608 Main Street, Hobart, NY
WM H Adams was the last bookshop I explored during my trip to Hobart in the pandemic summer of 2020, but it was not at all the least of the shops I found there. The first impressing is like walking into a little hushed and secret library plucked out of some revered university and plunked down in a small town shop in the Catskills. The sets and collections were gorgeously bound and set the tone for a real throwback experience.
But don’t let the idea of leather-bound and gilded volumes about theology, poetry, regional history, or the theater distract you from everything else the shop might have in store for the common reader. Yes, much of the main floor is dedicated to vintage wares, antique collections of poetry, sepia globes, browned pages, and clothbound classics, but there are pockets on all three floors that will surprise.
Upstairs the books still lean “vintage” but cover a range of topics: art, music, maps, European military, science and medicine, women’s rights, and early 20th century collections of literature by those who came a century or so before that, including sets for Hawthorn, James Fenimore Cooper, and others. The titles are mostly hardcover, though not all are the antique editions that might price out average readers. It’s worth ascending the staircase to see what you might find.
The basement room was even more eclectic, with a bit of clutter that made the room feel 80% bookstore and 20% extra storage for the average household, which gave the room a pleasantly homey feel. The bookcases might mismatch as you wander through, but that goes with the vibe of what is offered shelf to shelf as well. There was no way of knowing what each step would bring, and I love that about a used bookshop. I found a lot of fiction downstairs, from the classics to a few modern offerings. The mystery section ran this gamut, including more recent releases by the likes of Koontz, Follett, McBain, and other mainstream favorites alongside plenty of very hard to find pulp and noir titles.
The basement also had plenty of biographies, memories, historical tomes on war throughout the ages, religion, culture, languages, and a small children’s section. The topics ranged widely and I stayed for longer than I expected poking through the stacks. But the real star of the show is the main floor, with the antique vibe and impossible to find sets that would look stunning in anyone’s personal library. Highly recommended if you pass through Hobart!
Atmosphere — The main room feels like a cozy library’s antique and off-limits section lifted up and placed in a small town shop, filled with leatherbound and vintage volumes of literary classics and nonfiction from the 20th and 19th centuries.
Quality — The books are all used and in varying states of quality, from the gilded collections in the main room to the well-read, out-of-print editions in the basement and second floor rooms.
Quantity — All floors and rooms combined, there’s a lot here to take in, and there were more books in the basement area than I initially expected.
Diversity — This shop has a healthy diversity, but you’re not going to find a lot of brand new fiction, children’s, or those on current social movements from the last few years. If you’re here, you’re here for the throwbacks.
Affordability — Some of the used books downstairs were more within my price range, and I almost went for a beautiful hard-to-find hardcover edition of a Steinbeck classic downstairs for around $50, but I passed since I had already shopped to my fill at other stores. But if you have a rare book in mind and they have it, the prices are not unfair.
Amenities — The shop has some couches, chairs, and tables scattered about, and a vintage aesthetic to go along with the vintage wares for sale. I saw they even had coffee for browsers.
Location — This shop in Hobart was at the end of a string of shops on the edge of town.
Customer Service — The clerk was very friendly and answered some questions I had about the store and the town.
Overall — It seems each shop in Hobart covers a certain aspect of bookselling, and WM H Adams has the vintage/antique market cornered. With gorgeous sets and title from generations and three floors to explore, this store will keep you busy as you dive into yesteryear and bring a little piece of history back to the surface to take home.
