A Vactioner's Guide to Rural New England Bookstores will arrive in its 2nd edition soon

When my book was first published in 2008, it was a lot of fun anticipating how readers would accept it. The limited run was a great learning experience, which I am grateful for, as I believe it greatly contributed to the quality of the newest edition due out this summer.



The first edition was published in 2008.

As soon as it is ready to print, I will mention it here and anyone interested in getting a copy can email me or buy it online. The new edition has lots of new features. The best new feature is the One-Day-Bookstore-Tour, which has a half dozen of my favorite routes for spending the day in a bookstore.

Another new feature is the focus on Used and Rare bookshops. Previously, many used bookshops were included, but they were not highlighted as they are in the new edition.

The question I raised back in 2008 was whether the New England rural bookstore could survive. I suggested that there were some rare qualities about our region that would permit the independent bookshop owner to succeed, where some other parts of the country might have more difficulty. In many ways I think the rural New England bookshop is doing well. In fact, I have seen more than one new shop open, including one close to my home in Jefferson, where I had the good luck to be its first customer in the summer of 2011. The Beech Tree Place bookshop is celebrating its first-year anniversary in a few weeks and that's a testament to its owner, but in some ways to the support of the New England book-buying public.

When you like to read as much as I do, it's probably not feasible to buy a full price New York Times bestseller each week. That's just too expensive. Besides, not enough books are being written currently that hold my interest. I prefer books about historical figures, written by people who were there. That's why I enjoyed finding a copy of Theodore White's book, In Search of History, because he knew the characters he wrote about - and those characters shaped the world I grew up in during the 1950's and 1960's. That's much more exciting to me than most of today's literature.

If you want more book for your buck, my book will help you find a bargain and probably something much more worth reading. I hope so, anyway.

Historic Woodstock Vermont is perfect for a rare book One-Day Bookstore Tour

It’s only a couple hours north from my home to reach the town of Woodstock VT, which is a preferred destination for many reasons. The town is beautiful in any season, the main street is lined with charming shops and galleries, the dining and drinking options are numerous, and I can find a library and three bookshops within walking distance of each other. Now, that’s a great reason to visit any town.

The Norman Williams Public Library had a book sale this past weekend ranging from 50 cents to a few dollars each on a great collection of hardcover and softcover books. My wife selected a novel and I found two non-fiction hardcovers that totaled $8. The library was happy and we were delighted.

A few steps down the street was the Yankee Bookshop, notable for its bright yellow awning. They claim to be the oldest continuously operated independent bookshop in town, having first opened in 1935. The shop is small but well organized. The book selection was wide-ranging and I was able to find some titles that I had to have. I also appreciated the rack of local newspapers at the front of the store. It’s amazing to me that more bookshops don’t bother with offering the local periodicals.

A few more steps up the street brought us to Shiretown Books. The shop has begun to intermingle new and used books on the same shelf. This is a great idea. I prefer to make my selections in the history, biography and political commentary section from used titles because a book about a historical event two hundred years ago, that was written by someone 10 years ago, is still fresh to me. Obviously, if you want to read an analysis of last year’s election, it’s necessary to buy at new book prices. I found two volumes at $4.95 each. So, for fewer than ten dollars I had a biography of Thurgood Marshall and Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser. Another good day as a result of used book pricing.

The final stop for the day was at Pleasant Street Books. It was a short ride/walk up the road and was the main reason we came on today’s visit. The antiquarian and rare book shop operated by Sonny Saul has thousands of books, many of which are first editions. The shop resides in a restored barn behind his house, along the river. It’s quintessential in its charm, inside and out. The inside has undergone a significant change over the past year. Sonny cleared out a lot of books on the ground level to make room for a piano and seating that can accommodate recitals. Although no formal schedule exists, I think we will be hearing (excuse the weak pun) more about it soon.

The rare books mingle with the merely used books. I like both types. For those looking for Shakespeare Folios, he has some. For those looking for Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco, the cost was only $8. For the Shakespeare, a bit more. I bought the Umberto Eco volume.

The upstairs section is more crowded than downstairs. The books are stacked from floor to ceiling, but Sonny has provided numerous low stools for visitors to hunch down comfortably to scan the treasures on the bottom shelves. I think I bought seven books, but I could easily have bought many more. Each aisle had something to peak my reading interest. Other aisles had volumes that peaked my collecting instinct. Sometimes my instincts get the best of me. This day I settled for the seven, which included one signed copy, a few first editions, and a few readers. Excellent.

