Buy Local: Bookstore connects curious readers with extraordinary books
By Tracy Johnson
When visitors enter WIT Booksellers at 350 North Main Street in Scandinavia, a room of old friends awaits, and owner Tom Michael has a story to share about each one. The old friends are books, of course. WIT offers “unusual books for adventurous readers,” and its mission involves finding good homes for unique books. Officially, WIT opened on November 12, but a long and colorful history precedes it.
Tom Michael tends the counter at WIT on opening night November 12.
Appropriately, WIT is an acronym for three notable wits: Wagstaff, the zany college professor played by Groucho Marx in the film Horse Feathers; Ignatz, the brick-hurling mouse from the comic strip Krazy Kat; and Tirebiter, a former child star and man named after a dog in a comedy album by The Firesign Theatre. Michael said he envisions them as “primary owners and managers of WIT at some time.”
So what does this multi-generational trio of fictional personalities have to do with books? It may not be surprising that WIT contains an array of comics and entertaining anthologies, but an assortment of tomes as eclectic as the characters also line the shelves. In one visit, patrons may browse a cheese-making manual printed in Madison in the 1900s, a Golden Book from the 1940s, and a Dean Koontz novel from the 1990s. The store’s guest register allows people to leave special requests, which helps Michael connect readers to additional resources.
A garage sale in Chicago sparked Michael’s lifelong devotion to book acquisition. Barely school age at the time, he selected a title by O. Henry and insisted it was the one he really wanted, much to the seller’s astonishment. As Michael told the Spirit, “I’ve been collecting books since I couldn’t read.”
From there, he embarked on a 60-year odyssey unearthing literary curiosities, accumulating approximately 15,000 titles. He gained experience evaluating books by selling some of his finds to C. Dickens, a rare and collectible book dealer based in Georgia. In addition, his career at Krause Publications provided him with a wealth of knowledge about the world of print media. In retirement, friends, family, and even the owner of the building encouraged him to open a bookstore.
A lifetime of working with books means Michael knows lots of fascinating facts: the history of Disney comics in the United States and Europe, the clues that spine material or cover markings give about a book’s age and purpose, and the reasons children had more access to their own books after World War II. He also eagerly described the background of his turn-of-the-century humor collection and Photoplay editions, novels that were published to promote silent films. Overall, he joyfully advocates for adventurous reading.
WIT Booksellers has what Michael described as serendipitous hours, but it is typically open Wednesday-Friday from 2-6 p.m. and Saturday from 2-4 p.m. Prices include tax, and WIT accepts checks and cash. Gift certificates are available. For more information, contact Tom Michael at WagstaffIgnatzTB@gmail.com.