What do most people do when they go to Las Vegas? Hit the casinos.
What do book addicts do when they go to Las Vegas? Go to a book store.
I found out about this book store when I was watching Pawn Stars. (I like looking at vintage and antique things and the guys are pretty funny). One of the "experts" they call in to the store to "take a look" at books that come in, is a book appraiser named Rebecca. The store is in Las Vegas thereby Rebecca must be in Vegas = "Google Rebecca Pawn Stars". Tada! She works for Bauman Books. And it is right near "the strip" in the Venetian Palazzo shops. A short walk from our hotel. Hurray!
The picture above is what you see as you walk in. It goes from floor to almost ceiling. I wanted to get a full length picture but some guy kept standing in the way. Yes, I did ask if I could take a picture. You can as long as you don't use a flash.
Anyway, the above book shelf is in the middle, with two rows of books on either side. Some are locked cases. Others are open and you can pick them up and look through them if YOU ASK FIRST.
There are a lot of books that look like the above but there are also many first editions of classics such as Gone With the Wind ($20,000) To Kill a Mocking Bird ($6800), Wuthering Heights ($15,000), Dr. Seuss books, Harold and the Purple Crayon and other children's books, books by Hemingway and signed letters and pictures of past presidents and actors. There was a photograph of Vivien Leigh in a Scarlet O'Hara costume (dress from the bbq) with a thank you letter written by her for $1750.
This book intrigued me but it was under glass in the front case pictured above. (Oh it is about food and recipes, that's why).
"Louise Andrews Kent revolutionized America's appreciation for rural life and cooking. In addition to her popular historical fiction, magazine articles and columns, Kent's fame was especially centered on the "very successful Appleyard series that flowered from the 1941 best-seller, Mrs. Appleyard's Year… She invented Mrs. Appleyard to be 'plump, rosy, and cute'… a wonderfully motherly, easy-going, adaptable and witty woman," whose popularity with readers sparked an influential series of cookbooks (Warner, Province of Reason, 176-7). In 1942 James Beard named Kent one of the "four famous gourmets" he chose to name their favorite cookbooks. Precedes a book guild edition in orange boards with a brown-and-gold background design on dust jacket. "
I didn't buy anything but they did have nice brochures of their current books for sale, which I did pick up. Very fun for a "book person" to look at.
Here is the link to their website if you would like to browse. They also have stores in Philadelphia and New York. There is a great picture of one of the stores on the website, so you can get a better look. The Vegas store had a different display when you came it. Maybe you will find something you just have to have.
https://www.baumanrarebooks.com/about-us/locations.aspx?location=lasvegas
