Five Dog Books

Ah Five Dog Books. I have a lot of misgivings about the place. Located in the old residential section of Holcomb Avenue (fairly close to the Citgo on South Virginia), Five Dog is located in a somewhat rundown house. The sign is no longer than, having been taken down. Manuel does indeed have the most inflexible hours that I have ever seen, the store is more by appointment than having any actual set hours and he is somewhat eccentric. His selection of Great Basin history/​Native American history is absolutely excellent, as well as his selection of philosophy and literature. He does tend to go around quoting Jorge Luis Borges quite frequently, which makes it irritating to actually concentrate on browsing for books. He does not accept anything but cash or checks, which is also quite frustrating and will occasionally decide not to sell a certain book to someone after they have made a selection. Why are the books on display and priced if you do not want to sell them? Very irritating. If you venture to explore Five Dog Books, bring cash with you and have two or three hours to devote to talking to Manuel. Despite his limited hours, his knowledge of literature is incredibly diverse and voracious and his literary insights are fascinating. You will learn something when talking to him.

Five Dog Books is not very easy to locate. It’s on a residential street in a converted house with a small sign out front to declare the treasures inside. I mentioned this to the owner; he replied that he only wanted the serious book buyer to find him. I think he succeeds in this wish rather well. He also has the most messed up hours I’ve ever seen and he rarely keeps them, so it’s nearly impossible to visit more then once. The shop isn’t incredibly large, but every room is tastefully shelved and in proper order.
I felt, though, that I was not allowed to simply shop. The owner insisted on reading excerpts from his favourites tomes. All I wanted to do was to shop for a few books, I did not want to entertain «open mic night»! While the selection was incredible, the owner was annoying and just wouldn’t leave me alone.
He only accepts cash and there is no wheelchair access. Both of which are not good for me.