For generations, readers have gotten lost in Paul and Caryl Askins’ carefully crafted used book sanctuary in the 600 block of State Street, perusing the cracked spines and gilded covers under the meticulously placed title cards: biography, aeronautics, fiction, dance.
People are also reading…
Martha Askins, left, whose father, Paul Askins, founded Paul’s Book Store, talks with customer Beth Karabin during a visit to the State Street store over her lunch break. The store will be closing in February after 70 years in business.
A framed photo of Paul Askins, who died in 1975, is on display at the bookstore he founded.
Paul and Caryl Askins opened the first Paul's Book Store in 1954, moving to a couple of different locations before settling into their longtime home at 670 State St.
"Afterglow," a poem by Helen Lorie Marshall, sits at the end of one of the shelves at Paul's Book Store. The piece encourages joy in the face of loss, as if the store itself is saying its own goodbye to the people who have loved it through the years.
Handmade signs complement the bookstore's homey vibe.
Hani Sulieman, a junior at UW-Madison, browses Monday at Paul’s Book Store. “It’s one of my favorite spots,” Sulieman said of the store that has been in business for seven decades.
Eleni Hum, a junior at UW-Madison, shops for books at Paul’s. The ends of the shelves are cluttered with a happy assortment of newspaper clippings, literary-themed pictures and correspondence from customers.
Martha Askins, whose father, Paul Askins, founded Paul’s Book Store, puts a book back on the shelf after dusting it.
Pranks, protests and bell bottoms: Life in Madison in the 1970s
1970 - Library Mall
Geoff Cook, left, and an unidentified man play guitar while a third man looks on in 1970 on Library Mall.
Sterling Hall bombing
Damage from the bombing of Sterling Hall on the University of Wisconsin campus is shown in August 1970. Despite an attempt to detonate the bomb when the building was vacant, a physics researcher conducting research unrelated to the Army Math Research Center was killed in the explosion. The impact of Robert Fassnacht's death brought a sudden halt to the violence to which anti-war protesters and police had resorted.
1970 - Earth Day
A crowd gathers for the first Earth Day march in front of the Capitol in April 1970.
1970 - Rock festival
A band plays at a rock festival at the "People's Fair" in June 1970.
1970 - Anti-war protests
Anti-war demonstrators wearing garrison style hats reading "Vietnam Vets For Peace" march in a parade carrying American flags and placards while a large crowd watches in 1970.
1970 - UW Memorial Union Terrace
People hang out on the University of Wisconsin Memorial Union Terrace in 1970.
1970 - Peace parade
Demonstrators in 1970 carry a banner reading: "VETS for PEACE / Bring the Troops Home Now."
1970 - 'People's Fair'
A man wears a vest, furry hat and American Flag cape while holding a tin of sardines in front of a crowd at a rock festival at the "People's Fair" in June 1970.
1971 - Wrapping presents
Elizabeth and Katherine Davey and Curtis Liposcak use their creative talents to wrap Christmas gifts under the supervision of Peggy Davey, a member of Women for a Peaceful Christmas, in December 1971.
1971 - Gates of Heaven Synagogue
The Gates of Heaven Synagogue building is moved in 1971 from W. Washington Ave. to James Madison Park.
1972 - Postman delivers mail
Postal carrier Carl Wagner displays a Life magazine in his arms while holding a stack of mail in 1972.
1972 - Musician works in studio
Musician Ben Sidran works at a console in a music studio in August 1972.
1972 - Take Over newspaper
Three boys read Take Over newspapers against a brick wall in front of Rennebohm Drug Store in 1972.
1972 - Reierson Photography Studio
Reierson Photography Studio is shown in September 1972 in its new location at 14 E. Mifflin St.
1972 - Circus parade
A crowd gathers on railroad tracks near flatbed railroad cars carrying circus wagons for a parade in June 1972.
1973 - Mayor Paul Soglin and wife Diane Thayer-Soglin
Mayor Paul Soglin sits at home with his wife, Diane Thayer-Soglin, a month after his election in 1973.
1973 - Bucks vs. Rockets
Milwaukee Bucks star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shoots a skyhook at the Dane County Coliseum in a game against the Houston Rockets in 1973.
1973 - Meat boycott
Two women picket in front of a shopping center urging the boycotting of meat in 1973. One woman carries a NFO sign reading: "Farm families must be paid for their labor!"
1973 - 'Madison People's Poster and Propaganda Collection'
J. Wesley Miller poses in October 1973 with some of the campus street posters and handouts he collected. Mayor Soglin, Toby Emmer, Richard Nixon, Melvin Laird and Angela Davis are a few of the people portrayed in the posters. Today the collection is known as "Madison People's Poster and Propaganda Collection."
1973 - Main Street
A view from Capitol Square shows W. Main St. in 1973.
1974 - Toonerville Trolley
Sid Boyum stands on the back of the Toonerville Trolley in his backyard holding a shotgun in 1974.
1974 - Elm tree cut down
The last elm tree on State St., with the Wisconsin Historical Society and Memorial Union background, is cut down in 1974.
1974 - Drive-in theater
Two people watch a movie from their car at the Big Sky Drive-in Theatre in 1974.
1974 - St. Vincent's
Women sort donated clothes in St. Vincent's Thrift Shop in September 1974.
1974 - Lauri Wynn
Wisconsin Education Association Council President Lauri Wynn speaks at an affirmative action meeting at the University of Wisconsin in 1974.
