VISIT US
33 Bay View Street
Camden, Maine 04843
207.230.7335
NEWS & UPDATES: Check out the new spring/summer events recently posted!
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“It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.”
-Oscar Wilde
ABOUT
Since 1970 the Owl & Turtle Bookshop has been an integral part of coastal Camden’s vibrant downtown, serving the community as a quality independent bookstore, friendly gathering spot, and—more recently—cozy neighborhood café. The well-curated book collection includes an ever-evolving stock of fiction and non-fiction, an extensive children’s section, and plenty of cookbooks. Offerings of poetry, memoir, and marine books are forever expanding along with the always popular Maine-centric selections. In the café you’ll find locally-roasted beans from Coffee on the Porch and sweet and savory treats from area bakers. The shop is a welcoming place to browse and be—whether you choose to bury your nose in a book, beverage, or both.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Jean Feldeisen Poetry Reading and Book Signing Event
Friday May 26th 2-3p
Jean Anne Feldeisen has been writing poetry since childhood. She lives on a farm in Maine with her husband Don. Jean has degrees in Philosophy, English Literature and Social Work. She has owned a therapy business, a catering business, and taught piano to children. On her seventieth birthday she self-published a memoir, Dear Milly, about her parents’ World War II romance. Currently, she is working with a group of writers creating engaging audio portraits of older people for the Crow’s Feet Podcast. Jean uses her varied experiences to inform Not All Are Weeping, her first poetry collection.
The Mythsinger Legacy Project Book Signing, Reading and Music Event with Judith-Kate Friedman
Tuesday May 30th 1-2p
Ben Perry Author Talk and Book Signing Event
Friday June 2nd 1-2p
Robin Lloyd Book Signing Event
Friday July 21st 2-3p
Robin Lloyd is the author of Harbor of Spies and Rough Passage to London, two seafaring suspense novels set in the nineteenth century. Lloyd was a foreign correspondent for NBC News for many years, where he reported from Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa. He also covered the White House during the Reagan and Bush administrations. Lloyd has created and produced news programs with foreign networks as well as documentaries and segments for domestic stations, including Maryland Public Television. Among his prestigious awards are four Emmys from the National Capital Chesapeake Bay region and an Overseas Press Award. He and his wife divide their time between Chevy Chase, Maryland and Maine.
SHOP HISTORY
Bill and Rebecca Gene Conrad opened the Owl & Turtle as a bookshop motel in 1970, naming the store for two nearby Maine locales: Owl’s Head and Turtle’s Head. In its original spot at 8 Bay View Street (a former refrigerator showroom), the Conrad’s three story book haven quickly established itself as the place to go in Camden—whether to shop for reading or reference material, enjoy a quiet respite, gather with friends, or convene with other community members for a book signing by such esteemed persons as Walter Cronkite and David McCullough. Through several owners (and a few different in-town locations), this unique bookshop’s place in the community has remained steadfast. Now back on Bay View Street, the Owl & Turtle evokes memories of the past while also exemplifying the best of what an independent bookstore can be today.