A: Absolutely! We use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption to ensure that your personal information cannot be intercepted and read by a third party. Your personal and credit card information are converted into bits of code that are transmitted securely. You may notice a slight delay after you click on the "Checkout" button to complete your order -- that delay is because you are being taken to our secure server to enter your personal information and submit your order.

None of our customers have ever reported fraudulent use of their credit card information as a result of giving it to us over the Web, but if you ever suspect that your credit card information is being used without your knowledge, you should contact your credit card company immediately!

If you'd still rather not send your personal information over the Web, we understand. You can mail your order to us at: Harvard Book Store Orders Department, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138; or send us a fax at (617) 497-1158.

A: When you're finished selecting books, click on the "Review Your Order" button to make sure your order contains all the books you want to purchase. (On the review order page, you'll be able to remove from your order any books you don't want to buy.)

Then, click on the "Checkout" button to proceed to our secure server and complete the ordering process. You'll see a screen that asks you to enter your username and password if you are a return customer. If you are a new customer, just click on the "New users register here!" link directly below the username and password entry blanks. You'll then be prompted to choose a username and password.

Next, you'll be asked to enter your name, address, and payment information. Having you do this allows us to keep better track of our customers, and it also means that you don't have to re-enter all this information every time you order from us. The next time you order, just enter your username and password, and your customer information will be brought up automatically! (At that point, you can make changes to any of your information if it has changed.) Of course, this information is transferred securely, kept in a secure location, and is password-protected.

A: First of all, be sure you press the "Order" button (from the search results screen) or "Add [1] copy to my order" button (from the detailed citation page) each time you wish to add a book to your order.

A: A cookie is a piece of information that helps a server keep track of its users. In most cases, cookies do not contain personal information about you or other information that you wouldn't want to be stored on someone else's web server. However, cookies have gotten some bad press, so we'd like to assure you that our cookies won't harm you in any way.

If your browser tells you that our server "wishes to set a cookie," it's telling you that our server wants to assign you a unique session ID that will allow it to keep track of what you're ordering while you move around our site. This session ID is a randomly generated number that contains absolutely no personal information about you. This number is the only piece of information contained in your cookie. Your cookie is visible only to our server.

If your browser is set to automatically accept cookies, then you will not see the notification message that our server wishes to set a cookie. If your browser is set to warn you before accepting cookies, then you will see the notification -- we strongly suggest that you click "OK" to accept our server's cookie. You can change this cookie setting in your browser preferences, if you like.

A: If a book is in stock, your order will usually be shipped within one business day. If a book is out of stock, we will contact you with an estimate of the shipping time.

If you have ordered several books, and not all of them are immediately available, we will ask you whether you would like to have the available book(s) shipped immediately and have the others shipped as we receive them, or if you would rather have them all shipped at once.

Please be aware that a small number of out-of-stock books may be unavailable at the publisher, in which case we will contact you. You may then choose to cancel the order, or initiate an out-of-print book search.

A: That depends on whether you live in the United States or abroad, and on how quickly you want to receive your order.

Our standard shipping for deliveries in the United States is by UPS.
-- UPS Surface Delivery (3 business days): $3.95 for the first book + 95¢ for each additional book.
-- UPS 2nd Day Air (2 business days): $7.95 for the first book + $1.95 for each additional book.
-- UPS Next Day Air (1 business day): $10.95 for the first book + $2.95 for each additional book.

We'll gladly ship your order by US postal service or Federal Express if you prefer. You'll be able to select an "other" shipping method on your way through the checkout process. Our Orders Department will send you an estimate of the shipping costs.

For international orders, we ship by US postal service.
-- International Surface (1-3 months): $3.95 for the first book + 95¢ for each additional book.
-- International Air (1-3 weeks): $12.95 for the first book + $5.95 for each additional book.
-- Air Mail to Canada (1-3 weeks): $5.95 for the first book + $3.95 for each additional book.

If you are an international customer, we will be happy to ship your order by DHL Express or Federal Express if you prefer. Just indicate your "other" shipping choice in the checkout process, and our Orders Department will send you an estimate of the shipping costs.