Dan Webb Books

 

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10

Bill A.

CA

The best bookstore for modelers, airplane, ship and military fans I have ever seen- so good they even have a few plastic airplane kits on the shelves! (They probably came in boxes of books...)

The primary focus is aviation subjects, civil and technical as well as military, and military and naval. An interesting assortment of  railroad, civil sea-fairing and boating, and automobile, books and magazines are available, (more than I've seen in almost any other store). Stock is sorted into technically focused ("The Avro XYZ"), operational histories ("Boeing JLKs in the Pacific"), and of course there are a lot of memoirs ("The LMN took off at dawn") and proper history ("Pacific Air Commerce: The Airbus QRS and the middle class lifestyle of the 1970s").

Nearly one wall and the very front is more typical used-bookstore items- literature, physical science, art, mysteries, children's books, recent titles in hardback and paperback.

The civil aviation section is a whole book case, right by the register, with more titles than you'd typically see in the entire transportation section of a conventional book store. Airframe and engine development are another whole bookcase. "RAF, Battle of Britain" and "Luftwaffe, Battle Of Britain" are separate shelves.

In the core stock there is a free mix of rare, out of print, ubiquitous and new, in-print works, on the shelves and laid out for easy browsing on the large tables that fill the center of the store. Then there are the boxes of paperback references- Motorbooks, Osprey, Aircam, Kokobura, Schiffer, Airlife, Bunrin-do and Eastern European titles. And boxes of the Squadron In Action series, model railroad magazines, model airplane magazines, military and figure magazines, model ship magazines. The Naval Institute Proceedings, Air Force Review, rail enthusiast publications, etc. etc.

This is one place you simply have to set a budget for yourself before you go in, because you'll find more than you can afford (or explain) 9 times out of 10. Mr Webb clearly loves both books and the subjects his store focuses on, and there is frequently a discussion between him and his friends, associates, and down-town neighbors going on at the front of the store. The shop does buy used books, which are inspected and valued at the front desk. Magazines are not typically bought- the shop is overflowing as it is.

Both Dan and his store are Bay Area treasures and this is, perhaps, the best place of all for the hard-core Advanced Modeler Syndrome sufferer, because you can get that reference that will allow you to finish something!

My son has accompanied me here from an early age, and he's been welcomed by Mr Webb every time, which makes me proud of both of them. Polite children will find plenty to look through.

The last things I bought here were Norris and Wagner's "Boeing
737 -100 and -200", Squadron's "B-29 In Action", and a paperback copy of "Is Paris Burning?" for bedtime history/adventure reading with my aforementioned son.

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592

Rob M.

San Mateo, CA

A small bookstore packed to the gills with used books, magazines, and other things.  This guy specializes in military books but also has a selection of other types.  Also of interest to me are his collection of old maps (lots of gas station maps of the area from the 1960s) as well as his reproductions of old photographs from the Bay Area.  I picked up a couple of Key System photos while I was here, very nice.  Another thing about this place that's cool is the atmosphere.  Very slow, easy going, almost quiet.  There's usually one or two regulars who come in and seem to stay for hours just trading barbs and obersevations about life with the owner.  Almost worth going in just to listen to the banter.

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2

kimric s.

CA

I have picked up several good vintage industrial books here.
They also have a good collection of art books.

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