20 Pics From A “Labyrinthine Magical Bookstore That You Might Have Thought Only Existed In The Stories”, As Shared In This Twitter Thread
Interview
Those who love exploring various places know that amazing feeling when you find a hidden gem that no one seems to know about. Whether it’s a cozy coffee place or a small antique store, it’s nice to discover a special place that, with time, becomes your own little go-to spot. There are some people who like to keep such places a secret, and who could blame them? But Twitter user @melisscaru decided to share with the world a recent bookshop that she and her two daughters discovered, leaving others surprised and curious about the place that has a whole maze of various kinds of books. Once the woman shared some pictures of the bookstore called “Lyrical Ballad”, the thread soon became viral, receiving almost 95k likes and flooded by other people’s bookshop recommendations.
What do you think about this discovery? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!
More Info: Twitter
It’s always nice to have a special place that feels as if it’s “yours”
Image credits: melisscaru
Melissa Caruso, who is an author herself, writing books “of magic, murder, and mayhem”, started her Twitter post by sharing that thanks to her 19-year-old daughter who found the bookshop Lyrical Ballad in New York, they were able to have a blast at this interesting-looking place. The woman revealed that at first, the exterior of the shop might seem not too special, reminding one of a regular bookshop, but once you enter the place and keep going further, “magical things, wonders await those who look closer.”
It was revealed that the whole shop was like a labyrinth filled with books from the ceiling to the floor. The selection varied from new ones to very old, 100+ years. But even with this overwhelming amount of books, the store kept it all organized. According to Melissa, the books were organized into sections such as history, geography, fiction, fantasy, etc. It seemed that the most interesting and breathtaking section was the Old Books Room.
Recently, a Twitter user named Melissa shared how she found a magnificent bookstore that has this endless maze full of books
Image credits: melisscaru
The author of the thread shared a picture of a 4-volume set of Canterbury Tales that was 200 years old, also adding a picture of the purchase she had to have from this place. It was the 1883 edition of Gray’s Elegy, a nice and rare find that also included a bookmark from 1888.
The woman shared her excitement together with pictures proving how unbelievable this place looks
Image credits: melisscaru
At first, the bookstore looks just like any other used bookstore but if you look closer, this bookshop is filled with many wonderful things
Image credits: melisscaru
Image credits: melisscaru
Bored Panda contracted the writer Melissa Caruso to find out more about the special bookstore that left so many people interested. The woman shared that she was very surprised to see that many users react to the thread. “People who knew that specific bookstore shared heartfelt memories about it, and people who had other magical bookstores in their own towns talked about them and posted pictures. Some people said they’d had dreams about a bookstore exactly like this and were astonished to find that such a place existed in the real world. I love books and feel like all bookstores and libraries are magic, and it was so wonderful seeing all these people all across the globe excited to share that same love,” revealed the author.
Melissa was surprised by a book vault that was waiting further down the “labyrinth”
Image credits: melisscaru
Image credits: melisscaru
Despite the woman and her two daughters spending an hour and a half there, those who come here need much more time
Image credits: melisscaru
Looking at the pictures that Melissa shared with the people online and provided details, it seems that it’s a place where a person could spend hours. However, the woman and her two daughters only had an hour and a half to check things out and as seen from the thread, they wasted no time. Melissa shared some more details about the bookshop and what one could find there: “So many of the books were quirky products of their particular era in history, or had beautiful bindings, or had handwritten inscriptions in them from long ago, or contained other hidden treasures (we found a couple others with things tucked between the pages, as well as the one we bought with the bookmarks from the 1800s). I’ll absolutely be back!”
As the woman kept looking further, it seemed that this full-of-surprises bookshop has no end
Image credits: melisscaru
Image credits: melisscaru
Image credits: melisscaru
Having in mind the size of this place, trying to find something that you are particularly interested in might become too overwhelming. The woman shared that even though they wanted to explore things by themselves, those who are looking for something in particular can always ask their staff for help. Even though the women didn’t need any help, Melissa struck up a nice conversion with the people working there: “I told the man who rang up our books that the shop was one of the most magical places I’d ever been, and he got a big smile and said something like ‘We try to make it that way!’”
Despite the size and variety of books, the store was organized so it would be easier for people to find the books
Image credits: melisscaru
Image credits: melisscaru
The author of the post also shared the most surprising section – the Old Books Room
Image credits: melisscaru
When asked what was one thing that Melissa enjoyed the most about the bookstore, she shared: “I loved the FEEL of the place, the sheer atmosphere, and so many factors contributed to that. The little knicknacks and curios tucked on the shelves along with the books, the labyrinthine layout with more books around every hidden corner, all the history in each and every volume on the shelves, the old bank vault door, the little signs pointing the way to more books…Everything about the place just showed the immense love and care that had gone into every aspect of it: the crafting of each individual book, the care each book’s previous owners had shown for it, the collection and curation of all these books, the little touches all around the building, the sheer enthusiasm for books obvious in the staff and the patrons. This place was such an absolutely perfect manifestation of everything that makes bookstores so special. Being there was like coming home to a place I’ve never been but always loved.”
Melissa and her two daughters didn’t leave empty-handed and bought a book that dates back to 1883
Image credits: melisscaru
Image credits: melisscaru
Their purchase also had a little surprise inside – a hand-painted bookmark from 1888
Image credits: melisscaru
What is great about Melissa’s thread is that it inspired others to share their “magical” and special places that very often need all the support they can get, especially after all these years of pandemic that made a number of such unique places shut down. Do you know any places that are also worth visiting? Leave their names in the comments down below!
Image credits: melisscaru
Image credits: melisscaru
Their wandering ended when the women finally saw a “No Entry” sign
Image credits: melisscaru
Image credits: melisscaru
This describes every used bookstore I've ever frequented. Multiple rooms, some harder to find than others. Random staircases, some full-story and others just a couple steps. Once you leave the main room, you feel lost, but not in a frightening way. I'm nearly positive that used bookstores bend both space and time.
Love it! I once got so lost and consumed in a bookstore in Edinburgh that I got locked in, eventually found a phone number around the register labeled NewGuy, turns out the new guy hadn't worked there for almost 3 years, still he got hold of the owner to come let me out, he comes to open with a pint in one hand and a cigar in the other, oh the stories this tartan wearing elderly get told me... One of my greatest memories!
This describes every used bookstore I've ever frequented. Multiple rooms, some harder to find than others. Random staircases, some full-story and others just a couple steps. Once you leave the main room, you feel lost, but not in a frightening way. I'm nearly positive that used bookstores bend both space and time.
Love it! I once got so lost and consumed in a bookstore in Edinburgh that I got locked in, eventually found a phone number around the register labeled NewGuy, turns out the new guy hadn't worked there for almost 3 years, still he got hold of the owner to come let me out, he comes to open with a pint in one hand and a cigar in the other, oh the stories this tartan wearing elderly get told me... One of my greatest memories!
174
31