'A book over a screen.' A Cornucopia of Cool Books carries the classics and rare works

• A Cornucopia of Cool Books is just how it sounds. Shelves are stocked with classics, rariteis and bestsellers.
• The bookstore is on Tuscarawas Street W at Mellett Plaza in Canton.
• Thousands of used books are for sale. Subjects and genres vary, from Bigfoot to Dick Butkus.

CANTON − Will Disman was nestled in a thickly cushioned chair at A Cornucopia of Cool Books.

Flipping pages and peering through glasses, he was lost in a story. Not too far away was his dog Geronimo, comfortably sunken into the padding of another chair.

A customer opened the door, causing Disman's eyes to immediately lift from the book. Asking if the visitor needed help, he chatted eagerly about books, his knowledge expansive and covering nearly every genre and author.

Disman, 51, was at home in an oasis of literature. He recently marked the one-year anniversary of A Cornucopia of Cool Books at 3830 Tuscarawas St. W in Mellett Plaza, next to Chinatown Kitchen.

"I'm pretty much in awe most days that I get to work here," he said with a smile.

'I enjoy every day like it's Christmas.'

The book lover said the store is the fulfillment of a dream. A Cornucopia of Cool Books also has served as a life preserver of sorts.

Previously struggling with health issues, Disman underwent a double organ transplant following kidney failure and dialysis. He said he had been on the brink of death, but the ordeal also gave him time to plan out the bookstore as he recovered.

He originally sold books in a nook at Hartville MarketPlace. Disman's health challenges forced him to close the retail spot. He previously worked in the mortgage business and other fields. He also played poker professionally.

"I've lived many lives," Disman said with a laugh.

Opening the bookstore has been a blessing − even at a time when reading books on digital devices is increasingly popular and bookstores are becoming rarer.

"This is what I want to do with the rest of my life," said Disman, 1992 graduate of McKinley High School. "I enjoy this more than anything I've ever done, and I enjoy every day like it's Christmas because I never know what's going to be walking in the door − a book, a conversation."

"A lot of people like me have an affinity for turning the page and smelling it and having the dust jacket on the book," he said. "We appreciate it."

Vintage decor and retro pastimes like collecting vinyl records are also in vogue. And bookstores like Cornucopia have become destinations for old souls and those who delight in the tactile experience of pulp and print.

Bookstores are far from extinct, however. Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million still operate hundreds of stores across the country, with locations in the Canton and Akron areas.

Other independent bookstores in Stark County include Little Sparrow Bookshop, which sells both new and used books at 1200 N Main St. in North Canton. There's also Goodwill's Bookstore and Donation Center, 2207 E Maple St. in North Canton.

Another local independent bookstore, Book of Shadows, closed in 2022 following more than two decades in business.

Hunting for books

Disman is a connoisseur of books. From Stephen King to Ernest Hemingway, he rattles off the names of authors and novels, from obscure to famous. He's also deeply knowledgeable about hard-to-find and out-of-print books.

Disman is meticulous about what he carries, opting predominantly for hardbacks.

"Every book here is here because of the content," he said. "Every book in the store is either popular or a conversation piece or unique."

The book hunter scours thrift stores, library sales, yard sales, flea markets and other sources. Disman once traveled to Philadelphia for a library sale, arriving early and staking out his place in line. His mother also scouts for books when she's in Florida or travels to other places.

Countless books fill shelves lining the walls of the store, and others are stacked or displayed on tables, conveniently organized by author or genre.

On a recent afternoon, a woman strolled into the store before quickly turning around and leaving: "I'm going to need days to come in here," she said with a sense of awe. "It's a library."

She promised to return during store hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Gems include 'Fahrenheit 451,' 'Jaws' and 'The Notebook'

Gems are sprinkled throughout the store. They include a first edition of "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks, a signed copy of "Breakfast of Champions" by Kurt Vonnegut, and a scholastic first print of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" priced at more than $1,000.

Most of the books are more modestly priced, starting around $10. Sidewalk sale books go for as low as two for $5. Other books are listed at hundreds of dollars.

A 40th anniversary edition of "Fahrenheit 451," signed by author Ray Bradbury, sells for $400. A first edition of "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut from 1969 costs the same price. A signed copy of a limited edition of "Slaughterhouse-Five" is worth even more. And "Hemingway's Many-Hearted Fox River" by Nick Lyons is among a select number of copies.

Notable titles also include "Jaws," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," "Knute Rockne: Man Builder," "Profiles in Courage" by John F. Kennedy, "Winston S. Churchill: Memories of the Second World War," "The Last Dance: Meyers Lake Park and Zoo," "The Middle of the Country: The Events of May 4th as seen by Students & Faculty at Kent State University," and "Thinner" by Stephen King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

From Bigfoot to Butkus

Classics also abound in the store, including "Oliver Twist," "The Last of the Mohicans," "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," "The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe," "A Game of Thrones," "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy, "Sweet Thursday" by John Steinbeck, "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, "3001: The Final Odyssey by Arthur C. Clark," "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand, "The Wizard of Oz," and "Mark Twain's Letters."

Subjects are eclectic, including Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, birdwatching, Frank Lloyd Wright, French and Amish cookbooks, "Peter Rabbit," Bigfoot, vampires, Nostradamus, UFOs, psychic telemetry, magic tricks, Dick Butkus, Thurman Munson, Donald Mellett, Canton's sesquicentennial, and medical uses of atomic energy.

Authors and writers are endless: Nora Roberts, Lord Byron, Clive Cussler, Truman Capote, Ray Bradbury, F. Scott Fitzgerald, C.S. Lewis, John Grisham, Michael Connelly, J.K. Rowling, Stuart Woods, Lee Child, J.R. Ward, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy and many others.

"If you have a favorite author, if they've written something you haven't read, I've got them," Disman said.

'I prefer a book over a screen.'

New customers like Annie Kropivec, 29, of Canton Township, continue to discover the store.

"I'm a lifelong book lover," she said. "I have my own little library going on (at home)."

Kropivec is a hybrid, though, also reading books on an Amazon Kindle.

"But I like the feel of the books, and I like the smell of the book," she said. "I like holding something that I can flip through and kind of see where I'm at in the book."

"I prefer a book over a screen," Kropivec added. "And I like the disconnect of reading a book because if you're on a phone, you get distracted with notifications, whereas if it's a book, you can just turn everything off and go on a cozy couch and read."

The voracious reader said she also prefers independent bookstores over larger ones.

"They're more personable rather than when you go in and you are more overwhelmed by two floors of books," she said.

Defender of books

Disman champions books. Even when he can't find space for a book in his store, he'll donate it to a person or place.

He also buys used books or accepts them for free. Boxes and cases of books have been dropped off after someone cleaned out a closet, basement or attic or moved on to digital reading.

"I'm adamantly opposed to the destruction of the written word," he declared. "I'll find a home for that book, so it doesn't end up burnt or in a landfill."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com. Follow on Instagram at ed_balint.