Read the Rockies - bookstores in Denver, Colorado - Brief Article

Specialty bookstores keep book hounds busy in greater Denver

Want a bookstore whose staffers are more familiar with literature than lattes? Colorado's specialty bookshops offer warm, well-lit refuges from chilly gray days.

Children, parents, and teachers crowd Bookies, which brims with books, educational toys, games, and teaching aids. It's a favorite stop for touring authors, including J.K. Rowling. 4315 E. Mississippi Ave., Denver; (303) 759-1117.

At Chessler Books, the focus is on the world's highest and most remote places. If you don't blow your wad on mountaineering and climbing adventure books, consider splurging on an Everest photo signed by Sir Edmund Hillary. 29723 Troutdale Scenic Dr., Evergreen, about 35 miles west of Denver; 670-0093 or www. chesslerbooks.com.

With more than 6,000 titles by, about, or for African-Americans, Hue-Man Experience Bookstore is among the nation's largest special-interest bookstores. Owner Clara Villarosa, a lifelong civil rights activist, knows most of the authors whose titles she stocks. 911 Park Ave. W., Denver; 293-2665.

On the sidewalk outside Murder by the Book is the chalk outline of a body clutching a novel. With its three resident cats and always-stocked candy dish, the store could be the set for a mystery. 1574 S. Pearl St., Denver; 871-9401 or www.murderbytbebook.com.

Rue Morgue is another stellar mystery shop, with 10,000 titles, a national mail-order business, and a lively newsletter. Owners Tom and Enid Schantz resurrect classic detective fiction with the Rue Morgue Press, delighting readers in search of good, old-fashioned thrillers that won't make them cringe. 946 Pearl St., Boulder; 443-8346.

For additional stores, consult the Denver-based Bloomsbury Review's The Colorado Book Guide (Owaissa Communications Co., Denver, 1999; $10.95; 445-3123).

COPYRIGHT 1999 Sunset Publishing Corp.
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