Look, there are some dusty-ass old bookstores out there — and that's cool. But they've usually got 35 copies of Dan Brown's semi-literate diarrhea crammed among shelves overflowing with bedbug-infested copies of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The bookstores that will carry book lovers through the death of functional paper, however, will be places like Alias Books East. Similar to a great, well-curated vinyl shop, it has carefully vetted, smartly chosen tomes. Tight binding, clean pages and some cleverly chosen first editions — these are hallmarks of bookmongers that actually give a shit about what people who love books want to own. The good paper smell is still there, the laconic cashier is still there, but the crap isn't. And that's important when you're an earnest bibliophile beating against the ceaseless digital tide. 3163 Glendale Blvd., Atwater Village. (323) 661-9000, aliasbookseast.com. —Paul T. Bradley

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