Hemingway at The Shire Book Shop

If you live in or travel to the Boston area you must visit The Shire Book Shop in Franklin, MA.  I have been meaning to get up route 495 to check out this old warehouse that has more than 200,000 volumes…and I’m so glad I got the chance yesterday. I ended up adding three new Hemingway additions to my growing collection.  After spending a few hours hanging out in this beautiful, eclectic old warehouse I decided on a 1949 copy of A Farewell to Arms (with an introduction by Robert Penn Warren) which is in mint condition. The second book was a first edition of Islands in the Stream (1970) again in very good condition and the third book was Death in the Afternoon (1955 copy). The owner of The Shire, Jack and colleague Jean, actually had a copy of this with a colored print at the front of the book that he was selling for $750.

This wonderful bookstore is located on 305 Union Street in Franklin, MA. Go for a visit, have a little cup of tea, grab a comfortable leather chair or couch and get lost for a few hours –  you won’t be disappointed. The Shire Book Shop website. Phone number: 508-528-5665. Open 7 days a week.