Eagle Harbor Takes a Fair & Balanced Approach

In late August, when the controversy over Unfit for Command (Regnery) reached a peak, many booksellers caught the ire of rightwing customers who accused them of censoring the book, which is critical of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, by not stocking it. While much of the criticism was proven baseless, as most stores simply did not have the book because the publisher was unable to supply them, the Unfit controversy highlighted just how polarized politics has become in this election year. It also presented booksellers with an opportunity to respond to customers' complaints in creative ways, and it gave at least one bookseller the idea to stock every title relating to the 2004 presidential election.

The "Election 2004" bipartisan political book table that displays a remarkable 250 (and growing) titles at Eagle Harbor Book Company in Bainbridge Island, Washington. A closeup of the sign, below, expresses the committment of the bookstore to keep things "even."

At Eagle Harbor Book Company in Bainbridge Island, Washington, owner Morley Horder created a bipartisan "Election 2004" political book table that displays a remarkable 250 titles, from Sean Hannity's Deliver Us From Evil to the Kerry/Edward's title Our Plan for America (PublicAffairs) to the 9/11 Commission Report (Norton).

Horder told BTW that the idea for the table, "started with, particularly, [the] Unfit for Command [controversy]. People were upset that we didn't have it. We had a lot of concerns: We thought how are we going to display things fairly.... We're trying to keep it even. There's been a lot of customer interest and, so far, all positive."

Horder posted a sign explaining the Election 2004 table. It reads: "Eagle Harbor Book Co. is a locally owned and proudly independent bookstore. As such, I believe we have a responsibility to our community to represent the full spectrum of points of view and interests. I believe this promotes a free and open society, and I take this obligation very seriously. Therefore, from now until Election Day I have committed Eagle Harbor Book Co. to carry every book relevant to this election. So, if you don’t see a title you think we should carry, please let me know and I will endeavor to bring it in."

In addition, in the store newsletter, he noted: "We make decisions about our mix of titles by first considering what we believe to be the interests of our community. We look at what has sold in the past. We try to provide a balance of points of view.

"Once the books are in the store, we decide which to display most prominently. This is more difficult than it might seem. During the Democratic Convention, we had a table of books positive about Kerry. Then, for the Republican Convention, we had a table of pro-Bush books. In each case, customers complained of our bias. We've even heard complaints: 'If you stock that book, I won't shop here again.'"

To read a previous story about the Unfit for Command controversy, click here. --David Grogan