Literary Saratoga Springs

Saratoga Springs, NY. All spas and horse-racing, right? Not so. Certainly there is racing (the Stakes open Friday), but ballet and literature are giving the horses a run for their money in this historic town. The New York City Ballet holds a mini summer season there, and the Bolshoi will make its debut at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on July 29. There is also the National Museum of Dance. The New York State Summer Writer's Institute, held this year from June 30-July 25 at nearby Skidmore College, brings a decidedly literary element to town.

Where else might the bookies--I mean, bookish--go? I put that question to the proprietors of Saratoga-based Smith&Press, an independent publisher that produces translations and facsimile editions of early printed books (for a Q&A with Smith&Press founder, Selim Nahas, go here). They replied: "When we arrived in Saratoga we discovered the town was home to some unique book businesses. The Lyrical Ballad Bookstore is a rare gem of a bookstore that offers a vast array of out-of-print books where anything can be found. Northshire Bookstore offers a wonderful selection of contemporary works without being a chain store and is known for attracting well-known and respected authors for book signings (Anne Rice recently appeared, Hillary Clinton is scheduled in two weeks, for example). The public library has a special collections room for Saratoga history and given the distinct character and history of Saratoga, we felt that bringing our business here would add to the book culture of Saratoga Springs."  

A recent visit to the Lyrical Ballad Bookstore confirms their opinion. It's a delightful rabbit warren of first editions and vintage paperbacks, where a tidy Modern Library reprint of Christopher Morley's Parnassus on Wheels can be had for $5 (I hope it's as good as his Haunted Bookshop). New York state history, dance/music, and poetry are specialties.

Smith&Press is currently working on its online research and reference tool, TLC and preparing new works, which include translations of Galileo, Cardano, Philippo Finella, Fortunio Liceti, and Leonardo DaVinci's Volo Codice (Flight of Birds), as well as a translation of the complete works of Copernicus (De Revolutionibus). All of these works are being made available in TLC and some select works will be offered in a print-on-demand format. They have also produced adjoining printed facsimiles of the Volo Codice and Leonardo's Leicester Codice.

In addition to the places named above, a literary tourist might also visit the Lucy Scribner Library at Skidmore College. And, if you have transportation, Old Saratoga Books, a used and rare bookshop strong in early American and Revolutionary War material, is about fifteen minutes out of town.

Image: "Downtown Saratoga Springs" by UpstateNYer - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.