The UW bookstore in Seattle like many big science schools had a wondrous technical book section. Isles of Springer. The bookstore itself is a shadow of its former shelf.

My own college experience heavily soured me on both book stores and especially school run book stores. The markup was obscene and their buy back rates were worse.

Half price books and a few other book stores lulled me back a few times, but nonfiction books are kept around mostly as eye candy at this point.

Yes, I was so disappointed with my visit last year - not yet hopeless, but close to it. Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle is a better place.