About
Who We Are
The Bookery has been providing unique and relevant used books to Placerville and our surrounding areas and visitors for almost forty years. Purchased by Nancy Dunk and Celia Lux in September 1983, the bookshop soon moved to its current location, 326 Main Street, Placerville, which previously housed the historic and well-loved Blue Bell Café.
You can still find Nancy and Celia running the bookstore, with help from partner Darin Coelho Spring. Even in this technological age, the Bookery remains a bustling venture in buying, cleaning, pricing, shelving, and selling used books, and so much more. The shop is an old-fashioned place where we pride ourselves on excellent customer service and the tactile, face-to-face pleasure of browsing and discovering within aisles upon aisles of unique books.
We do specialize in Western American and Gold Rush History. Weird fiction and poetry lovers will also be sure to find interesting common and collectible titles. We also have a small selection of Vinyl records curated by Brian Lux.
We see the Bookery as a symbol of community, hard work, and dedication, a place where people can relax, where the pressures of our ever-changing world can be put on hold, and visitors can enjoy the presence of good people and the good old-fashioned joy of a book in your hands.
Darin Coelho Spring
I’m Darin and I will be shipping orders from this website. You can also find me in the store most days. Make sure and talk to me about California literature, poetry, sci-fi, antiquarian books or anything strange and outré. My favorite genre is Weird fiction and poetry and I’m the filmmaker of Clark Ashton Smith: The Emperor of Dreams, feature-length documentary about legendary Auburn writer and artist. The film was released on DVD and Bluray by Hippocampus Press in 2018.
Our Community
Placerville is a charming Gold Rush town with many historic buildings lining its inviting Main Street. We pride ourselves on our community feeling and hospitality. You can’t miss the historic Bell Tower, which stands as a monument to the city’s volunteer firemen and now serves as a gathering place for parades and events.
Don’t forget to stop by Placerville Hardware, known as the “oldest hardware store west of the Mississipppi.” Just a few doors down from Bookery, in the cozy courtyard of the Cary House Hotel, you can find incredible artisanal coffee, along with a seasonal menu of fresh foods and specialty beers on tap at Totem Coffee Co. A few of our other favorite eateries include: Heyday Café (right across the street!), Old Town Grill for the world’s best burgers, Timmy’s Brown Bag for creative sandwiches, and Pizza Bene for traditional Italian pizzas.