Walrus & Carpenter Books receives over 1,500 Idaho history books

The longstanding downtown Pocatello establishment Walrus & Carpenter Books is set to receive over 1,500 Idaho history books.

The collection was donated by Mike Gibson, who had been gathering Idaho history books for years and even managed to purchase a few from Walrus & Carpenter owner Will Peterson during chance visits to Pocatello.

“About a month ago, I got this call from him and he said that he was having to downsize because he's (getting) old,” Peterson said. “He's about my age, right past retirement, and he asked me if I wanted 1,500 books on Idaho history, which, of course, was like the greatest event of my book selling life — 36 years and this is the greatest moment of my life.”

Peterson continued, “We've been busy putting bookshelves together to accommodate them. He's going to drive out, I think, with one of his sons. He's rented a U-Haul and stacked it with 1,500 books and brought them in on Tuesday."

Peterson confirmed the large collection of books arrived Tuesday but he is still waiting to delve into the massive conglomeration. There is an air of mystery and uncertainty surrounding what the collection entails.

“That's the beauty of it,” Peterson said. “It's almost 30 boxes of books. I have no idea, there might be ephemera in there. There might be self-published memoirs. It just could be anything. There could be some valuable stuff in there. Now I have the biggest collection of Idaho books that I know. I'm going to have to become an Idaho scholar.”

The books will require some appraisal to determine their approximate values and rarity, though there is some ambiguity surrounding what the books are worth.

“These are books that have been gathered over the last 40 years,” Peterson said. “All of them, in their own way, are probably valuable, whether I sell it for seven or 10 bucks. I just see it as a wonderful thing for Pocatello. I never really charged a lot for anything. Mike is giving this collection back to the community. It's just wonderful.”

Since opening his store 1988, Peterson has experienced recession and growth within the local economy and observed the expansion of the surrounding businesses in Historic Downtown Pocatello. Peterson expressed happiness surrounding the emergence of popular gathering spaces like Lookout Point and the various new bookshops that are popping up in the downtown area.

When questioned about his favorite aspects of owning a bookstore, Peterson said, “The greatest thing is I have an unlimited book budget and the fantastic people who come in my store and tell me stories or little things about themselves. I do have a college degree, but I didn't even get near educated until I opened the store. Over the years, it's just been a tremendous education. It's all about people and what they'll give you and how they'll enrich your life. The last thing is just being part of the community. That's a big deal.”