More Bookmarks and Bookshops

Two more unique Bookmarks and the Bookshops Behind Them

Over the 50-plus years of my bookselling career, I’ve made it a habit to collect bookmarks I’ve found left inside books. I have a huge collection of well over 100 that are still in good condition. I often browse through them and wander down memory lane.

I thought I’d share some of these bookmarks with you, my dear readers, along with a bit of background on the bookshops themselves. In this second post (I plan to share many more over the next year), I focus on two California bookshops. Both shops have gone out of business. One of them took over from another bookstore at the same location that went out of business

Bookshops are more than just a place that sells books; they are also a nexus for the community and a place where people go to talk and share ideas. It’s my favorite place in the whole wide world.

Caravan Bookstore - Los Angeles, California.

Caravan Book Store was located in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles at 607 South Grand Avenue. It was a landmark of the West Coast antiquarian book trade for nearly 65 years. Its history is a testament to the specialized world of rare books and the preservation of California history.

The store was founded in 1954 by Morris Bernstein, a former high school history teacher who opened the shop in the historic Savoy Hotel building. It was a true family business; Morris operated the store for decades until his death in 2004, at which point his son, Leonard Bernstein, took over the management until the shop finally closed its doors in February 2018.

Specialty and Inventory

Caravan was renowned for its meticulous focus on specific niches. Unlike general used bookstores, it was highly curated, specializing in:

• Californiana and the American West: It was a primary resource for rare documents, maps, and books regarding the early history of Los Angeles and California.

• Maritime and Naval History: The shop held an extensive collection of books on voyages, shipwrecks, and naval warfare.

• Aviation and Railways: A significant portion of the inventory was dedicated to the history of transport and exploration.

• Gastronomy: The shop was also known for rare cookbooks and culinary history.

Kim Cooper Esotouric photo credit

Significance to Los Angeles

Caravan’s significance went beyond its inventory; it was a cultural anchor for the city:

• The “Book Row” Legacy: Caravan was one of the last survivors of what was once known as “Book Row,” a dense concentration of bookstores that lined 5th and 6th Streets in Downtown LA during the mid-20th century.

• The “Cluttered” Aesthetic: The shop was famous for its atmosphere—walls lined from floor to ceiling with books, old ship models, and antique maps. It offered a quiet, scholarly retreat from the bustling financial district outside.

• Scholarly Resource: Because of its specialized collections, it served as a vital resource for historians, researchers, and collectors seeking primary source materials that were not available in public libraries.

Closure and Legacy

The store closed in early 2018 due to a combination of rising rents in a rapidly gentrifying Downtown and the general shift toward online book sales. At the time of its closure, it was one of the oldest continually operating bookstores in Los Angeles.

The legacy of Caravan Book Store remains preserved in many private and institutional collections. When the shop closed, many of its most significant historical documents and rare Californiana volumes were acquired by collectors and libraries, ensuring that the “Caravan” provenance continues to signify a high standard of historical importance.

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Gilbert’s Book Shop - Los Angeles, California

The history of Gilbert’s Book Shop is closely tied to the “Golden Age” of Hollywood and the legacy of another famous bookstore, the Satyr Book Shop.

The shop’s lineage dates back to 1926, when the Satyr Book Shop was founded by William “Milton” Goodhand and Hazel Baker. Originally located on Hudson Street, the Satyr moved to a prime spot at 1622 Vine Street, next to the iconic Hollywood Brown Derby.

In the 1960s, Edward Gilbert purchased the Satyr Book Shop from its owners. He renamed the business Gilbert’s Book Shop (often referred to as Gilbert’s Books) and eventually relocated it to a distinctive Chateauesque building at 6264 Hollywood Boulevard (and later 6278 Hollywood Blvd).

Niche and Reputation

Under Edward Gilbert’s ownership, the store became a destination for specialized and eclectic collections. Its history is defined by several key focuses:

• The Occult and Metaphysics: Continuing a tradition from the Satyr days, Gilbert expanded the inventory to include rare works on voodooism, black magic, and the occult to meet high local demand.

• Hollywood Lore: The shop was famous for its window displays of books on movie stars. Its proximity to the epicenter of the film industry made it a frequent stop for writers and actors.

• Genre and Rare Fiction: It was well-regarded for its selection of “eccentric and obscure” books, as well as genre fiction.

Legacy and Closure

Gilbert’s was a staple of the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District for decades. By the late 1980s, it was one of the few remaining independent bookstores on the Boulevard, alongside others like the Larry Edmunds Bookshop.

While the exact date of its closure is not widely recorded, by the mid-1990s, the era of independent bookstores on Hollywood Boulevard had largely faded due to the rise of large chains and changing neighborhood dynamics. Both the original Vine Street building and the Hollywood Boulevard location have since been lost to redevelopment, though they were once listed as contributing properties to the National Register of Historic Places.

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1. Satyr Bookshop Wikipedia page

2. Lithub article on Los Angeles bookshops

3. Los Angels Revisited article on Caravan’s closure

4. 3D walk through Caravan Books