Pat Hutter, co-owner and Mike's wife, said they have been in Biloxi for about 30 years now, once coming from southern California where they previously owned bookstores. I asked her if she missed California. She said she missed California some, but not what California has become with the overpopulation, the influx of ticky-tack housing, and the destruction of greenspace. She said that with air conditioning in the summer, she liked Mississippi just fine.
The Hutters both said that, in addition to the problem of very light foot traffic, they have found it very difficult to get new books since the hurricane struck. Many private libraries (weep!) were lost to Katrina and Rita, and it is nearly impossible to find good books anywhere close by. It is a crying shame, because this is a really nifty bookstore which may be able to continue to stumble along, but which will need a lot of help to do more than that. If you are in the neighborhood, stop in and see the Hutters. They are very nice folks and very knowledgeable book dealers.
Though Spanish Trail is the only used, non-Christian bookstore I found, we did a quick walk through the Biloxi Books-A-Million; what my husband calls one of the Godzilla bookstores. It was chock full of new books, mostly new arrivals, and a really good selection of top selling authors' paperbacks and hardbacks, a lot of kiddy books, and many non-fiction books that will soon be remainders, I think. I bought a couple of new Southern Sci-Fi authors (I'm addicted), but otherwise found nothing particularly interesting. The sign outside says 40% off, but when you get to the check-out counter, you find it is actually mostly 10% with a few older books at 40%, so look out.
We spent our month working industriously on the boat then began the journey home. It was pedal to the metal most of the way but for a quick stop in one of our favorite towns, Mesilla, New Mexico. It is a quaint little adobe town, very historic for its place near the Mexican border and for the fact that Billy the Kid was sentenced to hang there. The Mesilla Book Center is on the plaza in old town. They specialize in Southwestern Americana, of which they had a good selection, and lots of kids' books, Indian art and craft books, and various Navajo and Chimayo objects d' arte including beautiful rugs and some wonderful silver jewelry. The owner, Mary Bowlin, has had the store for forty-one years. She and her little dogs are focal points when one walks in the store. Her son-in-law works there and it seems to be a mostly family operated store. The folks were very nice and it was a really nice end to our bookstore tours. We got back to Nevada, once again without stopping in Las Vegas, and are now rushing to get caught up from two months of goofin' off in the south. Ta, ta, y'all.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
