Hail the Hermitage!

On a recent trip to the Denver metro area, I scheduled a bit of time for checking out some of the used booksellers in the area.  Denver, I must say, was from a weather point of view, a real pleasure after the pretty brutal run of low temperatures we have had in southern Utah.  One of the days I was there the high temp was 57 degrees!  Caused me to have occasional daydreams of summer again!

One of the highlight of my book hunting there was a delightful used bookstore that is, I think, rather interestingly named The Hermitage Bookshop.  I’m not sure if that is a parallel to the famous museum of the same name in St. Petersburg or if it is, perhaps,  more a reference to a location like Casa Jay where I live alone like a hermit with all of my books! The store is located in a basement location commercial spot and I thought it was somewhat like going into a “book cave” and I liked it!

The store is stocked full of a great variety of excellent quality used books.  I didn’t see any books when I was perusing the natural history, science, or biography sections that did not at least meet the industry standard of “good” and most were better than that.  I found an excellent selection of books in the generas that I collect and it was of note that they had no less than a half of dozen books for sale that were already part of my personal natural history collection.  That tells me that this is a store worth maintaining a contact with as they clearly buy the very books I hunt for.

I did find a true treasure while looking over their shelves and it now sits on my new bookshelf waiting for me to begin a new adventure.  The Natural History of Selborne, by Gilbert White, is one of the most legendary books in the history of nature writing.  No less than the likes of John Burroughs and W.H. Hudson identify White’s book, first published in 1789, as the very first true book of what is accepted today as “nature writing.”  Gilbert White was not a scientist but was, rather, a commoner who perceptive powers to see the nature around him was extraordinary.  He would write about these often “everyday” type observations in a delightful style that would bring an appreciation of the nature that surrounded his rural world to readers.  This book has been on my “to find” list for some time and it was quite the score!

The owner and the staff of this store were very helpful during my visit.  If you are a collector of first editions and very rare editions, the store has many such books that are not necessarily on display so be sure to ask.  Their inventory is cataloged and can also be searched online from their web page.  If you have a few volumes that you might be in search of, if you leave a list of those titles and your contact info with the store, should one of them come in they will contact you.  They actively buy books every day so the selection constantly is updated.

So should you find yourself in Denver with a bit of time to spare, head to the Hermitage Bookshop.  While you might not find any outrageous “bargains” there, you will find shelves packed with a wide range of used books in excellent condition and offered at a fair price.  I’ll make it point to go back the next time I’m in town!

The Hermitage Bookshop:  290 Fillmore St.  Denver, CO  (303)388-6811   http://www.hermitagebooks.com    Hours:  M-F 10am-5:30pm  Saturday-10am-5pm