Books for sale

January 9, 2018 5:57 PM

According to the International Organisation of Book Towns, a book town is "a small rural town or village in which second–hand and antiquarian bookshops are concentrated". Most Book Towns have developed in villages of historic interest or of scenic beauty. Here is a list of book towns around the world. And here is an Atlas Obscura story about The village of Hobart, in Delaware County, New York, with a population of 441 people, at the 2010 census, and 5 independent book stores.
posted by growabrain (20 comments total)

This seems like the perfect place to mention The Open Book, a bookstore and apartment in Wigtown, Scotland's National Book Town (10 bookstores, population ~900, except during the Book Festival, when they see 10,000 visitors), which you can rent for a week on Airbnb and run the store. Dan Dalton recounted his experience there for BuzzFeed last year. (Previously on the blue)
posted by zachlipton at 6:23 PM on January 9, 2018 [7 favorites]

Now that's a town I'd like to live in, especially with pizza in such close proximity.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:24 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

You know the night is calling and the books are calling and we've got to get down to Wigtown.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 6:34 PM on January 9, 2018 [9 favorites]

there's 3000 miles to hobart, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark out, and we're wearing sunglasses
posted by entropicamericana at 6:42 PM on January 9, 2018 [6 favorites]

240 miles to Hobart? Hmmmm.
posted by thomas j wise at 6:47 PM on January 9, 2018

Where is Bellingham, Washington?
posted by Jacqueline at 7:02 PM on January 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

I went to Hay-on-Wye, (“the first book town in the world” according to this list,) almost 8 years ago, and it was fantastic. Hilly, cobblestone-y, and quaint as all heck. Even their castle was a bookstore. They had so many dang bookstores that their library was just throwing old books in a dumpster.
posted by D.Billy at 7:28 PM on January 9, 2018 [4 favorites]

Looks like 3 of the 4 Booked Up stores have closed in Archer City, Texas. Brownville, Nebraska might still be ok, and Stillwater, Minnesota too. (Not sure why the U.S. book towns aren't listed in the linked site)
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:32 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

Wigtown sounds FABULOUS!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:56 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

Hay-on-Wye is fun. We're going to Fjærland this summer, will report back.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:01 PM on January 9, 2018

The village of Sandford, Gloucestershire surely needs one - "for the greater good"...
posted by growabrain at 9:25 PM on January 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

The greater good...

There's a great book about Hay-on-Wye called Sixpence House, where I learned (among other things!) that buying a house in England is VERY different than buying one in the US.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 9:56 PM on January 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

Where is Bellingham, Washington?

Losing Michael's Books must have hurt their ratio.
posted by gusottertrout at 12:34 AM on January 10, 2018 [1 favorite]

More Wigtown: a book by the owner of one of the bookshops there, highly recommended
posted by PaulZ at 1:26 AM on January 10, 2018

I've got three nights break in Wigtown coming up at the end of the month in some rooms above a bookshop/café. Bookshops galore with the added bonus of a nature reserve. Can't wait!
posted by gnuhavenpier at 4:48 AM on January 10, 2018 [2 favorites]

Official Hobart

Niantic CT has the Book Barn, which is four shops under one management. Their Annual Sale (1/3 off of pretty reasonable prices to begin with) starting on January 27 and running through February 4, if you''re in the area. Added bonus - Long Island Sound. And cats. They have many cats.
posted by BWA at 5:26 AM on January 10, 2018 [2 favorites]

The podcast Reading Glasses has a fun episode on bookish vacations y’all might like too.
posted by Night_owl at 6:43 AM on January 10, 2018

A tiny town full of bookstores sounds heavenly. Add in a good library and a bar/pub that was friendly to reading, and I'd never leave.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:54 AM on January 10, 2018 [1 favorite]

No Sidney, BC, Canada? I've never seen so many used bookshops! If I could retire there (or its larger neighbor, Victoria), I almost certainly would.
posted by dancing_angel at 12:31 PM on January 10, 2018

If you're driving the Ring Road in Iceland, it's worth stopping at Bókakaffi (it simply means "book cafe") in Selfoss. It's not a huge place, but it's nice and the coffee is good. Most of the books are in Icelandic, but if you ask I'm sure they can point you to something in other languages. Though Selfoss is the biggest town, the other towns in the vicinity are part of the same booktown project.
posted by Kattullus at 4:32 AM on January 12, 2018