Alexandria Allan of Huntington Beach, who recalls having visited Acres of Books since she was 10 years old, holds two books she selected. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Retired chef Bill Collum says his parents first brought him to Acres of Books when he was 10 years old. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Penelope the cat has been mascot and mousetrap at Acres of Books for years. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Colored arrows help maintain orderly traffic flow through the narrow aisles of Acres of Books. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
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Some of the oldest books sit on a shelf near the cash register. These are from the first decade of the 20th century. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Vasant Sharma reads an old book of cartoon drama. The local building inspector took advantage of his day off to scour the shelves for cartoons from the 1930s. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
A view into an Acres of Books window on Long Beach Boulevard shows it’s no slick chain store. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
