The long-anticipated launch of Stardew Valley’s 1.6 patch has brought a massive amount of new features and adjustments to the beloved farm sim game. One such feature that players are eager to find is the Bookseller, an NPC new to the valley town who you can engage with and receive some unique rewards. If you’ve had a hard time figuring out how to track them down, here’s our handy guide to show you where to find the Bookseller in Stardew Valley.
Where Does the Bookseller Spawn in Stardew Valley?
Among the many new features added in Stardew Valley, you’ll likely notice that you have a new section of your inventory called “Special Items and Powers”. One type of item that falls into that category is a new series of books. These are different than the “lost books” you’ve found before across the region of Ferngill, and rather than turn them into Gunther’s museum you can use these to buff your character.
To obtain these books you’ll need to find a new vendor NPC known as the Marcello the Bookseller. He comes to town via his blue hot air balloon twice each season, and the days will be entirely random.
You can predict when he arrives, however, by going to the Calendar posted outside Pierre’s store in Pelican Town. You’ll see a hot air balloon symbol (as seen above) for the Bookseller indicated on particular days, and when that day arrives you’ll receive an on-screen prompt telling you that “the bookseller has arrived in town”.
The Bookseller will always land in the same location, which is in the northeastern part of town. It won’t be indicated on the Map, but head into town and past Pierre’s shop, and you’ll see a big sign with Marcello’s hot air balloon and an arrow pointing to the right.
Follow it across the bridge and then run north behind the Joja Mart building and make a sharp right through some bushes (use your Scythe to clear them). You’ll see a stairway leading up to a cliffside where Marcello the Bookseller will have his shop set up.
He doesn’t seem to have set hours of operation and you can presumably visit him from dawn to dusk, but we’ll confirm that soon.
What the Bookseller Offers in Stardew Valley
Marcello’s bookshop is filled with a variety of beneficial books that provide permanent buffs for your character, from foraging, to bigger yields, to movement speed buffs.
Once you’ve bought one or more, equip them as you would any other consumable item and “use” it to learn the power it provides. The book will then go into your “Special Items and Powers” inventory, so you can see which books you purchased and which ones you still need.
We’ve listed below all of the books currently available in the Bookseller’s inventory, along with prices and the buffs given. If the selection changes, we’ll update this promptly.
| Book Title | Price | Buff(s) Provided |
|---|---|---|
| Bait and Bobber | 10,000 | “Read this to gain some fishing experience” |
| Mining Monthly | 8,000 | “Read this to gain some mining experience” |
| Woodcutter’s Weekly | 5,000 | “Read this to gain some foraging experience” |
| The Art O’ Crabbing | 20,000 | “Crab pots have a 25% to yield double” |
| Way of the Wind pt. 1 | 15,000 | “You run a little faster” |
| Horse: The Book | 15,000 | “You gain a little extra speed when riding a horse” |
| Ol’ Slitherlegs | 25,000 | “You will now run a lot faster through grass and crops” |
| Woodcutter’s Weekly | 8,000 | “Read this to gain some foraging experience” |
| Price Catalogue | 3,000 | “You can now see the value of your items” |
That concludes our guide for where to find the Bookseller in Stardew Valley. We hope you found this helpful, and let us know how you’ve been enjoying Patch 1.6 so far, and what new feature you like the most.
Be sure to check out all of our other guides for Stardew Valley, such as how to get River Jelly and the best skills based on your farm type. Also, read up on the full Stardew Valley 1.6 patch notes.
