Dan Christian's Page

Incorporated in 1980, A. Parker's Books has been located in downtown Sarasota, Florida for over thirty years. We have consistently offered one of the finest selections of rare and antiquarian books in the Southeast and provide Library Design and Collection Development among our services. We are members of the Florida Antiquarian Booksellers Association (FABA), Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), and International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB). More than a decade ago, we merged our stock with a neighboring bookstore, Book Bazaar, Inc. Our Sarasota storefront has since housed two distinct shops; A. Parker's Books, Inc., continues to specialize in antiquarian, rare and finely bound books and maintains a rare book room which is the highlight of many visits to the store, while Book Bazaar, Inc., fills the majority of the space with an array of used, out-of-print and scholarly books. After merging with Book Bazaar, we opened a new shop in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, incorporated as Crescent City Books, Inc. Later a fourth store, Commonwealth Books, Inc. was opened in Boston, Massachusetts on the Boston Common. This store has recently moved to the Downtown Crossing area. A fifth store, Commonwealth Books II, is now open in the historic Old South Meeting House on Boston's Freedom Trail and is a welcome addition to our family. We hope that if you find yourself in Sarasota, New Orleans, or Boston, you will stop in and spend some time with our books. If none of these cities is in your itinerary, we also exhibit at several Book and Antique Shows and Fairs throughout the year.  We look forward to seeing you, we and thank you in advance for choosing us.

I get to meet some of the most fascinating people in Sarasota. From famous personalities to students to scientists and inventors to waitstaff to business executives to writers to teachers to, well, you get the idea (about 4 examples ago), and when I am fortunate enough to talk them one on one, whether it's from the buying or selling side, there's always something that I get to learn. That's what makes my job so great...not only do I get to see and learn from an amazing array of really fine books, but the people who come in to sell, buy, trade and browse can be an educating experience, also. I get the same kick out of traveling and exhibiting at Antiques and Book Fairs. You just never know who you'll meet, what you'll see or what will happen while on the road.

The store has cultivated a very low-key style from its inception. I appreciate that and hope it will always be a place that values comfort, quality and knowledge over flash, trends and hurried demands. All are welcome to browse, and if you buy something, it's really appreciated.