Generally, a One-Day-Bookstore-Tour takes in a few nearby towns, but this time I never left the boundaries of Woodstock VT. In between the visits we took lunch at the Woodstock Inn and some libations at Bentley’s downtown. Both were fun, but the drinks are cheaper at Bentley’s, believe me. Can’t wait to come back to Woodstock.

One-Day-Bookstore-Tour Yields Great Book Bargains in Portsmouth NH Area

I just got back from a great One-Day-Bookstore-Tour in and around Portsmouth NH, where the RiverRun Bookstore reopened at its new location. On Saturday, the place was buzzing. I was disappointed to learn that the SecondRun shop, which has been closed for a year won’t be reopening any time soon. But, according to one of the owners, there may be a Used Bookstore in its future – but, probably out of town where the rents are lower.

The new shop is delightful. It’s not very large, but well organized and thankfully, it’s peppered with a lot of Used Books. Unlike a lot of shops, the new and used books are intermixed on the same shelves by category. So, when I’m looking at biographies, I can find a new release parked right next to a used copy of Amelia Earhart by Doris Rich for $10. Now, that’s what I’m talking about. I also found The River of Doubt, a great biography of Theodore Roosevelt’s adventure on the Amazon River for the same price. They also have bargain books in boxes at the front of the store from $2 to $5.

Downtown Portsmouth is a great walking town, but you don’t have to walk far to find shops, restaurants, bar and grills, galleries, and a lot more. I visited the former location of the SecondRun used bookshop, which now anchored an artist’s gallery. Then, after a quick bite at The Page Restaurant, I was on my way seven miles up the road to Drake Farm in North Hampton.

The Drake Farm Book Shop is a remarkable local landmark. The barn was built around 1830 and from its antique railroad station wood stove (this weekend’s only source of heat) to its two floors overstuffed with 45,000 books, you know you are visiting someplace special. The owner, Bob, greets everyone who enters and encouraged browsers to button up their overcoat as the barn is unheated due to the $300 per week oil charge. So, bring your gloves and when you can’t stand it anymore, come back to the storefront and warm yourself at the wood stove.

The $300 oil charge is understandable once you get inside the enormous barn. Room after room draws you further along into the enormous space. Books are stacked on shelves so tightly that you have to pull out several books at a time to release the one you want to inspect. The rooms and sections of rooms are well labeled so you can find the military or natural science or fiction sections easily. But, this is clearly a place that requires more than one visit. The vastness of the collections is hard to describe.

Among the several books that I bought was Marshall, Hero for Our Times by Leonard Mosley. The collection of WW II and other military genre books was impressive. For the most part, each book is wrapped in plastic with a written description of edition and pricing. The books are handled less this way and better preserved for the ultimate buyer. Each of the several books I purchased was a First Edition and each was treated by the bookseller with care and reverence. The pricing was fair and if you group your buys, you can earn some further discounts for purchases over $50 and $100, etc. So a good deal becomes a great deal.

Moving on down the road, you will find the Book Outlet just a mile away. This is another landmark, in its own way, as it’s been a fixture at the North Hampton Village Shopping Center at the Intersection of Rte. 1 and Rte. 111, for over a decade. The shop features paperback and hardcover used books and accepts book trade-ins toward purchases. It’s clean, neat and well lit. When you spot the $1.99 and $2.99 orange tags on books in the History or Biography section, or the $0.99 box at the front of the store, it’s hard to believe your luck. I’m always tempted to fill my arms with books. I found four volumes today that set me back a total of about $10. The four books were an autobiography, Me, by Katherine Hepburn, a book by Henry Kissinger, The Fitzgeralds and Kennedy’s saga by Doris Kearns Goodwin and the biography of Whittaker Chambers by Sam Tanenhaus.

Normally I can stop at four or five bookshops in a day, but the extra browsing in downtown Portsmouth and the extended visit to Drake Farm limited me to three shops. Not that I’m complaining, the visits were all worthwhile. I also devoted a little bit of time to a Valentine gift for my wife. It’s important for future touring expeditions to maintain a happy home.

Finding Bargains During One-Day Bookstore Tour to Connecticut Coast

My most recent One-Day Bookstore Tour took me to four of my favorite places along the Connecticut coastline. Starting with Harbor Books in Old Saybrook and ending at Bank Square Books in Mystic was only a drive of about 27 miles. Along the way, I visited the Book Barn in Niantic and Book Trader Etc., in Groton. The Old Saybrook to Mystic (or Westerly RI) stretch is a historic and inviting tourist destination enjoyed by many, especially during the summer. The beaches, the parks, the country inns and historic sites, such as the Mystic Seaport, are all strong attractions. Years ago, when I lived in Mystic, it seemed to me that the area was underrated as a destination and somewhat still is in my mind.

