Sunday, May 9, 2010

Archer City

After Bent's Fort, we fell south across the Panhandles and stayed at Childress, a city that seems to be in the hands of some kind of Wahabi Christian fundamentalists who are ready to go marching as to war. The radio programs out there are a little scary. The next day, we made a stop in Archer City, where Larry McMurtry grew up and later put together a monster bookstore. I believe the store is in new hands now but remains an amazing place. Sprawling across four good-sized buildings near the courthouse square – former retail establishments and a car dealership – the store would be a place to waste a day or two. The catch is that there is no organization to the lash-up beyond general classifications being together. So Texana was lumped in a big old room, but there's no system beyond the simple idea of things Texas associated – no alphabetizing, no separation by time or subject. Shelves go up to high ceilings. If you find what you want, it will be by happy chance and nothing more. My wife aptly described it as a folly, though an enjoyable folly. Complaints notwithstanding, I'd go back in a red-hot minute. Found a book published on the 80th birthday of the Chicago Tribune.

3 comments:

Sugar Magnolia said...

Oh, how I envy you, being amongst all those wonderful tomes. I have read about McMurtry and his Archer City bookstore. There was also a resident bookstore cat, I forgot what his name was...is he still there?

I am learning to read again. I have been declared "of a certain age" and been placed into bifocals. This is my first week in them, and it has taken a little getting used to, but not as bad as I thought. The eye doc warned me last year that I needed to get reading glasses, particularly when I am in my contacts, which I rarely wear, and that this year I would likely need bifocals. And she was right. So here I am, focusing and refocusing, and learning all over. But it won't slow me down when it comes to devouring the printed word which I so love.

Always good to be in the presence of another bibliophile.

The Loon said...

The cat was there, and we were introduced, but its name escapes me. There comes a time when your arms are too short to read small print. One of those moments of painful realization.

Sugar Magnolia said...

I thought my arms were just shrinking, like my stature....

:)