If you’ve not heard of Booked Up, it is a world-class book mine in an unlikely place. McMurtry has bought and sold books for decades. Sure, he’s a Pulitzer Prize/Oscar-winning writer, but in interviews and his recent memoir Books , he’s just another bibliophile bookseller. McMurtry’s purpose for relocating to his ancestral home was to establish an American book town (without a festival, which, “is the last thing I want”, according to McMurtry). A fantastic interview spelling out his motivations and ideas on Nigel Beale’s Biblio File is here.
For most book collectors, Archer City may as well be on the moon, but for we few book lovers shouting in the hinterlands, it is our Shangri La. We don’t have a Strand, a Powell’s, or a CODEX book fair. Having journeyed to Booked Up a few times before, I served as the bibliosherpa, along with Lynn Wienck of Chisholm Trail Bookstore, who is even more familiar with the environs of the Red River country.
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For the Bibliophiles of Oklahoma, this was our most well-attended event, so we will certainly go again, perhaps in early autumn. North Texas can be merciless in the summer. For our trip, at the end of January, the weather was pleasant, though crisp. It looks chilly in the photos, right? All of our members found additions to their collections. Not too hard when a dozen ravenous bibliophiles descend on 400-500,000 quality books. Everyone also saw items that surprised them. For me, it was a very nice (bargain!) copy of The Great Gatsby for my Modern Library collection. One spouse that was dragged along was surprised how such a large number of books could be so well organized, well-lit, and clean. Her one complaint was that the 10′ shelves were too tall for her. An example is below. This is where I spent more than half my day, in the Books About Books section. Yes, nearly that entire run visible, all 10′ high, are Books About Books — publishing memoirs, bibliographies, and other wonderous treasures.
When it comes to surprises, you don’t have to take my word for it. John C. Roberts, a member of the esteemed Caxton Club of Chicago, published a fantastic article in the January issue of the Caxtonian about his own southern sojourn from Chicago. Even this more established collector of modern firsts found surprises.
Photo by the author: The Books About Books section
There are a few practical considerations weighing a trip to Booked Up.
You won’t go there “passing through” to somewhere else. For many collectors, Archer City can be a destination. Really.
Virtually none of the inventory, which is hand-selected by McMurtry for quality, is online. None. And, perhaps as many as 500,000 books, no junk. None.
Wear layers. There is little/no heating or air-conditioning in the four buildings, and north Texas can have erratic weather. The buildings are a little spread out.
According to the signs posted about, books are organized Erratically/ Impressionistically/ Whimsically/ Open to Interpretation. Moby Dick could be in American Fiction, Animals, Nautical, Fishing & Hunting, Travel, etc.
Photo by the author: Storefront of Booked Up, Inc., No. 2
As of this writing, they still accept major credit cards and cash.
If you go with a group, bring your own water and synchronize watches. Cell service is spotty at best.
For those of you who went, leave a comment below to make everyone jealous to go with us next time!
