Books on the Line for the Offline

In these days of conglomeratization and computerization, Internet-phobic bookworms looking for a little personal attention have another option: the telephone.

“[Some people] want to talk to a human being,” says Faye DeWitt, general manager of Connecticut-based Book Call, an individualized book-selling service that guarantees you will never talk to a machine. “It’s a very personal type of situation. Oftentimes, I recognize [our customers’] voices.”

Thinking it would cater to individuals in remote areas who did not have easy access to bookstores, Book Call opened its phone lines in 1981. But company founders soon discovered the opposite was true.

“Most of our customers were from New York and L.A.,” DeWitt says with a laugh.

Specializing in American-published titles, Book Call ships worldwide using standard mail, UPS and Federal Express and charges list price plus postage. Gift wrap and handwritten cards are also available.

“A lot of book buyers do not feel comfortable using the computer, [and] giving credit card information over the Internet,” DeWitt says. “Security and safety--these are some genuine concerns.”

Book Call: (800) 255-2665.