But, for me, the destination bookshops offer a great day trip for someone vacationing in the area. You can find a great collection of used books at three of the four stops, and while the Bank Square Books in Mystic is not a strongly used bookshop, it makes up for it with the emphasis on local authors and books about the sea, sailing, and nautical interests. It also has a strong children’s section.

In Old Saybrook, Harbor Books is small but mighty. It has an eclectic mix of titles and I always manage to find something that I consider a bargain; either because it’s ridiculously low priced, or it’s an underpriced find. When I find something, such as an autographed book, it feels like a successful treasure hunt. It always intrigues me that the store owner has a constantly changing collection of books about Katherine Hepburn.

Up the road in Niantic, the Book Barn is actually three separate locations, each with its own unique look and feel. But, you can rest assured that I bought books in all three locations. They are all within a minute’s drive of each other; I suppose the really hearty could walk, but how could I carry all those books? The main barn had some great military genre books; the Midtown location had some great biographies, and the Downtown location had a recent arrival of movie star biographies that I couldn’t resist. Plus, this was their annual 30 percent sale, so the low prices were even better.

Continuing eastward, I arrived in Groton, home of the submarine manufacturer, General Dynamics-Electric Boat. The Book Trader, Etc., is a small store, sharing a plaza with Dunkin Donuts. In fact, they swapped locations when the doughnut shop wanted to add a drive-through. But, the bookshop continues its decades-long tradition with its 3x5 card file for buyers who make a purchase and get a credit against their next purchase when they return the previous purchase. It’s wild. I never get involved with that sort of thing because I shop in dozens of shops all over the place. But, for the locals, this is a great feature.

The final stop of the day was at Bank Square Books in Mystic. It’s right downtown close to the drawbridge. The on-going streetscape work continues, but it’s my view that by next summer it will be something worth seeing and experiencing. I have seen such improvements in other cities and towns and it goes a long way toward making the “hard-scape” of a downtown more agreeable. We’ll see. But, as to the book shopping, you will find lots of local author and local interest books here. It’s really great to see a full-service independent bookshop right in the middle of the action. I never miss stopping in. I also never fail to drive by the old sea Captain’s house on Pearl Street that I rented years ago. It’s still impressive today.

Four bookshops along the coastline and a backseat piled high with books. Another great One-Day Bookstore Tour.

New Independent Bookstore Opens

Sadly, one of my favorite bookstores, the Ben Franklin Bookstore in Worcester, has recently closed. The owner had to make that difficult decision of independent booksellers that he could not continue. But, happily, I discovered a new independent bookstore this week, which opened in nearby West Boylston, MA. The Beech Tree Place Bookstore officially opened at Noon on Saturday, July 30, 2011 and I am happy to report that I was the first official customer.

To win a personal bet with a friend, the owner-operator of the new shop, Ina, went ahead and opened as planned at noontime, despite most of the inventory still being in boxes and not well distributed on the shelves. I congratulate her on her perseverance, determination, and brave attitude about being an independent bookseller. In addition to books, the store will feature records too. That's a great combination for those of us who like to live in the past. Those old record albums are hard to replace when they finally bite the dust, and this new shop should be a boon to collectors.

Ina will spend the next few weeks properly sorting and pricing the inventory, but then again, that will be her permanent role in the months and years ahead, as a used bookseller. Every day is an adventure in sorting, pricing, shelving, and selling. I look forward to finding a lot of treasures in this new shop.

I mentioned that I was the first official customer. It's true. I found three books right away and I might say that it's fortunate for me, and my wallet, that Ina didn't have all the books on the shelves yet. I might have overbought. (If that's possible).

So, as Ben Franklin drops off my list of go-to bookshops, I will now add Beech Tree Place Bookstore to my list when the wanderlust gets a hold of me and I feel the need to scour bookshelves for hidden treasures. If you visit, let me know what you think about the new place. And best of luck to Ina on her latest adventure.  ((Since this was written, the bookshop moved to Leominster)).

One-Day-Bookstore-Tour in Vermont

On Saturday, April 24, 2010, I paid a quick visit to some of my favorite bookstores in Central Vermont. My One-Day-Bookstore-Tour took me to The Book Shed, Hermit Hills Books, Bulwagga Books and Seasoned Bookseller. The idea for a One-Day Bookstore Tour, which I copied from Joseph Trenn, of The Book Shed in Benson, VT, is a perfect way to spend a weekend day browsing the shelves of used bookstores all in the same general area.

