Parnassus Book Service

This is a serious old school bookstore. The kind you could spend days in. They’ve got books for a dollar as well as extremely rare books. The woman on staff when we were there was super friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. They’ve got books on every topic. Definitely worth a detour.

One of my biggest fascinations as a child growing up in Yarmouth Port was Pasnassus’ roadside, outdoor bookstall. At all hours of the day, through all seasons, the shelves of this outdoor bookcase are filled to the brim with books on topics ranging from shipbuilding to Chinese art and everything in between. In a town where my mother routinely left her keys in the ignition, I shouldn’t have been surprised that this «leave your money under the door system» worked — but, the fact that it STILL works continues to amaze me.
The owner, Ben Muse, has been in the shop any time I’ve stopped by and has been eager to help me find what I need — or decide what I might want if I’m not searching for anything in particular. And, if I’m at Parnassus, I’m definitely searching. The New York Times once called Parnassus «gloriously jumbled» in a review of Yarmouth Port, and I think that’s a perfect description. The shelves of the dimly-​lit shop are overflowing with books on countless topics — with special focii on Americana, Latin America, Maritime, Art, the Orient. If you have an affinity toward old books and don’t mind spending a few hours digging around on a rainy Tuesday, Parnassus is worth a stop.