Music, Folklore, and Fine Books from The Country Bookshop
- Addie Portela
- Oct 9
- 3 min read
The Country Bookshop in Plainfield, Vermont has been serving book-lovers since the 1970s. Since his high school days, many moons ago, owner Ben Koenig has regarded bookshops as being very significant community cultural centers and bookselling soon became the focus of his professional life. Growing up in New York City, Koenig remembers walking by used bookstores on Fourth Avenue, knowing if he needed a book, it would be somewhere on that street.
“I’d go into store, and the owner would say, ‘Oh yeah, I think we have that book,’ and he would grab a ladder and pick the book off the shelf,” Koenig said. “I thought it was like magic that they could do that. Now of course, I do it all the time.”
The journey started with an ad in a hobby magazine: one dollar to learn how to be a book scout. After getting an informational booklet and joining their subscription service, Koenig began selling books from his personal library before participating in book auctions. By 1974, the Country Bookshop opened in Plainfield, Vermont, then home to Goddard College. (Founded as a radical experiment in education, the 86-year-old institution closed its doors in the spring of 2024.)
“I had a vision of what a used bookshop should look like,” Koenig said.
“We have a larger section of folk music than you’d find in most places,” he said. A guitarist, Koenig has always been interested in music, specifically folk music. This interest extended into folklore, and you can sometimes find the Country Bookshop working with the American Folklore Society.
Many of the Country Bookshop’s items, music and books alike, are purchased from household auction. Several years ago, Koenig bought the entire library of a household in Burlington, Vermont. An ex-librarian had passed away, leaving behind a diverse selection of books. Though it wasn’t the unique typography books or signed Robert Frost stories that were remarkable to Koenig—it was the care the books had received.
“He was extremely interested in the condition of books,” Koenig said. "Not only rare books [excite me]. It’s beautiful books. I like to sell books in great condition to other folks.”
Koenig plans on bringing a representative sample of his large inventory of fine books to the Northampton Book Fair which he always looks forward to attending. He's been exhibiting at the Noho fair for many, many years.
“Of course, I’d like to sell books, but aside from that, there is a group of booksellers that go to these book fairs,” Koenig explained. “You get to talk to other booksellers about the books and ephemera they've brought to the fair and learn an enormous amount about the history of books, book covers, and such, while share stories with one another over the course of the weekend. weekend," he said.
“I have faith that the book people will come out and buy a few books or talk books,” Koenig said. “I’ll be happy with either.”
Ben Koenig and a sampling of the Country Bookshop’s collection will be at the Northampton Antiquarian Book, Ephemera, and Book Arts Fair. Stop in to talk to Ben and browse his books on Friday, November 21st, 5 - 8 pm and Saturday, the 22nd, 10 am - 4 pm in the Community Arts Trust at 33 Hawley Street.
For advance tickets and fair information: click here
Written by Addie Portela, Edited by Mark Brumberg on 26 September, 2025.
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