Great Basin Books

Great Basin Books is as genuine and unpretentious as the high-desert ranching community it serves, offering a collection of titles that speaks to the people, landscapes, and traditions of the American West's most open spaces. Founded in 1990, the store has become inseparable from Elko's identity as the capital of cowboy poetry, with its shelves holding one of the most extensive collections of cowboy verse and ranching literature in the country. During the annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering each January, the store transforms into the unofficial literary headquarters of the event, with standing-room-only readings and signings that spill onto Idaho Street. The Nevada history section covers the state's complex story from ancient Shoshone lands through the mining booms and busts to the modern era. The rare books room features signed editions from legendary gathering poets and scarce volumes of early Great Basin exploration literature.