Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Long post ahead!

Today, we’re visiting Writer’s Block – a wonderful independent bookstore in Las Vegas. Fortunately for me, it was a 7 or 8 block walk from my hotel, so I took full advantage and visited it on both Thursday and Friday.

When you first walk in the door, you are in the café.

I took advantage of one of those tables on Friday, when I felt ‘funny’ and realized that I was dehydrated. I plopped down at one of the tables and drank a whole lot of water.

The staff is wonderful. In particular, I must give a shout out to Isabelle, who told me all about the shop. We had several conversations during my two visits about books and authors and buying books when traveling. She is delightful. We are now email friends.

She also offered her thoughts on Las Vegas, having been born and bred in that city. The very things I don’t like, she does; the fact that it was constructed in the desert, that this town came of age via casinos and gambling and offering a resort-like environment. She said that so many places aren’t what they seem, but Las Vegas is what it is and she loves that they’re honest about it.

Inside the shop (an overall view)

They carry mugs, pens, and my beloved Blackwing pencils. I saw them when I first came in and immediately knew I would like the shop.

There were four shelves of these little guides called Very Short Introductions. I’d never heard of them before but I was blown away by the subject matter. Very Short Introductions to Kant, to Ideology, to Art History, to Atheism, to Darwin, to Nineteenth Century Britain, to The Cold War, and on and on. They’re published by Oxford University Press. I so wished Don was with me, as he would have loved these. He’s constantly reading up on things that are new to him, or subjects that he wants to understand.

They had marionettes! Can you possibly understand just how much I wanted to buy one? I dreamed of owning a marionette when I was a kid, but I never got one. Last summer I bought a puppet from the Jardin du Luxembourg’s marionette theater. If I could have carried one of these on the plane, I would have.

A display of rare Yellow-Backs, books that were published with the train traveler in mind. They were sold in stalls located in railway stations in Britain. These are part of the private collection of the owner of the building.

This bunny lives in the shop.

Most importantly, the selection of books on the shelves is impeccable. I am loathe to use the word ‘curate’ which has become the word of the day for anything and everything. It’s lost its true meaning. In this case, however, the books are indeed curated and the selection is astonishing.

For example, in Fiction: the editions chosen are beautiful. Unlike B & N, for example, the owner has sought out the best editions, many of which have beautiful artwork. Often, I found, they are Penguin Editions.

There were extensive sections on Nature, Memoir, History, Children, Books about Books, and more.

Case in point: I often save a picture of a book I want. I find many of these suggestions via my IG account on books. I’ve learned so much on that platform, by the way, about books published elsewhere. My horizons have been expanded. I’ve ordered several over the past year via Book Depository and John Sandoe Books. While I was visiting Writer’s Block, I went on Instagram and looked at those saved photos with the goal of seeing if any of them were in this shop. They were.

Here is my haul:

I learned about all three of these books through Instagram. I’d tried to find the Max Porter (a British author) locally to no avail. They had it. I’m sure I could have found the Ishiguro locally, but I hadn’t searched for it yet. Peter Orner’s book on books and reading was not to be found here.

They had it.

Sorry – this is a bit blurry! I bought The Phantom Tollbooth because the author of Bookworm (which I finished on the plane) raved about it. So much so, that I quickly decided I needed to read this children’s book. Writer’s Block had it on the shelf. Books for Living  came out several years ago and I remember when it was published. Isabelle recommended it as a book she returns to again and again. And the story of Shakespeare and Company Paris  is one that I saw on the shelf when I visited that bookshop last year. I wanted to buy it at the time, but I knew I didn’t have room for it in my luggage. I’ve never seen it anywhere else. I was astonished when I found it on Friday.

Oh, and there was more. I could have bought many, many more. But I had to stop.

I also bought a book at the airport on the way there, so that makes seven books that I hauled home.

On my second visit, I spoke to one of the owners. He and his husband moved to Las Vegas and started this bookstore. They used to be at another, much smaller location. The woman who bought this building is a book collector and bibliophile and a fan of the bookshop who was determined to move it to this new location. Thankfully, the owners signed on. By the way, the gentleman I spoke to said his husband chooses all the books. (Side note – this guy used to live in our neighborhood here in the Hudson Valley. Small world.)

Anyway, there you have it. If you ever travel to Vegas, make sure you allow time for this shop, a true oasis in the desert. You’ll be supporting a terrific Independent Bookshop.

Happy Tuesday.