WELCOME!

Whistlestop Bookshop is an independent bookseller in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in the lovely and historic Cumberland Valley in southcentral Pennsylvania.  Our current hours are 10-6 Monday through Saturday.  During other hours we welcome messages via our voicemail, e-mail, or via our website "contact us" boxes.

Important Note to Searchers: the website lists only about 10% of store inventory. If you do not find what you are looking for here, please send me an e-mail or call with your information!

A new gift card design! Gift cards are flexible, do not expire, and can be used partially or as part of a larger purchase. They can be applied to an online purchase as well as used in the store. They may be picked up in the store, mailed to the purchaser, or mailed to the recipient. Customized in any manner requested. Click through the picture below for a direct link. Image courtesy of Jennifer Oswald Photography.

The Welcome Home is Amy June Bates’s latest book, one for which she is both the author and illustrator. You can see from the cover that many of Amy’s previous books and artistic interests are present (and even cozy on a chair) in her latest work of genius.

Most recent Purple Lizard Map is Tuscarora State Forest! Perfectly complements the Michaux State Forest Map, a revision of which is forthcoming soon!

Has there ever been a better time for puzzles? We don’t think so! Check our puzzle page for selections from Galison, Pomegranate, Peter Pauper Press, Flame Tree Publishing, and more!

A collection of mostly early pieces that reveal what would become Joan Didion’s subjects, including the press, politics, California robber barons, women, and her own self-doubt. Let Me Tell You What I Mean has twelve pieces from 1968 to 2000, never before gathered together, offer an illuminating glimpse into the mind and process of a legendary author. The two matchless Library of America volumes remind us why she is one of the best.

Our favorite author and illustrator Amy June Bates has a major release for 2023 with Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust. It is written by Elisa Boxer and published by Abrams. Her beautiful art graces the pages of these other titles as well! We have an entire page devoted to her work.

The only way to face the stresses and strains of modern life is with a cup of tea and a good book… bonus points if the book is about tea

Be sure to check out our Instagram:

SAVE THE DATE! MAY 23, 2024! We are beyond excited and pleased to host a book launch event for CRYSTAL OAKMAN, author of The Imprint: The Unintended Inheritance That’s Shaping Your Life. Crystal has written an informal, intimate, and wise book on the complexity of factors that make us who we were, who we are, and who we may be if we understand this inheritance. The event will be 2-6 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, 2024. Pre-orders are welcome! Click through the image below to be directed to the book!

Heather Cox Richardson of Boston College began a daily Facebook post in 2019 in light of the impeachment crisis at the time. Not only did it catch on and vault her into social media superstardom, it gave her room to address far-reaching topics in US history not usually brought up in the media. Since the collection of the essays was published last September, it has remained my bestselling nonfiction hardcover.

Kristin Hannah’s much-anticipated Vietnam War novel has received instant success upon publication.

On April 4, 2023, an important book on the state of healthcare and doctors entangled therein was published: If I Betray These Words by Wendy Dean with Simon Talbot. It is a story-rich account of Dr. Dean's establishment of "moral injury" as diagnostic of the tensions between what doctors know is right and what hospital-owning corporations require of them. Wendy has been a friend of Whistlestop for many years. All our copies are signed by Dr. Dean.

Local author and friend of Whistlestop Eleanor Donald Alspaugh has brought the work of years to a big fascinating book about one man’s experience of training and combat in World War II. Her father’s letters to her mother, along with other letters and a global-spanning context, make for riveting reading. Click on the book cover below for more information and to order.

NOW IN PAPERBACK! David Maraniss’s big new biography of Jim Thorpe, Path Lit by Lightning, the first in the dozen years since Kate Buford’s Native American Son, was published in August. Thorpe was Carlisle’s contribution to international sports fame, having begun his career at the Indian Industrial School at Carlisle. He is almost universally considered one of the greatest modern athletes.

My current favorite birding book. “Slow Birding is the perfect guide for the birder looking to appreciate the beauty of the birds right in their own backyard, observing keenly how their behaviors change from day to day and season to season.”

Quick leaps to selected treasures!

More of what we do, what we offer, and what we have:

Since we are an independent bookstore, we do things differently.  Here you will find:

• new books carefully selected in a comprehensive and eclectic spirit

• fine journals and notebooks from DeComposition, Peter Pauper Press, Chronicle, and Discovery Press.

• cards from Earth Sky + Water, Notes & Queries (many UK lines), and Compendium

• stunning, high-qualit postcards by local photographer and historian Jennifer Oswald, including scenes of Carlisle and the Cumberland Valley

• calendars in season (September through January)

• jigsaw puzzles for adults and children

• educational card decks of all kinds

• local honey in a wide variety of packages from Tom Jones, the Happy Beekeeper

• bookmarks, totebags, and other gifts

Customer service is our goal.  Among the ways we pay attention to our patrons in person or off-site are:

• quick, efficient special ordering (no extra charge)

• free giftwrap

• gift cards/certificates

Thanks for visiting!  Check often for changes and enhancements.  Above all, support your independents!