A New England Literary Tour, Plus Some Cool Books

Title says it all, right? I spent the past week with mom driving from WNY to Boston, seeing the sights, cheering on the Patriots in peace, and of course hitting some literary landmarks.

Here are a few things that I hope book nerds can appreciate!

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Our first stop was in Middlebury, VT, at Monroe Street Books! The largest used bookstore in Vermont! The shelves were towering almost to ceiling height and there were ladders to reach the high shelves! Great prices and dollar bins outside with plenty of great titles. Verdict: a must visit, bring a friend in case you need your ladder held! 

Check them out online: https://www.monroestreetbooks.com/

Here are the books I bought there: a 1st printing MMPB of The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan! I also found a nicer paperback of Towers of Midnight, and a nice big floppy paperback of A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

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Shortly past Middlebury is the town of Ripton, home to Robert Frost’s cabin and property! He was the poet laureate of Vermont, among other things, and there is a fantastic interpretive poetry trail that is beautifully maintained

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In Boston itself: who remembers Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey?  I completely forgot the destroyed took place in Boston, and it was cool to see the statue in the Common

Not bookish but I found my friend’s memorial, she was killed in 2016 by an intoxicated duck boat tour driver ❤ lovely piece by the Friends of Beacon Hill

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Right next to the Public Garden and Common is the Edgar Allan Poe square and statue- apparently he was born in Boston but hated the other literary people there,  and the entire statue seems to be about disarray

One other factoid that I didn’t know is that Poe served at Fort Independence, and got his motivation for The Tell-Tale Heart from a legend (untrue) that took place at the fort

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Now onto the best part for me: Brattle Book Shop! Three floors of books, with antiquarian valuables and oddities on the third floor!

Big bonus points that the employee supervising the antiquarian section didn’t judge when I burst into tears at finding an affordable, beautiful, original print of Our Army Nurses!

There was an eclectic sci-fi collection too, and a locked up copy of a LeGuin that I wish I had taken a closer look at for curiosity sakes, but I think 100$ is about the most I’m willing to spend on a book and I really only have one true collection.

Other books that I found were a signed (and personalized but that’s ok) copy of 1812, and two other newer nonfiction books! Doctors in Gray and Letters From A Civil War Surgeon are both good finds too for the price. I would definitely recommend checking them out! https://www.brattlebookshop.com/

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My total bookhaul looks like this!

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Well I hope you guys enjoyed my literary tour! I found some great books and learned a lot!

The only literary landmark that we didn’t make it to was the Boston Athenaeum, which I believe can be guided toured for 8$, otherwise it requires a 40$ day pass. Point of interest includes the only book in America bound with voluntarily donated human skin, and tons of gorgeous architecture.

One other that slipped my mind is the Boston Public library: another stunning piece of architecture with a courtyard that is frequently used for concerts, weddings and the like!

100% definitely recommend Boston as a destination for history, architecture, art, and book lovers!