William S. Burroughs looms large for Arthur Nusbaum – in this case, literally. The portrait of this Beat Generation iconoclast hangs in the lobby of Nusbaum's Third Mind Books and Steppingstone Properties.

A real estate guy with a thing for William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and the rest of that reckless crew? Incongruous, on the face of it. But a closer look reveals a certain ironic harmony.

“I used to be an activist,” says Nusbaum. No surprise there – this is a fellow whose dazzling energy will find an outlet.

Born in Detroit, he grew up in the suburbs, attended the University of Michigan and returned to Ann Arbor for good in the early 1990s as the concept of New Urbanism was gathering steam in Ann Arbor and across the country. Those principles resonated with him, and as he made the connection between his own business and the intensifying local efforts to rein in suburban sprawl, Nusbaum says, “real estate became more meaningful for me. And that’s reflected in buildings like this.”

He’s speaking from his second-floor suite of offices in Ashley Square, at 123 N. Ashley St. The building – Nusbaum believes it was an auto showroom in its original incarnation – was rehabbed in the 1980s and purchased in the late 1990s by Nusbaum, who relocated Steppingstone there in 2000.

“To make a long story short, that’s the direction I took for the last decade and a half in my business,’’ he says.

Nusbaum is 51. His passion for the Beats – and, specifically, Burroughs – dates to his days at UM, where he was an Honors English student in the late 1970s and “awakening to the counterculture. I became aware of the Beats. It snowballed,” he says, “parallel with my regular life.” And for 30 years he has been building a personal collection of Beat literature and artifacts that he believes “is one of the most comprehensive and one-of-a-kind in the world.”

Hung carefully on the walls of the Ashley Square suite are pieces from Nusbaum’s collection of original artwork, posters and prints (Jesse Crumb and his father, Robert, are represented) and a carefully edited sampling of counterculture and avant-garde artifacts that date back decades. (Ever heard of The Residents? Me neither. Nusbaum totally digs them.)

Prominent on a wall in his office (and on the website) is a photo of Nusbaum with Burroughs that marks what he calls “the lifetime peak of my Beat experience – meeting the master.” Nusbaum had made an attempt to get in touch with Burroughs via Allen Ginsberg in 1994, when the poet was in town for a reading and was signing autographs beforehand at Shaman Drum. “I met him there and had him sign something, and then I wanted to give him an envelope for Burroughs.” When Ginsberg gently waved him off, Nusbaum didn’t press it.

“I just up and went, and knocked on his door” in February 1995 – Burroughs was living in Lawrence, Kansas – “and the rest is history.”

His account of the day can be found among Nusbaum’s writings on ThirdMindBooks.com, along with an obituary he wrote for “Dharma Beat” about the man he calls the “Big Bang; Ground Zero” – the mentor of the Beat Generation.

“Today it means nothing, but to be an iconoclast during the age of extreme conformity, of the ‘gray flannel suit’ and the Red Scare” – Burroughs was beyond the edge, Nusbaum says. “And he was a junkie, he was gay at a time when that was really shocking. And yet,” he says, “here was this reserved, three-piece-suit-wearing guy.”

Nusbaum says “a really thorough and deep biography has yet to be written” of Burroughs – and he might get to it “if I live to be 500.” For now, though, Nusbaum is “whittling” down his real estate interests to downtown Ann Arbor and some other properties and focusing his energies on Third Mind Books. The store’s logo honors the master.

The logo for Third Mind Books tips its hat to William Burroughs.

“My first idea was a brick-and-mortar store on Huron Street,” Nusbaum says. He envisioned a shop “like Shaman Drum that specialized in the Beats and also had consigned art and a (performance) venue .… I had all these ideas.

“But you know Ann Arbor, of course. They always find a reason why you need to spend an extra quarter-million or so converting the zoning to this and that and what have you, and then I thought, ‘this is not the time and place to do a brick and mortar.’”

Enter ThirdMindBooks.com.

