When I asked proprietor John LaPine if he had a favorite among his huge collection of rare books, he was quick to answer, "No."

"Do you have any sort of stranded-on-a-desert-island selections?" I pressed. His was probably the best possible answer to such a trite question: "The Oxford English Dictionary," he said. The 20-volume set, with etymological analyses and definitions of every word in the English language, would undoubtedly be the most engrossing text to spend the rest of a lonesome life with.

LaPine's store houses a collection whose size and depth suggests he wouldn't mind such exile. He has read "Moby Dick" 18 times. A book collector since the ripe old age of eight, his store contains an immensely sophisticated collection (a 1780 edition of "Don Quixote," for instance) but LaPine exhibits a childlike exuberance in their presence. The man is passionate about good literature, which is makes a visit to Printer's Row Fine and Rare Books an invaluable learning experience. Ask him some questions; you won't be disappointed. A large reading table, glowing fireplace and antique-looking lamps make the shop itself feel more like a collector's study than a bookstore, which, I guess it might be.

Centerstage Reviewer: J. Tyson