I think I will stop saying how my books are taking over my home. This fellow has a barn and three homes full of books... Now THAT is collecting!

A Mid-Michigan man has indulged his passion for buying and selling books for nearly 60 years.
His inventory and his personal collection have to be seen to be believed. His home and store are stuffed.
Berry picking isn't the only thing to do at Russell's Blueberry Farm and Book Barn near Freeland. Some folks come to browse through his collection of 500,000 used books.

"I've always been selling books," said book collector and seller Carl Russell. "I've always sold books when I was in the military. Thirty years in the military and I was always buying and selling."

And don't give up if you don't find what you're looking for in the store. Russell has three houses nearby and they're all stuffed with books.

"I have in excess of two million, I would say. I don't count them all," he said.

Russell not only collects books to sell, he's also an avid reader. He'll have as many as 10 different books going at one time -- history, biography, fiction, it doesn't matter.

"I read every day, every night," he said. "If it's 2 a.m. I read for 30 minutes to an hour."

Organization is not Russell's strong suit. In the Book Barn there are general categories, but the Dewey Decimal System is not in effect.

 Link to this page

 Link to this page