And that’s just on your first three stops at independently owned bookshops on the Eastern Shore.
Turns out, the area better known for beaches, tranquil living, weekend getaways, and antiques is also a haven for bibliophiles of every stripe.
Name an interest, and one of the Eastern Shore’s bookshops likely has a hardcover or paperback all about it waiting for you to discover.
You can also open your mind to new adventures as store owners from Chestertown to Trappe guide you on a literary journey all your own.
“You never know what someone is going to be interested in,” says Jim Dawson, owner of Unicorn Bookshop in Trappe.
“I’ve been lucky to find some unusual stuff. If it’s interesting to me, sooner or later it’s going to be interesting to a customer.”
Dawson recently acquired a first edition of a book published in 1797 and written by not-yet-President James Monroe. The volume is heading straight to Unicorn’s “collector’s room” for readers who love old and rare books.
Unicorn is just as well known, though, for images: Its map room has long been a destination spot for map collectors.
If the shore’s bookshops resemble a three-ring circus of intellectual curiosities, Courtyard Books proprietor Jack Kelly may be the current ringmaster.
In addition to his extensive offerings, ranging from local history to literature, he recently hawked a copy of a biography of P.T. Barnum signed by the subject himself.
“Everybody has a different reason for coming,” Kelly says. “The fun of the business is figuring out what customers are interested in when they walk in the door.”
The fact that Kelly’s shop is in Havre de Grace attracts a lot of out-of-town book lovers to his establishment. People may set out for the Concord Point Lighthouse or a marina, but find Courtyard an unexpected pleasure.
The same is true for the nearby Washington Street Books & Music, where book buyers can meet authors, buy fossils, and play in “Magic: The Gathering” tournaments on Friday nights. (Never heard of the game? Imagine cards, chess, and Dungeons & Dragons getting mixed up in a blender.)
Page-turners overwhelmed by the sea of options on the Eastern Shore can find their bearings at Crawfords Nautical Books on Tilghman Island. It features more than 12,000 books about all things maritime, from yachting to shipwrecks.
Figuring out how the region became such a hotbed for locally owned bookshops can be puzzling. And there may be no better place to delve into solving the riddle than Oxford’s Mystery Loves Company, housed in a former bank building.
There, shopkeep Kathy Harig invites her customers to enter a one-time bank vault and peruse signed editions of mysteries and local works.
Book lovers in search of antiquarian books can get their fix at the Chestertown Old Book Company. Get lost in stacks dating back to the 16th century. You can also find leather-bound books, manuscripts, first editions from the mid 1900s, and all kinds of limited editions and sets.
Of course, no trip along the spine of Maryland’s independent bookshops would be complete without a stop at the Compleat Bookseller.
Owner Lanetta Parks named the business in honor of The Compleat Angler, written by Izaak Walton and published in 1653, which sparked her interest in fishing.
Parks’ mounds of stuffed animals, however, may be what lure in many of her patrons. The plush and cuddly critters are related to the kids’ books she sells.
“The animals certainly create interest for children in books,” she says. “They enjoy having a book and an animal, and it makes for a wonderful package.”
They also make great mementos of the perfect jaunt through Eastern Shore bookshops.
Stories on the Shore
No matter your interest, independent bookshops along the Eastern Shore offer thousands of great finds. The list below will guide you to some favorites.
CHESTERTOWN
Chestertown Old Book Company
113 South Cross Street
410-810-3880
The Compleat Bookseller
301 High Street
410-778-1480
EASTON
Crackerjacks Toys and Children’s Books
7 South Washington Street
410-822-7716
HAVRE DE GRACE
Courtyard Books
313 St. John Street
410-939-5150
Washington Street Books & Music
131 North Washington Street
410-939-6215
www.washingtonstreetbooksandmusic.com
OXFORD
Harrison Street Books
27 South Harrison Street
410-819-0000
Mystery Loves Company
202 S. Morris Street
410-226-0010
TILGHMAN ISLAND
Crawfords Nautical Books
5782 Tilghman Island Road
410-886-2230
TRAPPE
Unicorn Bookshop
3935 Ocean Gateway (U.S. Route 50)
410-476-3838
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Literary tour Eastern Shore
Posted by Isabella July 01, 2011 10:37:43