Country Bookshop

This place is actually kind of enchanting. A place you’d half expect to take a wrong step and accidentally knock over a thousand-​year-​old translation of the Voynich Manuscript. Well okay maybe not THAT crazy but still… I’ve made some pretty wild finds in this place. A little pricy but definitely has that «Vermont used bookstore» magic going on. I just wish they were open later!

This used bookstore occupies the entire first floor of an old home in downtown Plainfield. It features every subject imaginable and has one of the most impressive selections of books that I’ve seen this side of Powell’s. Case in point: for the last two years, I’ve been searching for the English translation of the autobiography of composer, Richard Wagner, a book that has been out of print practically since before it was printed. I looked in bookstores in NYC, in Portland, OR, in Maine, in Massachusetts, and all over Vermont. The Country Bookshop was the only place that had a copy. Finding it, and finding it reasonably-​priced and in great condition (especially for a 100+ year old book) helped justify yet another road trip to Plainfield.
The store is a maze of bookshelf-​filled old rooms. You could easily spend an entire afternoon in here. The books are, for the most part, organized on these shelves. The hardcover fiction section (my personal favorite) has disappointed me on repeated visits simply because the owner has stacked boxes in front of the bottom two shelves and the last thing I want to do while browsing for books is have to move around boxes. Nevertheless, I typically leave the store with a smile on my face and a book or two in hand, so I can’t complain too much.
The store is out of the way (I only make it out there once or twice a year) so I understand if anyone is hesitant to make the trip; but if you do, I think you’ll find it a worthwhile trek.