The presence of a bookstore in its midst was the mark of a settled community. Almost every farmhouse owned a Bible, either brought by the pioneer when he came, or bought from a country peddler. But beyond the Bible, and perhaps a few religious works, an almanac and a history, the farmhouse inventory included little printed matter. Though they were often too busy to devote much time to reading, the need to increase their knowledge was recognized by the farmers in the town of Wheatland, who in 1805 established "The Farmer's Library." By 1830, the cooperative enterprise contained over fifteen hundred titles of standard reference works of history, biography, religion, geography, manuals of practical interest to the farmer, and a few novels.

A village bookseller carried about the same general line of reading materials, along with stationery and writing supplies, ledger and account books.

The bookbinder makes a cameo appearance at Genesee Country Village. His tools and equipment share space with the bookseller.

The Bookseller's shop, from Hart's Corners, Monroe County, is an early 19th-century building which was recast in the 1840s with quaint and unconventional Greek Revival details. In the 1990's a wing was added on the right side of the original building for more shop space. The books of "The Farmer's Library" are now housed in the University of Rochester Libraries Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.