Self Expression
Book lovers have myriad options in Lawrence
Special sections reporter
Shelly Heffern
Whether you're looking for a map of Madrid, a foreign newspaper, or a hard-to find collectible book, you can probably find it in Lawrence.
Noah Musser/KANSAN
Downtown Lawrence offers a variety of unique bookstores. The Vagabond Bookman at 1113 Massachusetts St., J Hood Booksellers at 1401 Massachusetts St., and Dean's Books at 1115 Massachusetts St., all deal in used books only.
John Hood, co-owner of J Hood Booksellers, said that used bookstores offered a better selection of books no longer being printed but still of interest.
"The unique thing about used bookstores is that you can find books that you can't find in new bookstores," Hood said. J Hood Booksellers specializes in scholarly books, including history, literary criticism, 19th and 20th century theology and philosophy, and psychology.
"We're probably the largest of this type of bookstore between Chicago and the West Coast." Hood said.
For patrons interested in a used bookstore offering lighter reading material, Dean's Books has a selection of fiction books, comic books and magazines.
Dean's offers two-for-one trades on books within the same price range. "Trading gives people something to do
with books that they've read, so it's a great way to recycle," said owner Dennis Rosebaugh.
Vagabond Bookman also offers a selection of used books. Most of the books it offers are collectible or rare books. The store has about 200 books that have been signed by authors.
Downtown features specialty bookstores also.
The Raven Bookstore, 6 E. Seventh St.,
specializes in new and used mysteries. The store also features many in-store author signings.
"We've been fortunate because we specialize in mysteries and that a lot of authors will make special trips here to do signings," said Mary Lou Wright, a coowner.
The store's staff members write recommendations and tape them to the shelves in front of the books.
Hummingbird Song, 10 E. Ninth St., combines a bookstore with services including aromatherapy, intuitive consultation and astrological advice.
The store specializes in metaphysical books, covering topics such as astrology, magic and alternative healing.
Another bookstore that includes subjects not seen in many stores is Terra Nova, 920 Massachusetts St.
"We consider ourselves a general bookstore, but we dedicate space to many areas that are often neglected in other stores," said John Hastie, a co-owner.
These areas include African-American studies, gay and lesbian studies, women's studies, critical theory, cultural studies, and political science.
"They're not bigger than the other sections," Hastie said. "They're just given the space they deserve."
Terra Nova has an espresso bar, a large literature section and newspapers in foreign languages.
Another downtown bookstore is Adventure Bookstore, 844 Massachusetts St., which specializes in children's books and maps.
Co-manager Walter Michener said the store carries about 8,000 children's titles.
Maps also are a specialty at Adventure. "We try to cover the world pretty well, even if it means a map might sit around for two years before someone who's looking for it comes in," Michener said.
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Planet Lawrence
14 Hill • September 13, 1995