He credits his staff and their technological savvy for getting ThirdMindBooks.com up and running, and applauds them for their willingness to go along for the ride: “They made the transition from real estate to surrealism very well.”

To stock his store, Nusbaum turned to the connections he has made over the years as a collector (his private collection, very emphatically, is not for sale). And on the Web, he tracked down “all of the Beat-related sites – some of which are very active and up to the minute and really of high quality.” Links to and Nusbaum’s comments on some of those sites have led to some sales, he says.

“I’m hoping that somewhere in this world of 6.5 billion people there are maybe 50 to 100 like me who could carry a business like this, who are really passionate about it,” he says.

“I know it’s going to take a while,” but Nusbaum envisions a broad purpose for ThirdMindBooks.com: “I want to combine sales with scholarship and writings and linkages.” As a longer-term project, Nusbaum says he intends to present “a museum-like tour” of his own collection on the Web site – “not for sale, but as a way of cataloging and showing it.”

“The educated customer is important and I want to educate,” he says, “and connect the dots for the aficionado – and that will make a more passionate customer.”

Arthur Nusbaum with some of the Beat literature that's sold online through his business, Third Mind Books.

Nusbaum’s focus and passion is evident in the presentation of his inventory on the website. The Ashley Square suite contains a de facto studio where photos are made of each item in the inventory. That list includes a sharp image of each piece along with descriptive text that details the condition of the item, its history and significance to collectors and, often, its provenance. “We lavish a lot of attention on every single item,” Nusbaum says.

In this new age of virtual browsing, that’s a valuable service for an online bookstore. And the Web is the perfect way to reach Nusbaum’s core market: Beat enthusiasts like himself who know what they’re looking for.

And yet (and here’s an opening to lament the lost Shaman Drums of our culture): Nusbaum made a sale on the day of my visit when a box on his shelves, covered in paper the color of terra cotta, caught my eye. The paper was textured with thin, horizontal folds that undulated like low waves on water; the box was a couple of inches thick and as tall as my hand.

And then I pulled the book itself from its handsome case. “Six-Pack 1-5,” published by Bottle of Smoke Press, gathers in one loosely sewn volume five issues of “Six-Pack,” the publisher’s five collections of a half-dozen very short poems, letterpressed in a range of colorful typefaces onto various shades and textures of cardstock. Each little poem-on-a-card is mounted on its own page with photo corners; almost all the cards bear the signature of the poet. Encountered online, this little jewel wouldn’t have been nearly as captivating, no matter how conscientiously presented.

Luckily for locals, Nusbaum says he’s pleased to open the real-life doors of Third Mind Books to the old-fashioned browser for whom the tactile pleasures are still so bound up in the book-buying experience. Just make an appointment. “I’m not sure,” he jokes, “but this may be the world’s only hybrid real estate office and rare-book store.”

Third Mind Books is gold mine of first editions, photographs and postcards, hand-made books, magazines and literary journals and poetry collections created by the super-celebrated and the sometimes-unjustly obscure. From Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Patti Smith (“She just came to Borders!” Nusbaum crows. “I gave her my card!”) to Irvine Welsh (“Trainspotting”) and, of course, a lavish abundance of one-of-a-kind Burroughs, Nusbaum’s inventory holds hundreds of treasures.

So if you still haven’t tracked down that first-edition complete transcript in comic-book form of Allen Ginsberg’s testimony at the 1969 Chicago Seven trial, look no further. Arthur Nusbaum will be thrilled to help you out.

About the writer: Domenica Trevor is a voracious reader who lives in Ann Arbor and has been known to own a copy of “Howl” and wear a beret, back in the day.

To an antiquarian book collector it was the perfect spot, much like a trout fisherman finding just the right pool on a bedrock bottom of the North Fork. I asked the store owner the location of books on early American History published prior to 1900. She tried to appear interested in helping me but she wasn’t. Her gig was first edition modern literature and her brain cells were filled with Margaret Atwood.

