What better location for an independent bookshop than Concord, Massachusetts? Less than a mile from the historic Old North Bridge, where the minutemen fired the "shot heard 'round the world," an easy walk from the homes of such quintessentially American writers as Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott, and Hawthorne, and not five miles from Thoreau's beloved Walden Pond, the Concord Bookshop has been a fixture on the town's quaint and cozy Main Street since 1940. (See our Store History.)

Our staff includes former school librarians, editors, educators and writers -- we also employ a former college professor, travel agent, chowder jockey, hash slinger and bard -- all of them enthusiastic readers who can track down just about any book in print (or out, for that matter). If you need suggestions for gift books (which we will gift wrap free of charge), great vacation reads, or your book group's next selection, ask us -- or see our store picks and monthly bestsellers.

We're open seven days a week, so come in and browse or stop by for one of our Store Events.

The Concord Bookshop regularly hosts author signings, readings, and other events in an effort to contribute to our literary community.

View some of our past events at event videos

NEXT EVENT!!

Title of Event: George Daughan
"If By Sea"
When: Sunday, June 1, 2008 3:00 PM
Location: The Concord Bookshop
Description: Please join us Sunday, June 1st at 3 PM as we welcome George Daughan, discussing his new book, "If By Sea: The Forging of the American Navy--from the Revolution to the War of 1812"

George C. Daughan holds a Ph.D. in American History and Government from Harvard University. He spent three years in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. He taught at the Air Force Academy and was also director of the MA program of international affairs there. Subsequently, he held a professorship at Connecticut College, and also taught at the University of Colorado, the University of New Hampshire, and Wesleyan University. He now resides in Portland, Maine.
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There's still a little snow, but the birds are returning, the occasional bud appears, and the golf courses are beginning to open. Springtime is here, and along with it, new books for your group!!

This month's featured children's illustrator is Leo Lionni.

Leo Lionni wrote and illustrated more than 40 highly acclaimed children's books. He received the 1984 American Institute of Graphic Arts Gold Medal and was a four-time Caldecott Honor Winner--for Inch by Inch, Frederick, Swimmy, and Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse. (Read More!)

Frederick by Lionni, Leo Illus. in full color. "While other mice are gathering food for the winter, Frederick seems to daydream the summer away. When dreary winter comes, it is Frederick the poet-mouse who warms his friends and cheers them with his words."--"Wilson Library Bulletin,"

Chris Bohjalian stopped by the Bookshop recently, and signed copies of his novels, including his latest, "Skeletons at the Feast". Simon Winchester's "The Man Who Loved China", is available in signed first editions. Also, we have "Songs Without Words" by Ann Packer.

"Living in Concord", a collection by local author Jim Leahy is available.

Quantities are limited, so please call and reserve your copy! (Read More!)

Songs Without Words by Packer, Ann Ann Packer's debut novel, "The Dive from Clausen's Pier," was a nationwide best seller that established her as one of our most gifted chroniclers of the interior lives of women. Now, in her long-awaited second novel, she takes us on a journey into a lifelong friendship pushed to the breaking point. Expertly, with the keen introspection and psychological nuance that are her hallmarks, she explores what happens when there are inequities between friends and when the hard-won balances of a long relationship are disturbed, perhaps irreparably, by a harrowing crisis. Liz and Sarabeth were childhood neighbors in the suburbs of northern California, brought as close as sisters by the suicide of Sarabeth's mother when the girls were just sixteen. In the decades that followed--through Liz's marriage and the birth of her children, through Sarabeth's attempts to make a happy life for herself despite the shadow cast by her mother's act--their relationship remained a source of continuity and strength. But when Liz's adolescent daughter enters dangerous waters that threaten to engulf the family, the fault lines in the women's friendship are revealed, and both Liz and Sarabeth are forced to reexamine their most deeply held beliefs about their connection," Songs Without Words" is about the sometimes confining roles we take on in our closest relationships, about the familial myths that shape us both as children and as parents, and about the limits--and the power--of the friendships we create when we are young. Once again, Ann Packer has written a novel of singular force and complexity: thoughtful, moving, and absolutely gripping, it more than confirms her prodigious literary gifts.

We have many new books on politics and the elections, so come on in!!!! (Read More!)

Unconventional Wisdom: Facts and Myths about American Voters by Kaufmann, Karen, Shaw, Daron, Petrocik, John Late deciders go for the challenger; turnout helps the Democrats; the gender gap results from a surge in Democratic preference among women--these and many other myths are standard fare among average citizens, political pundits, and even some academics. But are these conventional wisdoms--familiar to anyone who watches Sunday morning talk shows--really valid? Unconventional Wisdom offers a novel yet highly accessible synthesis of what we know about American voters and elections. It not only provides an integrated overview of the central themes in American politics--parties, polarization, turnout, partisan bias, campaign effects, swing voters, the gender gap, and the youth vote--it upends many of our fundamental preconceptions. Most importantly, it shows that the American electorate is much more stable than we have been led to believe, and that the voting patterns we see today have deep roots in our history. Throughout, the book provides comprehensive information on voting patterns; illuminates (and corrects) popular myths about voters and elections; and details the empirical foundations of conventional wisdoms that many understand poorly or not at all. Written by three experts on American politics, Unconventional Wisdom serves as both a standard reference and a concise overview of the subject. Both informative and witty, the book is likely to become a standard work in the field, essential reading for anyone interested in American politics.

The Plague of Doves by Erdrich, Louise Louise Erdrich's complex history of the families in a North Dakota, mixed-blood reservation town reveals its secrets slowly through the unique voices of the community. These characters require us to pay attention and to move from psychological and philosophical musing to delightful storytelling full of magic and intrigue. Thoroughly enjoyable.--Kathleen Costello, Maria's Bookshop (Durango, CO)