Daedalus Books is a

used bookstore Used bookstores (usually called "second-hand bookshops" in Great Britain) buy and sell used books and out-of-print books. A range of titles is available in used bookstores, including in print and out-of-print books. Book collectors tend to freque ...

based in the Downtown Mall of

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

. It was established in 1975. It contains more than 100,000 books and is a quirky institution in the city. A reviewer for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' described Daedalus as the best bookstore south of the

Strand Bookstore The Strand Bookstore is an independent bookstore located at 828 Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway, at the corner of East 12th Street (Manhattan), 12th Street in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, tw ...

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

Description

The bookstore has been in the same location for more than 50 years, and its building is more than 100 years old. It keeps more than 100,000 books. The store issues hand-written receipts. A long-time employee said that the store attracts freaks and weirdos as customers. The poetry room at Daedalus attracts particular attention. Poetry attractions include the

death mask A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead or be used for creation of portraits. The m ...

John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tub ...

. Charlottesville's Downtown Mall is a destination for visiting bookstores including Daedalus. It is also part of a network of other unconventional Charlottesville business. Various reviewers list Daedalus among Charlottesville's top attractions. Reviewers describe the store as cozy, a place to get lost, bewildering, and a three-story temple of secondhand literature. The name of the store refers to

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin language, Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan language, Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. H ...

because the bookshelves create a

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...

in which people become lost. Author Rita Mae Brown said that Daedalus and McAdams delighted her. Poet

Lawrence Ferlinghetti Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti (March 24, 1919 – February 22, 2021) was an American poet, painter, social activist, and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. An author of poetry, translations, fiction, theatre, art criticism, and ...

said that his visit to Daedalus was an honor for him.

People

Sandy McAdams (1942-2024) established the store and managed it. One reviewer said that McAdams and the bookstore looked like each other. McAdams also started a restaurant near the bookstore, and is credited with developing Charlottesville's Downtown Mall as a place for food and browsing books. After owning the shop for 30 years, Sandy McAdams committed to only read novels in an effort to gain wisdom rather than read nonfiction and only learn facts. McAdams was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000 and managed the store while using a wheelchair from 2008. McAdams sold the shop in 2023 and passed away in 2024. Jackson Landers purchased the bookstore from McAdams in 2023. McAdams wanted to pass the store to someone who could maintain it as a Charlottesville institution. Jackson himself is a journalist and author.

Further consideration

References

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External links

DaedalusBooksCharlottesville
on Instagram 1975 establishments in Virginia American companies established in 1975 Bookstores established in the 20th century Independent bookstores of the United States Retail companies established in 1975 Used bookstores Tourist attractions in Charlottesville, Virginia