I first stopped at Hermit Hill Books in Poultney, VT and was immediately in danger of not getting out of there to visit the other three booksellers on the planned tour. The collection of Revolutionary, Civil War, and World War II books might have pinned me down all day. Plus, the biographies and autobiographies collection was tremendous. I bought a handful of books and ran out so I didn't miss the chance to continue my tour.

Just 15 miles up the road was The Book Shed in Benson VT. And I mean shed. It's such a simple building in a simple town, but the tight aisles and the tall shelves are filled with books on a wide range of topics. Joe was out and about while I was there but I was pleased to make the first purchase of the day. It requires patience to visit a used bookstore, unlike a chain bookstore, which is run with the usual efficiency of typical retail operations. In the used bookstore, you expect to find books piled in the aisles, not yet sorted, but available nonetheless if you can take the time to sort through them yourself.

Continuing up the road another 15 miles I dropped in at Bulwagga Books and Gallery in Whiting VT. You can't miss this bookstore as it shares a building with the town post office (Zip 05778). When you see the display rack on the porch with paperbacks for 50 cents each, you know it's a fun place to shop. Inside, the front of the store is reasonably organized, with some shelves labeled to let you know where the Fiction resides. It gets a bit crowded as you move toward the middle and back of the store and becomes totally impassable in the back room. Hidden in the stacked books are the book-buyers dream. Interesting and rarely found books at very reasonable prices. I found a signed copy of a biography of W.E.B. Dubois that you wouldn't find anywhere else no matter how long you looked.

The last stop was 25 miles further along at Seasoned Booksellers in Rochester, VT. This is a great place for the last stop as it also has a cafe with coffee and light fare that came in handy in the early afternoon. Customers bought books, magazines, and newspapers and sat at tables in the rooms surrounded by shelves of books for sale. The whole atmosphere was very open and low-key friendly. It was the perfect place to find some bargains, especially on the 30 percent and 50 percent off carts. The already low prices on the books, plus the discount, made it worthwhile to stock up. If no one is at the counter, just pay for the books in the cafe.

Timing Is Everything
For anyone on vacation in and around the Rutland VT region, it would take half an hour to get to Poultney VT for your first stop. For the second and third stops at Benson and Whiting, you should allow a half-hour drive each and at least a half-hour visit each. The final stop at Rochester is a 40 minute drive, which would bring the total to about three and a half hours combined driving, including the return trip from Rochester to Rutland. Then, if you allow two hours in-store time (four 30-minute visits) the total for the One-Day-Bookstore-Tour would be about five and a half hours; longer if you visit longer. A perfect day, well spent.

When I make this round-robin trip, I generally include a stop at the Vermont Country Store in Weston VT, as I am generally coming up from Massachusetts. On the way home, I stop in Bellows Falls VT at the Village Square Booksellers and the Arch Bridge Bookshop. These two stores are practically next to each other on Main Street and combined bring you the best of a general interest bookstore and a used bookseller extraordinare.

This past Saturday was a perfect day to visit six bookstores and enjoy the landscape and atmosphere of Central Vermont. I can't wait to go back.

When is a Mill not a Mill? When it's a Bookstore, of course.

When I walked up to the counter the second time, the clerk gave me a slightly puzzled look. However, I had prepared myself for her reaction. The stack of books that I thunked-down on the counter was the same height as the stack I had thunked-down 30 minutes ago. For a moment, she was wondering to herself, "Is he buying one more book - while still carrying around the dozen he already bought...or is this a whole new stack?"

Yes, it was a whole new stack. (She then made a small fist-pump for success - realizing she had another multi-copy sale.) When I go to the Montague Bookmill, one of my favorite rural New England bookstores, you can count on a stack or two each time. What was different this time was that my wife, Patti, came along for the visit. She plunked herself down on one of the comfy couches and began reading a huge volume about Feng Shui design. As an amateur interior designer and decorator, she is always looking for inspiration. (She bought the book.)

And inspiration is what you find at the Montague Bookmill. Set inside the old gristmill along the Sawmill River not too far from Northampton MA, it's the perfect place to find books, music and a delightful grilled sandwich served on sourdough bread. Last week, I found some great biographies, among other books, and felt somewhat cheated that I had to put some of the books back on the shelf. They will have to wait for the next visit.

But, we also spent some time touring the area and taking pictures. In addition to interior design, Patti is an accomplished amateur photographer too. We took pictures at the Sawmill River and at places along the way home too. Altogether, it was a great day at a great destination rural bookstore in New England. The Montague Bookmill is only one of my favorite 25 rural New England bookstores, but it has the advantage of being only 45 minutes away from my home so I can go as often as I like. I don't have to wait for a vacation or long-weekend get-away. Let me know if you've been there.