Nevertheless, he bellied up to the microphone by himself and treated us to a brief but well-rounded survey of his expansive catalog: a selection from the Eban and Charley soundtrack, one song apiece from the albums Get Lost and Distortion, and a number originally composed for the audio book of Lemony Snicket's The Hostile Hospital.

NPR: Stephin Merritt: Musical Polymath

For starters, you can choose your initial pack of free albums from the company's complete online catalog, instead of the feeble selection offered in its magazine advertisements.

CNN: Where to buy music on the Web

For instance, compared to the limited selection in an actual bookstore, Amazon can list a huge catalog of titles, and it's easy to search among them online.

FORBES: Does Amazon.com really matter?