Back of Beyond Books

Back of Beyond Books is as essential to a Moab visit as the red rock arches and slickrock trails that draw millions to this corner of Utah each year. Since 1990, the store has been the intellectual complement to the physical adventures that define Moab, offering a collection of desert writing, canyon country exploration, and Southwest ecology that is simply unmatched. The Edward Abbey section is a shrine of sorts, housing first editions, critical studies, and every work by the desert anarchist who put this landscape on the literary map. Geologists, river guides, and mountain bikers browse alongside families and retirees, all united by a love of the vast, wild country that surrounds the store on every side. The rare books room contains vintage maps of the Colorado Plateau, early National Park Service publications, and signed editions from writers who have made the desert Southwest their muse. If you leave Moab without visiting Back of Beyond, you have only seen half the story.