I'm glad he has his own clip microphone to keep us all in the know on this importantzzzzzzzzz

bam! city of quartz. i'm down with it.

Uh, did Libros, Libros, Libros go out of business? If not, sounds like another Cogswell effort.

That's neat and everything, but it's not the first. There are two other English-language bookstores in Mexico City, or were; I think one of them has closed.

And I wonder if there's just a teensy bit of "here, Mexicans, finally an American dude brings real littercher to you". Does Grant have contacts in DF's existing literary scene? Shouldn't he be learning about the vast universe of Latin American literature?

Also: wrong about Amazon not available in Mexico.

Charles,
Ingles es muy impotante de Espanol? Hay caramba! Espanol es mi primera lingua. Es muy importante!

Not so sure of that. Try telling that to an Mexican or Argentine.

But, I salute Cogswell's effort. A novel idea. I wish him good luck.

Cogswell is one of the most heartwarming endearing trainwrecks I know. I predict the English-only bookstore in Mexico City to be an earnest but spectacular and sad failure.

@5, really? Because your Spanish there is kind of terrible. "Muy" means "very", not "more". "Íngles es más importante que el español" or "íngles es el idioma más importante que el español".

Fnarf,
Aware of that. I also misspelled "importante" and didn't use an accent or tilda on two other words. I admit my Spanish is weak (I haven't spoken it regularly for 35+ years). But, my point was I don't think many people would agree that Spanish is less important than English.

Mexico is the American cultural dream chamber, eh? I wasn't aware.

Also, I suspect this is all a ruse to setup some kind of drug smuggling ring.

@6, you said a mouthful. The likelihood of that may be why Charles asks "What will come after...?"

Steve@4 - I'm generally avoiding Slog commenting but have to answer a couple things you said here. Yes, Libros Libros Libros is still open, way out in Lomas a 40-minute pesero ride from the nearest metro. They are sweet old folks, but they cater strictly to an embassy/corporate crowd (they carry only new books, at US prices - your average local or student is not going to shell out a day's wages for a book). They have multiple copies of about 500 English titles at 180-300 pesos each. What is wonderful is they can order any new title without extra charge. No backpacker coming through is going to trek out there either (and their name is Libros Libros Libros, for pete's sake).

Amazon is reachable, sure, but you have to have them deliver to a US address and then ship from there, which nearly doubles the price of whatever book.

You're totally guessing my attitude wrong. I come from no position of superiority, but as a supplicant beginning a dialogue. Used books in English are nearly free in the US; in DF they are a prized commodity. I can fill that gap. All my contacts in the local literary scene have to say is, 'Bring us some books!' And when we publish our journal, we'll be translating some of that local literature to bring it north.

Ya know, bookstores aren't exactly a winning business to be in these days, Grant. I'd recommend investing in something else, unless you've got a thing for failure.

What's that? Oh, right - never mind, carry on!

How about if Cogswell replaces the Ángel de la Independencia with a statue of Marion Zioncheck?

@11, Mexican food isn't for everybody, sure, but does it really cause "hundreds of decapitated bodies being found in ditches"? I think not. Mexican food is one of the three great culinary traditions of the world (China, Italy, Mexico, all else comes after).

@13, Amazon can ship to Mexico if you use FedEx. Yes, there's a premium to be paid there. Maybe someday Mexico's postal system will catch up to its standing in the world.

Don't get me wrong, Grant; I think what you're doing is cool and I'll be visiting your shop in January. I'd even send you some books if I knew your address.

Uhhh... there's more Spanish than English native speakers in the world Charles.

Revisá bien tus fuentes antes de publicar Carlitos.

Right on Steve and see you there - address forthcoming.

This is such a cool venture, really in the tradition of the famous expat bookstore in Paris, Shakespeare & Company. Creating not just a store but a place of networking for a community that already exists, but would probably be enhanced by a welcoming meeting space and some English-language books to bond over. [Hell, indie bookstores (and record stores) have served that function in the US, that's why it's so awful they're disappearing.] Shakespeare & Co had a great expat reading scene last time I was there, a group of writers who hosted regular readings and published a journal. The writers were from various countries all over the world, English speaking nations and otherwise. The readings and the journal were all in English.