A Treasure of Books, History, and Writers

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Every now and then while traveling I stumble into a treasure. Such is Pass Christian Books. I was driving to the gulf coast as I came through the town of Pass Christian and noticed a used bookstore. I like used bookstores as I am never sure what I might find. This one is called Pass Christian Books.

I went inside and saw the usual rooms with little signs on the doorways announcing the topics of the books in each bookroom that seemed to be a converted bedroom. The treasure was in the room titled Mississippi Writers’ Room. I didn’t realize how many noted writers of the last 100 years are from Mississippi. As the bookstore’s literature states, “Mississippi has produced at least nine writers in the 20th century - William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Richard Wright, Shelby Foote, Walker Percy, Tennessee Williams, Margaret Walker, Ellen Douglas, and Elizabeth Spencer - whose fiction has outlived their generations. And we have also had our share of great historians - Stephen Ambrose, David Herbert Donald, and Dumas Malone.” The walls were covered with photographs of these writers and the shelves were adorned with their works. I, a recreational writer, was awed to wander through this little room honoring these great writers.

Another treasure in this room were the works of local history. When I visit small towns in unique settings I like to find something that records the local history. How did people come to live in this place? I usually struggle in vain to find anything in writing. My search here, however, succeeded. I found half a dozen local history books. Some were published and hard bound while others were “unpublished” but sat on the shelf in front of me. This was a rare find. There is a lot of history on the Gulf Coast of the United States. The Spanish, French, and later the English came here long before they ventured up the Mississippi River and into the middle of North America. The coast was good for mooring their ships, the weather warm but mild, and the fresh water and vegetation plentiful. This area has a long and colorful history.

If you like books, history, and writers take a detour off Interstate 10, visit the town of Pass Christian, and stop in at Pass Christian Books. It’s on highway 90 - the road that runs along the beach. This little treasure has a web site at www.passchristianbooks.com.

A final note, the town of Pass Christian uses a French instead of English pronunciation. The emphasis is on the last syllable of Christi-AN instead of the the first one, as in CHRIS-tian.

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Photos

MS Writer's Room
The Mississippi Writers' Room