Castle Arkdale

You wouldn’t know it from the roadside, but turn in here, follow the driveway a couple hundred yards, and a book shopping complex opens up before you. No sign at the roadside will tell you it’s there. It’s the ultimate insider’s bookshop.

There are two main buildings here. The upper one, the Book Lodge, is conventional. The first to greet you is less so.

This castle protecting treasures inside was once a manure tank. With some modifications, it now contains thousands of books. Other structures on this property, including farm sheds, extra houses and a barn, also contain books.

Nestled on the cusp of Green Lake in central Wisconsin, this shop is located on the farmland of Lenore and Lloyd Dickmann. Though they have been selling books here for years now, Leonore once taught at a university and later sold books out of a former schoolhouse in nearby Markesan. To hear their story, I recommend watching a short piece put together by Bill Geist and CBS Sunday Morning that can be found at this link: Bill Geist Story.

Since the time of Geist’s piece, the Dickmanns have slowed down a bit. Both have reached their eighties now, and they have friends and family help them run the shop. The shop is open only on Saturdays, 9 to 3, in June, July and August. To find it, you’ll need a map. The address is W1778 County Road K, Markesan, WI 53946. If you want to call ahead, the number is (920) 398-3375.

Good, old country books are to be found here, with an emphasis on old. The books in the castle are predominantly from the period 1880 to 1935 or so. They are but loosely organized, but that’s ok, because the appeal here is to those who are interested in books as objects.

There are tables and tables of decorative bindings, some quite plain and many quite breathtaking. Ephemera collectors will appreciate the countless book plates and bookstore labels within these books, along with all the other addenda that previous owners saw fit to add to them over the years.

The catwalk along the “rotunda“ holds yet more books, including a large number of juveniles. Many of the old series books are here, including a fair number with jackets.

Back at the Lodge, the front room has a similar set up. Wisconsin books are found here and I was delighted to find another Zona Gale first. I also found some Christopher Morley firsts absent from my personal collection and a first of Salinger’s Raise High the Roofbeam, Carpenters for $12.00. The larger back room is a digger’s paradise. Old books are tossed in with those of a more recent vintage. Prices are low to modest, though the occasional $100 price jolts you from time to time.

Like the books, business practices here are old fashioned. Lenore figured my bill on the back of a paper place mat. Not all of it would fit on my scanner for this picture. Credit cards are not accepted, so bring cash or a checkbook.

 Many thanks to Chuck Whiting, who alerted me to this gem in my own backyard.

Anyone wanting to visit and make a weekend of it will probably spend some time on Green Lake. Most recreation and, well, most everything around here revolves around the lake. Here is a quick snap from the county park located at the end of County Road K, where it meets Highway 73, revealing the size of this lake.

If you drive from Madison, Wisconsin, the easiest route to take is Highway 151 north to Columbus, and then Highway 73 up to K. If you stop in Columbus, you can visit their lovely downtown library. Here is a picture of it, just because.








Cool New Book in Bookstores Now:  About the Author by Nicholas Basbanes and published by Fine Books Press--a collection of essays and interviews with authors from Basbanes' days writing for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.