1975 - Meat cutters strike
Members of Madison Local 444 of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workers union strike against the Packerland Packing Co. in October 1975.
1975 - Eugene Parks
Eugene Parks, right, relaxes outdoors in April 1975 with his wife and children, Kendra Parks, from left, Marilyn, Wendy, Stacey, and baby Reggie. Parks had a long career in Madison politics, often as a champion of civil rights issues.
1975 - Capitol Square
An aerial photograph shows Capitol Square in 1975.
1975 - Student rally
Students rally in the Great Hall at Memorial Union in 1975 to establish a Chicano Studies Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
1976 - Alice in Dairyland
A woman wears a crown and a sash that reads "Alice in Dairyland," while standing between two men holding boxes labeled "Wisconsin Cheese" in 1976.
1976 - Student protest
Students protest the Kuomintang's authoritarian control of Taiwan in 1976 on Library Mall at the Calvary Lutheran Chapel.
1976 - Riding in costume
A person in a lion costume rides a motorcycle as part of an Edgerton Lions Club event in May 1976.
1978 - Vel Phillips
Liesl Blockstein, right, of the Wisconsin Women's Political Caucus presents guest-of honor Vel Phillips, second from right, with an honorary poem in January 1978 during a reception at the L'Etoile Restaurant.
1978 - Castle and Doyle
Jack Doyle stands inside the glass door of Castle and Doyle, in the historic firehouse building on State St., in March 1978.
1978 - Nikolais Dance Co.
Alwin Nikolais watches Jessica Sayre rehearse a new dance for the Nikolais Dance Company in December 1978.
1978 - Downtown construction
A bulldozer breaks ground for the construction of the State Natural Resources Building on S. Webster St. in February 1978.
1978 - Carnival swings
A boy rides the swings at the East Side Businessmen's Club carnival at Milwaukee St. and Fair Oaks Ave. in June 1978.
1978 - Photographers at Capitol
Photojournalists Bob Rashid, center, and Glenn Trudel, right, work outside the Capitol building alongside a third unidentified man in August 1978.
1978 - Drying tobacco
Albert Hammes, of West Salem, and his young helper spear picked tobacco on stakes to be dried in the barn in October 1978.
1978 - Man on a bike
A Spring Green resident rides his bike downtown in 1978.
1978 - Juggling on Capitol lawn
Truly Remarkable Loon and his partner perform on the Capitol lawn at the Equinox Festival in 1978.
1978 - WIAA girls championship
Cheri Sernat, Janice Eimmer, Ann Hall, Mary Beth Wessing, Bev Kuen, and Lisa LaVarda admire the first-place trophy for the WIAA girls basketball state championship in March 1978.
1978 - Barbara Hoffman trial
Barbara Hoffman, left, sits in an office with her defense attorneys, including Don Eisenberg, center, and an unidentified man, after she was indicted for murder.
1978 - 100-year-old barn
Margaret Kocher and Richard Retzlaff, of Wonewoc, pose in front of their 100-year-old barn. "People are always saying we should tear it down because it's too old," Margaret said in 1978, "but I think it's so pretty."
1978 - WIAA girls championship
Coach Rick Bloohm, left, talks about his team's victory in the WIAA girls basketball state championship game in March 1978.
1978 - Anti-nuclear protests
A crowd of protesters gathers with picket signs to speak out against nuclear energy and weapons development in the United States in May 1978.
1979 - Rennebohm Drug Store
Two men enjoy coffee and a cigarette at an unidentified Rennebohm Drug Store restaurant in 1979.
1979 - UW professor Richard Davis
University of Wisconsin professor Richard Davis plays the bass in 1979.
1979 - Bascom Hill flamingos
A woman pretends to feed bread to flamingo lawn ornaments on Bascom Hill in 1979.
1979 - Paul Friedman
Paul Friedman talks on the phone at his desk in 1979.
1979 - Sitting on Lake Mendota ice
A young man enjoys an Old Milwaukee beer while sitting in a broken armchair on a frozen Lake Mendota in February 1979.
1979 - Gov. Lee Sherman Dreyfus inauguration
After being sworn in, Gov. Lee Sherman Dreyfus delivers his inaugural address in January 1979.
1979 - Wisconsin vs. Michigan State
Wisconsin Badgers point guard Wes Matthews Sr. hits a game-winning, half-court shot to beat a Michigan State Spartans team featuring Magic Johnson at the University of Wisconsin Field House in March 1979.
1979 - Dog in gas station
A dog sits on a blanket on top of bags of salt in a gas station office in 1979.
1979 - Day care
Day care worker Gail Hirn plays with 23-month-old Tina Casper at Freedom House Infant Day Care Center in 1979.
1979 - Man and his dog
Bill Toman plays with his dog, Little Niblet, on an icy walkway at Lake Mendota in December 1979.
1979 - Dairy Queen flooding
A man walks through a flooded Dairy Queen parking lot in the downtown area in April 1973.
1979 - Reading newspaper
Felipe Quirós-Pérez reads a newspaper at Rennebohm Drug Store on State St. in December 1979.
1979 - Mickie's Dairy Bar
A person enters Mickie's Dairy Bar in January 1979.
1979 - Kissing couple
A young couple enjoys each other's company on a beautiful day in August 1979 at Library Mall on the University of Wisconsin campus.
