I'm going to have a party, but I don't think,

that I'll ask Hooper Humperdink.

I'll ask Alice, I'll ask Abe.

I'll ask Bob and Bill and Babe.

I'll ask Charlie, Clara, Cora,

Danny, Davey, Daisy, Dora...

And so on through the alphabet.

Hooper Humperdink? Not Him was, for what seemed a very long time, the favorite bedtime - and every other time - reading material in our household. It reached the point where my son would sit in the back seat of the car turning the pages while my wife and I sat in the front reciting the tragic story of Hooper - "that Humperdink's a party pooper" - from memory.

Thankfully, my son's literary tastes eventually matured and Hooper was forgotten. Well, not exactly forgotten. I still occasionally catch my wife muttering something that sounds strangely like, "I'll ask everyone I like, Ivory, Ivy, Izzy, Ike." in her sleep and lately - as we attempt to prolong the childhood my son is desperately seeking to escape - we occasionally find ourselves browsing the children's section of bookstores and libraries in hopes of returning Hooper to our bookshelves.

Unfortunately, the book is out of print and its author, Theo Lesieg, isn't exactly a household name. Perhaps if Theo hadn't spelled his last name backwards or, better yet, had used his more popular pseudonym, Dr. Seuss, the book might still be available. But so far we haven't had any luck.

Until now that is. Thanks to Amazon.com our story is about to have a happy ending. If you've been following the Web anywhere else but through this column you probably already know that Amazon.com is an online bookstore. It gets a lot of coverage because it's a Web-based business that actually seems to be making money.

Note: I should have known better! According to the financial statement released as part of its initial public offering, Amazon.com is not expected to be profitable any time soon.

It accomplishes that elusive feat by leveraging the advantages of the Web to accomplish things real bookstores can't - like carrying over a million titles. It's possible because Amazon.com doesn't have to worry about shelf space. It doesn't have any!

Being able to search through a million titles online is a big advantage if you're looking for an obscure or out of date title. My own search for the author Lesieg turned up The Pop-Up Mice of Mr. Brice and I Wish That I Had Duck Feet, but no Humperdink. However a search for the title Hooper Humperdink elicited the information that the book has been rereleased under Dr. Seuss' name. Success at last!

Of course a real bookstore could have turned up the same information with a little effort. It's the bells and whistles that make Amazon.com stand out. Things like e-mail notification when new books are available from your favorite authors and the opportunity to submit your own book reviews. But the most unique service Amazon.com offers is assistance setting up a virtual bookstore at your own site. If you generate enough volume, they'll even pay a commission on the orders.

It makes shopping for books an attractive online proposition. Still I doubt that virtual bookstores will ever replace the real thing. Part of the fun of roaming the real world shelves is looking at the covers, reading the dust jackets, scanning the pages and -hopefully - discovering a new author or two. No Web site is likely to duplicate that experience any time soon.

Nevertheless, Amazon.com has earned a permanent place in my bookmark collection by offering selections and services that real world bookstores can't duplicate. That and the fact that it's reuniting our family with Hooper Humperdink.

And don't worry, It all turned out well...

A party great and grand as this,

Is too good for anyone to miss.

And so you know, I kind of think,

I will ask Hooper Humperdink.*

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