This was actually a very good sign. It was an indication that the books I was interested in would be fairly priced. Purchasing her first edition signed copy of Atwood’s “Alias Grace,” which was located in the locked glass case behind her desk, would be painful. Likely the book had occupied that space undisturbed since shortly after it was published in 1996. Like most bibliophiles, she would be very generous with her knowledge of modern literature while at the same time secretive about the sources of her stock.

The time passed very quickly. After over two hours of fruitless searching, I noticed an attractive leather bound book entitled “Great Britain and Illinois Country,” which I had never seen before. The book probably arrived in a brown paper bag of someone cleaning out the attic. The price was $22, which meant the proprietor likely paid $3 or $4 at most for the book. The book was published in Washington, DC in 1910. The inside free fly page was stamped “Surplus-Library of Congress-Duplicate.” I do not usually buy ex-library books since you can often find the book later without the discard stamp and in better condition. However, below the stamp was the signature “O. W. Holmes.” It was worth $22 to investigate whether in fact this book came from the private library of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., the very distinguished Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. After some due diligence, the signature authentication was a success.

Justice Holmes joined the court in 1902. He retired at age 90 and is considered one of the greatest justices of the last century. He caught pneumonia three years later and died. A copy of his will disclosed that he left all of his worldly possessions to the United States government. Despite the good fortune, I found it irritating that some government clerk had discarded a part or maybe all of his private library.

The opportunity of finding something by happenstance is a bonus that comes with endless hours of browsing. I do not understand the attraction of mass-manufactured retail mall or big box company books – everything from biographies to mysteries to self-help works – whatever will command at least $24.95 (with the remainder stock later sold off at $5.95 at SaleBooks.com).

While you can find recently printed popular classics in B and B&N, the likelihood of finding something unusual does not exist. Old books frequently offer up slips of paper, letters or newspaper articles that sometimes offer clues to what attracted the initial reader to the book in the first place. To an antiquarian book collector, the book’s previous owner, the signature and inscription, the craftsmanship, and the chain of ownership form a circle of knowledge as important as the contents of the book itself.

The Internet has become a popular place to acquire old books. However, there is a lack of excitement in finding books on eBay or elsewhere. Often disappointment follows when the book arrives in poorer condition than represented and the Web description contained omissions and errors. The Old Bookshop is a treasure hunt where book enthusiasts can occasionally save a valuable book from the junk pile.

Bookshop owners usually have such extensive knowledge of an area of interest that should warrant some PhD recognition. In Ann Arbor, Jay at the West Side Book Shop is extremely knowledgeable on polar exploration. Paul at Motte & Bailey is consumed by medieval history and in particular the Crusades. In times past, the proprietor’s mania for limited subject matter often led to bargains in valuable underpriced books in other fields of interest. This is less so today. ABE.com has greatly leveled the playing field by providing a listing of many out-of-print books, their condition and current asking prices. A bookshop owner is able to rather quickly determine the approximate value of most any book that comes in the brown bags and boxes. The knowledge of books that made the used and collectible book business profitable in the past is available to all.

Ann Arbor has many old bookshops, as have other urban and academic communities such as Chicago, Madison and Chapel Hill. Typically housed in old and quirky buildings, these meeting places are important to a vibrant community lifestyle. Like meeting new people, similar by-chance meetings like with Oliver Wendell Holmes in the Old Bookshop will hopefully continue to be a part of our new ” localism.”

A selection of books from West Side Book Shop. This first American edition of "Moby Dick" (the green book, next to its blue leather case) is priced at $45,000.

This month, The Chronicle is highlighting Ann Arbor area businesses where you might find just what you need for people on your holiday gift-giving list. Our reports are meant as a sampling, and we urge readers and business owners to add their own favorite spots in the comments section.

Today, we take a look at some of the local shops that sell rare and used books.

West Side Book Shop

Many of the items in this shop are older than the building at 113 W. Liberty, a structure from the 1880s where West Side Book Shop is housed. Collectors regularly visit, but proprietor Jay Platt and Doug Price – who sells vintage maps and photographs in the store – have worked to make this a top-to-bottom bookshop. Their selection is aimed to appeal to even the most casual used-book buyer.

