I can’t justify purchasing all the expensive science and art books I really want, so they languish on my Amazon wishlist forever. A case in point would be Patrick Mauries’s Cabinets of Curiosities, an oversized hardbound book with lots of yummy full color pictures. The Amazon price hovers around $47 (the price on the jacket is $75). I hadn’t seen it, even used, for less than $30. Too spendy.
I recently got an email promoting a new comparison shopping website, Booksprice.com, so I tested it out on the Mauries book. The result? DeepDiscount.com currently has it for $12 with free shipping! I was suspicious, so I ordered it (I can usually justify spending $12) and it arrived completely shrink-wrapped, in perfect condition. If you also like wonder cabinets, it would be a very pretty (and now affordable) addition to your collection – although somewhat light on scholarship.
Incidentally, Booksprice lets you import your Amazon wishlist and save it, which is a very useful feature. It’s also refreshingly uncluttered with ads, even aesthetically pleasing, as third-party comparison shopping sites go. So you might consider trying it on your own wishlist. I didn’t get any more results as dramatic as the Mauries book, but I’m going to keep checking.
I went to where you bought the book. Alas, it is $75