"What Are Independent Bookstores Really Good For? Not much" is an article at Slate by Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University. You'll notice the "Not much" part of the title over at Slate is very faint in comparison. Why is that? Is it because Cowen's book is also being sold by indies?

My impression of the article is the reference to "independent" bookstores applies only to those indies that sell new books, not your local used bookstore. The article reminds me of all too many young people furniture shopping for the first time. They prefer to shop at discount, chain furniture stores and buy cheap, pressed wood furniture and eschew fine antiques and solid wood furniture made by craftsmen with the comment: "That old jumk!"

Laura J. Miller's book mentioned in the article Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption and Tyler Cowen's book Good and Plenty: The Creative Successes of American Arts Funding can be found at your local independent bookstore or by searching by title and/or author at Bookfinder or AddAll.