Our History

Whistlestop Bookshop opened in Gettysburg in August 1985 at 11 West Railroad St, right across from the Lincoln Diner.  A quick two-and-a-half years later, in January 1988, we opened a second store in Carlisle at 152 West High Street, next door to Back Door Cafe and the Bosler Memorial Library. 

Eventually, both stores moved to larger quarters.  Whistlestop Gettysburg moved to 104 Carlisle Street.  We closed it at the end of July 2004, after 19 years. 

Whistlestop Carlisle moved to 129 West High Street, when we bought the building in 1998.  On August 2nd of that year, in one day, our friends and customers helped us move across the street and a little east of our first location to our current quarters.  They forever earned their fame as "the Whistlestop Movers," as the now-rare bandannas proclaimed.

Whistlestop is now in its permanent home, expanding and adding new lines of books, cards, music, and what we call "book-related product" on a regular basis.

Our Philosophy

The objective of our business is to put the right books in the hands of the right people.  In other words, if you want a specific book, we either have it or can order it for you.  If you are a little unsure on specifics or want recommendations, we do our best from our experience. We believe that our bookstore provides, in the words of Carlisle's own Marianne Moore, "a place for the genuine."

First up:  a pricelessly perfect scene from The Big Sleep (1946), directed by Howard Hawks, screenplay co-written by William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett, and Jules Furthman (yes, really).  This scene features Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe and Sonia Darrin as our kind of bookseller.  To encourage your pursuit of such greatness, we offer the dvd and various editions of the books.