ABOUT US
We offer a thoughtfully curated selection of new books of all genres, along with a smaller number of used, vintage and out-of-print titles, and periodicals.
In addition to reading materials we stock paper goods for the discerning writer and pen pal - including greeting cards, stationery and journals - and puzzles and games to keep brains happy.
We offer in-store and online shopping, with curbside pickup and shipping options. You can view our full inventory and place an order in our online shop.
OUR STORE
OUR LOCATION
We are located in the heart of downtown Orleans, in the storefront formerly occupied by Main Street Books, which served our community from 2004 until the spring of 2020. We are honored to continue providing a space where all are welcome, and people and books can meet and become great friends.
OUR STORY
Jonathan and Kazmira Nedeau live in Orleans and have filled their home with books old and new for many years.
Jonathan grew up on the mouth of Barnstable Harbor and surfed the Outer Cape throughout high school. He went away to university, pursued graduate degrees in the humanities and political philosophy, and frittered for some time after, only to return to the Cape with Kazmira in 2015. Aside from philosophy, his other interests include poetry, fly-fishing, and gardening both at home and at Sea Call Farm in Orleans.
Kazmira was born in Brooklyn and was fortunate to grow up in a neighborhood with a tradition of block parties, stoop sales, and sidewalk chit chats. She studied anthropology as an undergraduate and loved conducting ethnographic interviews and working the checkout desk at the library. When she and Jonathan moved to Orleans after years of living and working in cities (Boston, Cambridge and Providence), she felt like she found her neighborhood again. She loves reading about world history, social justice, and food, and discovering new books for her and Jonathan’s son and daughter.
The name "sea howl" comes from a T.S. Eliot poem Four Quartets. It reminded us of the roaring sound of the ocean that can be heard on a windy day, and especially in Orleans - the first town as you move out on the peninsula of Cape Cod to face the wild Atlantic Ocean.
The salt is on the briar rose,
The fog is in the fir trees.
The sea howl
And the seal yelp, are different voices
Often together heard.
From T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets
All photography by Nate Goodman
Wave artwork by Merlyn Chesterman, used with permission
Design by Robinson Press