Almost every inch of wall space is covered with an art print, an old calendar, an ancient post card
or a program from the Kennedy Center’s 1984 season. More than a few non-paper, non-book,
non-video knickknacks are even to be found on sale—some of which may have been lurking
since that day of my first visit.
Even the walls of the bathroom are aligned with prints, sheet music, photographs and cards, all
in plastic sleeves, waiting to be removed and purchased. (I know of no other bathroom wherein
a photo of Barry Goldwater might greet someone. But, I found one on my most recent visit as of
this writing.)
Based on years of visiting and assessing the shelves, I’d conclude that fantasy and science
fiction paperbacks make up the single largest percentage of volumes to be found at Wonder
Book. Entire shelves and aisles are devoted to sci-fi books that date back to the 1960s. (After
that, I’d say it’s paperback romances that cover the most shelf space, though I have no official
confirmation of this.)
Rare, collectible, and older volumes in several genres are also for sale, kept locked behind glass
cases, with which the staff must assist interested patrons.
You’ll also find plenty of oddities that are not for sale on the shelves. Specifically, papers that
have been left in the books, which is half the fun of thumbing through the volumes. I’ve found an
unused ticket for the first ever Capitals Game, a business card with a phone number of only five
digits, and, believe it or not, a photo of someone I went to highschool with.
Yoshida Kenko, a 14th Century Japanese monk wrote, “To sit alone in the lamplight with a book
spread out before you, and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations—such is a
pleasure beyond compare.”
Something tells me he would have loved visiting Wonder Book and Video on a regular basis.
Wonderbk.com
1306 W Patrick Street, Frederick
301-694-5955
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