Mark Twain Bookstore

UPDATE: Closed the store in VC as of late 2013. Rumor is they continue to sell their HUGE collection on line. But unsure if they sell thru E Bay, Amazon or some other site or venue.
Man, I loved this bookstore. Owners Joe & Ellie Curtis deserve some retirement time.

Although we did not buy anything here, the store was quite impressive. This is one nice-​sized bookstore that carries a respectable collection of local literature and books of related historical interest (e.g.Civil War, ghost towns, mining stories, pioneering, turn of the century home floor plans and womens’ costumes, prostitution, and of course, a complete selection of Mark Twain’s writings). Also she has a small collection of rare and old books out of print. There is a nice section filled with great kids books with a historical flair.
I would describe this as an attractive, nicely organized store with a friendly vibe and helpful storekeeper. Highly recommended.

This is the kind of bookstore that is becoming more and more of a rarity in this age of mega-​malls, chain stores and Walmart-​pushed vapid paperbacks.
Here we have a family-​owned bookstore (several generations, as a matter of fact). You won’t find the latest best-​seller or the top book from Oprah’s club, but what you will find is a lot more enriching. For here you will find an incredible collection of history (both local and of the West), useful guidebooks to mining, ghost towns, and even ghosts of the ethereal type, and of coarse one of the most extensive Mark Twain literature collections west of the Mississippi. Basically, if it’s primarily about the West (both old and new), Nevada or Virginia City, you’ll probably find it in stock.
But there is more than just a dusty collection of tomes present. In it’s previous life, the store itself was a western museum, displaying many artifacts for the days of the Wild West and turbulent early days of Virginia City. Many are still viewable.
But the book store also includes an impressive collection of rare photographs from the early days of the Comstock/​Virginia City to the present– reproductions of which are for sale.
The Mark Twain Bookstore is a wonderful place for everyone from children, to genealogists, to casual book readers. Stop in, for a an hour or two. It’s time well spent.