Sadly true. As pleasant as brick-and-mortar retail bookstores can be (and I've never said this about a Barnes & Noble), their space constraints force their inve

Sadly true. As pleasant as brick-and-mortar retail bookstores can be (and I've never said this about a Barnes & Noble), their space constraints force their inventories toward lowest common denominator titles -- meaning NYT bestsellers, Oprah Winfrey selections, and self-help books. Internet retailers have the so-called long tail sewn up. Another indicator of retail inventory shortcomings is the "special order" process. It's been several years since I've special ordered a book from a brick-and-mortar retailer, but it generally involved a two-week wait, and you were often requested to examine the book on the spot without leaving the cash register area. If the big bookstore chains have removed the friction from this process, I don't know about it. In fact, it seems that Barnes & Noble and Borders have responded to Amazon's inventory advantage by actually gutting their selection further and dedicating more space to tchotchkes like Michael Bublé CDs and chocolate truffles. A shame.