One of their strengths is an encyclopedic knowledge of both literature and non-fiction. The Chronicle was trying to recall the name of a book by Wendell Berry, and off the top of their heads, Platt and Price were able to reel off at least a dozen of his titles. They can give you guidance on virtually any topic, from children’s books to North Pole exploration. Platt is an expert on this topic, which is especially useful during the holiday season, we’d guess.

At the store you’ll also find well-preserved maps of the southeast Michigan area from the 1800s, including some of the University of Michigan. Unique photographs are also part of the mix, like a large 1904 portrait of Native American Indian Chief Garfield-Jicarilla, from a series taken by Edward Curtis.

Platt is also carrying a first American edition copy of “Moby Dick,” published in 1851. Herman Melville is said to have liked this particular edition, which he apparently described as “very much like a whale.” You’ll have to throw down $45,000 to take this book home with you.

Platt and Price say they can help you make a selection for much less, of course – Price says if your budget is closer to $50, you can walk out with four or five books.

Address: 113 W. Liberty

Hours: Monday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.

Phone: 734.995.1891

Garrett Scott outside his shop, which is located off of Packard behind Morgan & York. Off camera is the shop's fairy door (what – you thought they were only downtown?)

Garrett Scott, Bookseller

Tucked behind Morgan & York on Packard, Garrett Scott’s shop is the kind of place where he’ll fix you a cup of tea to knock the chill off a wintry day. Or at least that’s what he offered The Chronicle when we stopped by recently. On his website, Scott describes his store this way: “The inventory is available for viewing by chance or appointment, under central Washtenaw County’s most semi-pleasant conditions for the casual browser of uncommon 19th century material.”

Here you’ll find the first novel published in Ann Arbor – “East West,” by Daphne Giles ($225). The book had its first printing in New York, then Giles brought the stereotype plates with her when she moved to this area. She had the second edition printed here in 1855. (She was blind, by the way – that’s the kind of interesting factoid you might learn by talking to Garrett Scott.)

He’s also selling the 1902 collection of short stories titled, “Ann Arbor Tales” by Karl Edwin Harriman, with the distinctive block M on its back cover ($50). And if you’re interested in “fringe” religion and 19th century religious thought, this is the place for you.

He does carry some newer work – the instructional pamphlet “Goblinproofing One’s Chicken Coop” by Reginald Bakeley might prove useful for some. It costs $4.

Address: 1924 Packard Road

Hours: By chance or by appointment. It’s best to call first.

Phone: 734.741.8605

Jeffrey Pickell, proprietor of Kaleidoscope.

Kaleidoscope Books & Collectibles

Jeffrey Pickell’s shop brings to mind an organized version of your great aunt’s attic, if it were well-lit and included a tour guide – and if your great aunt had eclectic tastes.

There are vintage toys and old wooden card catalog drawers filled with all manner of greeting cards from the past century – including, of course, Christmas cards.

But we’re talking rare and used books today, and you’ll find plenty of those, too, whether you’re looking for pulp fiction, science fiction, children’s books, University of Michigan yearbooks and memorabilia, or something else entirely.

A selection of Kaleidoscope's pulp fiction.

The shop’s vintage comics range from $3 to $100, and Pickell’s sizable collection of pulp fiction – also known as Good Girl Art – includes books as cheap as $1 to some costing several hundred dollars. A copy of “Junkie: Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict” by William Lee (a pen name used by William S. Burroughs) goes for $1,500.

Pickell is almost always behind the counter, and can tell you just about anything you’d care to know about the books and other items in his shop.

Address: 200 N. Fourth Ave. (corner of Fourth & Ann, former location of Wooden Spoon Books)

Hours: Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m-8 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

Phone: 734.995.9887

Other suggestions? If you’ve found cool gift ideas for people with an interest in rare or used books, please share them with Chronicle readers in the comments section below.