Dogtown Books

Dogtown Books has been an essential part of Gloucester's cultural fabric since 1971, drawing its name and spirit from the hauntingly beautiful abandoned settlement hidden in the Cape Ann woods. The store's maritime literature collection is the finest on the North Shore, encompassing everything from Sebastian Junger's accounts of Gloucester's fishing fleet to centuries-old logbooks and navigational charts displayed under glass. Marine science titles fill a dedicated section, reflecting the city's ongoing relationship with the sea and its proximity to major oceanographic research institutions. The visual arts section pays homage to Gloucester's legendary status as an artists' colony, with monographs on Winslow Homer, Fitz Henry Lane, and the Cape Ann School alongside contemporary exhibition catalogs. Dogtown Books is the kind of store where you might find a retired fisherman browsing next to a plein air painter, both equally at home among shelves that smell of old paper and salt air.