Despite the severe recession, bookstore sales through the first nine months of 2009 are down by less than 1%, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Sales, which include results from college bookstores, were $13.56 billion through October, off just 0.7% from the same period in 2008. Bookstores have fared better than the overall retail market, which was down 8.2% in the nine-month period. Sales have generally been better in the second half of 2009, when comparisons with 2008 are easier as the recession deepened. In October, bookstore sales were a bit disappointing, falling 0.9%, to $1.03 billion, after posting a 7% increase in September and a slight gain in August.