The Magic of The Book House (Dillsburg, Pennsylvania)

At 11 North US Rt. 15 in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, there is a small bookstore that looks inconspicuous on the outside, but like any location steeped in magic, it is bigger on the inside than the outside. Its aisles teem with books and if you are like me—a person of substance—it is difficult to walk through the aisles without leaving spilled books in your wake. 

And that is not a complaint. The Book House was invented for browsing and you will spend many hours exploring its depths contemplating treasures you never knew existed. Larry and Joanne Klase have operated The Book House for 43 years and they are quite used to bibliophiles being lost in contemplative wonder as they wander open-mouthed through the store's narrow aisles.

Of all the bookstores I visit The Book House is my favorite and I have modeled my fictional bookstores (Strange Streets and The City of Sarkomand, A Guide for the Traveler) on the store's reality:

It started with the discovery of a new bookstore. I’m not talking about one of the modern ones that have all the latest drivel from the major publishing houses; not the ones that publish books so banal you forget them seconds after reading the last page. I refer to the more uncommon type of bookstore that has its books stacked willy-nilly about the place pungent with that delightful aroma of old tomes, those small shops blessed with histories and personalities. (The City of Sarkomand, A Guide for the Traveler)

I would encourage you to allow yourself a number of hours when you make your pilgrimage to Dillsburg. It's an investment of time you will not regret. However, best to call them first to make sure the store is open. They do have regular hours, but as the proprietors run the store themselves, sometimes life's realities may rarely force them to temporarily change their hours: (717) 432-2720. If you have any questions about their stock or are looking for a certain work, you can email them at ljsbookhouse AT earthlink DOT net.

Tell me this isn't Heaven!

You will spend a lot of time here

A very small sample of their classics 

They have thousands of paperbacks

Just one of their aisles teeming with treasures

Classic SF and fantasy

Comics, pulp fiction, and RPGs

And they have the odd treasure other than books