 by dorian thornley

When’s the last time you walked out of a movie theatre feeling like you hadn’t been ripped off? Am I the only person whose mind wasn’t bent or blown by Inception? Ellen was there to walk you through it after all. … Continue reading →

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This Old Thing?

Posted on May 4, 2011 by dorian thornley

One of the greatest drawbacks of working in the same store for many years is watching robust middle-aged customers become frail old customers. Where they were once relaxed and affable, willing to hang out and bullshit for a while they … Continue reading →

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While Riding On A Train Going West..

Posted on April 16, 2011 by dorian thornley

At the end of last week’s post  (Vinyl is back. No really!)  I was trying to figure out why New York teens and young adults were embracing vinyl again after all these years. Just to recap; vinyl sales started bubbling under a … Continue reading →

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Vinyl is Back! No, Really.

Posted on April 6, 2011 by dorian thornley

    A few years ago now, just after i-pods became ubiquitous and just before all the CD stores closed, the music press, various blogs, industry mags and audiophile publications were trumpeting the return of Vinyl LPs. Records are back! In a big way! They were quick … Continue reading →

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Stockholm Syndrome or the Feel of the Real

Posted on March 31, 2011 by dorian thornley

Riding the A Train in the morning I look around (as many booksellers do) and try to gauge the ratio of e-readers to print books. Most mornings it’s about 50/50, some mornings it seems to be mostly books and on the mornings when despair sets in … Continue reading →

Posted in Paradigm Shift, Used Book Business | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment