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The Odyssey Bookshop
Monday - Friday: |
Check us out on:
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Order Books Here:
Please Note: |
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The Odyssey Bookshop
Monday - Friday: |
Check us out on:
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Order Books Here:
Please Note: |
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Home
Pictures of recent events
The Odyssey Bookshop is one of five independent
bookstores participating in WAMC's Roundtable on Tuesday mornings,
just after the 10:00 news. People from the Odyssey will be on about once a
month, talking about our favorite books. Odyssey staff members also review books on WHMP, 96.9 Northampton. You can hear our reviews between 9am and 10am, Monday through Friday during The Nine O'Clock Show with Bill Newman. Download podcasts of Bill's previous shows here. The Odyssey Bookshop (413) 534-7307 email odysseybks@aol.com |
Click here for information on ebooks at the Odyssey Mount Holyoke College Faculty and Staff NEW: Course Book Rental Program and Special pricing on selected titles: click here Frequently Asked Questions about the Odyssey and textbooks Why are textbooks so expensive? Hours Want to know more about author events at the Odyssey? Sign up for email.
The Cost of Returns The Odyssey Bookshop has always maintained a generous course book return policy. If you drop a course, we allow book returns for 3 weeks at the beginning of each semester and only require your receipt and copy of your schedule. Many schools now strictly limit returns to only three days after purchase, and some schools are moving to a policy in which returns are for store credit only. Nevertheless, we have noticed a dramatic rise in returns over the past few years, and are aware that many students abuse our return policy by purchasing books at the store, knowing that they will shop online for a better price and then return the books they bought here. This is a form of borrowing books, which hurts other students as well as the Odyssey, and we’d like to explain how. 1. It harms Mount Holyoke College students financially. When students borrow our used books and then return them a week or two later, it depletes our supply of used books on the shelves, depriving other students of the opportunity to buy them at the store when they need them. Those students are then forced to buy new books, which are significantly more expensive. 2. It harms our ability to control textbook costs. In this day and age of dramatically increasing textbook costs, the Odyssey’s goal is to control costs for students, reducing prices where we can, and increasing value. But this is not possible when so many students buy books they know they will be returning. This is due to the rising shipping costs, the labor costs of shelving and re-shelving books, and the cost of returning unsold copies of books to publishers. 3. It harms the Odyssey’s goal of being as carbon neutral as possible. Because of this excessive borrowing, it often becomes necessary for us to re-order books to meet demand, and then return more unsold copies than would otherwise be necessary. This extra shipping, both in and out, increases the carbon footprint of the Odyssey and Mount Holyoke College. We understand that returns are sometimes necessary. But we strongly encourage students to buy only those books they will need and keep. By doing so, you can help us control costs, and better serve the students and faculty of the college. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation . Get the Odyssey Calendar of Author Events by email. As you may know the Odyssey Bookshop hosts many literary events throughout the year. Visiting authors of fiction and non-fiction books read from their works and answer questions about their books and writing in general. These are rare opportunities to visit with a wide variety of writers in an intimate setting. If you would like to receive regular emails about Odyssey events, just email us at odysseybks@aol.com, and put "SIGN ME UP" in the subject box. Below are some frequently asked questions and answers about the Odyssey Bookshop: What are the Odyssey's hours? We are open Monday through
Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., What forms of payment does the Odyssey accept? In addition to cash, checks, travelers' checks, and all major credit cards, we are pleased to announce that students can charge textbooks and textbook supplies to their general accounts. We also accept the MHC One-Card as a debit card for all purchases at the Odyssey. Please remember that using the One-Card this way requires that you have deposited money with Mount Holyoke College. For all general charges you will receive a bill from the college. What is the MHC Student Booklover's Program? When you shop at the Odyssey, you will be offered a Student Booklover's Card. For each $10.00 you spend (including textbook expenses) you get one Odyssey 'stamp' in the card. When a card has 10 stamps, you may redeem it for a 20% discount on a non-textbook purchase. (The discount cannot be applied to art supplies, magazines, newspapers, phone cards, and short-discount books.) As you know, with the price of textbooks what they are, it's very easy to collect the cards, and most students earn one or more full cards on a single visit to the Odyssey. Remember you can use the card to save 20% on regular school supplies, cards, MHC imprinted items such as sweatshirts, nalgene bottles and sport bags, and of course, most books (except textbooks). Does the Odyssey carry any supplies? We carry many supplies which you may find useful including notebooks, writing tablets, binders, pens, highlighters, staplers, key ring flash cards, post-its, computer disks, and other such items. Let us know what else we should carry -- if enough people mention a certain item, we'll do our best to get it. Remember that school supplies are 20% off when you use The Student Booklover's Card. Does the Odyssey carry any other MHC imprinted products? We carry a modest line of MHC imprinted items this semester. These include t-shirts, sweatshirts, totebags, and travel mugs. Think we should carry other items? Drop us an email and give us your ideas. Starting in the Fall of 2011, we will have a book rental program. Full details What if I don't find a course book on the shelf? There are several reasons that a book may not be on the shelf. First, it may not have arrived yet. Books for many courses were ordered by professors late in the summer, and for the most part, they know that some books may be delayed. Other books are delayed at the publisher. In such cases we have let the professor know. It is also possible that we need to restock a book. We have hundreds of overstock books in various storage areas, so if a book appears to be sold out, please let a staff person know, and we will determine whether we have more, and if so, we will bring it to the shelves immediately. Of course, some books do get sold out. If you let us know, we will place a special order for the book and get it for you as soon as possible. We may first communicate with the professor to see how many students may still need the book. If we are placing an order just for you, we ask that you pre-pay for the book. Can I return a book after I bought it? Books bought at the Odyssey are generally returnable. You will be given a complete set of instructions and deadlines when you purchase your books. Until when can I buy books at the Odyssey The Odyssey usually starts returning books about a month after the semester begins. By six weeks into the semester, most of the books are gone. Does the Odyssey buy back textbooks? The Odyssey buys textbooks back almost anytime the store is open. The main exception is during the first few weeks of each semester. In addition, we are planning special buyback days, when you will earn extra punches on you booklover's card for selling back books. More information about those days will be coming later in the semester. A book is usually bought back for 10-20% of its price as a new book. These prices are set by textbook wholesale textbook companies. However, if the Odyssey has received a course order for that book for the subsequent semester, we will buy it back for up to 50% of its price as a new book (even if you bought it as used. There may be exceptions, especially when the Odyssey sells an older edition at a very low price). See our buyback page for more information on Buyback, and how you can win an Odyssey Gift Card for $100. We hope you have a great semester. SEE RULES AND OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT BUYBACK The
Odyssey Bookshop now carries art supplies for
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