The real bookstore is disappearing from America. Borders Books, the national chain(连锁店) with 642 stores, will close about 200 stores this year and dismiss 6,000 workers. It will mean a great deal to devoted bibliophiles. For them, the online bookstore will never replace the pleasure of walking along bookshelves.

       Bookstores appeared in the 18^th century, when printers began turning out books in large numbers to create a reading public. One of America’s earliest booksellers, Leary’s Book Store in Philadelphia, was a happy hunting ground for book lovers between 1850 and 1968. As Pete Martin described in “House of a Million Books”, Leary’s was the opposite of the modern chain bookstore. It was old, dark and dirty. Though Leary’s closed in 1968, it is still fondly remembered by former customers(顾客). Will anyone remember the website Amazon.com that sells books so warmly 40 years after it closes?