A first novelist, sent on tour by his hopeful publisher, said Politics & Prose was the only store where he looked out and saw a crowd that wasn't dominated by friends of his mother. These strangers had been told the book was good, and that was enough to get them not only to buy it, but to show up for a reading. Politics & Prose has that sort of relationship with its customers.

The store has gradually expanded since Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade opened it in 1984. First it moved across the street to a bigger location, then added a cafe and annexed the building next door. Now it carries about 100,000 titles, which means it's large enough to browse in but not so big as to overwhelm. The focus is on serious material.

There are many events here and, as the name makes clear, politics gets pride of place. In a way that no other local bookstore does, Politics & Prose takes seriously its responsibility to be a community forum: A series of talks titled "Taking Responsibility for Racial Healing" featured nine prominent writers focusing on disparities of poverty, employment and education.

In the age of the superstore, independents can only survive by making themselves essential to their customers. Politics & Prose has done this more aggressively than anyone else. The store has an online shopping component, a Book-Each-Month Club that mails the recipient a new title matching his interests, and a membership program that entitles readers to all sorts of benefits.

-- David Streitfeld

NOTE: Politics & Prose has a new seating policy for large events. Such readings will require a donation for a guaranteed seat -- $3 for members and $5 for nonmenbers. Donation-required events will be noted as such.