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Virginia City’s ‘Must See’ Mark Twain Bookstore
Bookstore owners Joe and Ellie
Curtis are preserving the history of Mark
Twain.
By
Kit Knight
The Mark Twain Bookstore on C Street, which is the main street in Virginia City,
Nevada, is a treasure. It’s 1800 square feet is jammed with books about
the history of the Comstock and of Nevada, old and new railroads, western explorers
and their histories, both Native American writers and histories of tribes, women’s
studies and, of course, books by and about Mark Twain. The distinguished writer
used to live and work in Virginia City.
The books jostle for space among old signs, a Nickelodeon player piano and a
life-size mannequin of Mark Twain. The grey-haired, white-suited Twain figure
is seated with cigar in hand next to a pot-bellied stove, which remains lit during
the cold months.
There is an old vending machine that used to dispense large suckers, but someone
broke it. In spite of the seeming clutter, a visitor still discovers it easy
to find what he or she seeks.
All that visitor has to do is ask Joe or Ellie Curtis — they own the store.
Ellie is the one usually standing behind the long glass counter. Joe works part-time
for the Storey County fire department and helps operate a graphic art and sign
business.
Inside the counter are several rare first editions of various histories of the
Comstock and books and magazines devoted to the old TV show, “Bonanza.” That
show was a western that ran for many years, and it was set near Virginia City.
The show still lives — even though all four stars are dead — in frequent
reruns. Last September, fans from all over the world came to Virginia City for
a convention.
Ellie estimates between that convention and the many other events Virginia City
sponsors that her store has 35,000 visitors a year stepping on the old, wooden
floors. The building was constructed in 1862, and its creaky floors and high
ceilings evoke what it must have been like to shop on the Comstock in the 1880s.
The building originally housed Frederick’s Paints and Hardware. The Frederick’s
window shade sign is displayed on the wall behind the cash register in the bookstore.
Joe’s parents bought the building in 1959, they and opened the Mark Twain
Museum of Memories. Over the years, they have amassed a huge collection of antiques
and memorabilia.
After Joe’s parents died, he and Ellie closed the museum in 1996 and turned
it into a bookstore, although they kept many of the antiques, and they are scattered
among the books. The bookstore is a gem.
The bookstore also features a local authors section. In Nevada, local refers
to anyone within 500 miles. At least, that’s how the fellow who was helping
tar the road leading to Virginia City explained.
Ellie stocks books by 15 local writers, and any of them are invited to have a
book signing at her store. About half of them are considered western writers
or writers of histories of the Comstock, and the others are just local authors.
All have a home at Mark Twain Bookstore.
During the summer months, the bookstore opens at 10 a.m. every day, and their
phone number is (775 847-0454).
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Metropolitan News Company, Inc.
