Baker’s Books

On Fraser Avenue, just off of Wallace.

Every once in a while you come across a little gem that you wish was closer to you so you could visit it more often. This is how I feel about Baker’s Books in the little town of Hope, BC, about an hour from my house.

If you’re unfamiliar with Hope BC, it’s a town with a long history. The Sto:lo First Nations were settle in this area thousands of years ago. Scotsman Simon Fraser arrived in the early 1800s while traveling with the Northwest Fur Trading Company. The Hudson’s Bay company opened a trading post here but the big boom came with the Gold Rush in the mid 1800s. More recently, as in 1981, Hope was made ‘famous’ by the filming of Sylvester Stallone’s “First Blood” movie. (Who remembers that?)

great little place for coffee, tea and their wraps are awesome!

Nowadays, it’s a great little place to stop on your way up the Canyon. I recommend stopping for lunch at the Blue Moose Café. Walk around town and look at the cool chainsaw carvings. Then head over to Baker’s Books and spend a few hours browsing through his great collection of used books.

Me and a rare book. sigh.

One of the things I couldn’t get over was his collection of first editions – including this edition of “Giant’s Bread” by Agatha Christie writing as Mary Westmacott. There are only 7 copies of this in the world, (and one copy is in HOPE!) making it totally out of my price range: the owner’s asking $1000 for it. I opted for my photo with it instead.

How can i have gone so long without a copy of Great Expectations?

I did go home with a copy of Dickens’ “Great Expectations” and “One Large Coffin to Go” – a murder mystery by H. Mel Malton, someone I’ve never read before.

Aaron picked up a James Bond, an Asimov magazine and a copy of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky. He also got this cool “Classic Sci-Fi Filmbook” – what more could a filmmaker ask for?

What’s your favourite used book store?

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