Tucked among an established neighborhood near Sawdust Road, Jay Rohfritch's Good Books in the Woods has a collection of 55,000 used books for sale, ranging from a 25-cent children's book to a $3,900 signed first edition of Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

Rohfritch, an avid reader, moved from Southern California five years ago to open the bookstore near his parents, who live in the Village of Panther Creek. Both his parents, Dick and Marta Rohfritch, help him at the store. Martha even built the bookshelves in the 5,000-square-foot store, while Dick has been a book collector for more than 20 years.

"In California, most independent bookstores went out of business," he said. "Their leases were raised sometimes three times the original rent, and you can't raise the price of a book by three times the amount. We wanted to own the building and live upstairs so we weren't at the mercy of a landlord."

Good Books in the Woods opened about the same time Amazon.com announced its new Kindle device and e-books were gaining popularity, Rohfritch said.

"E-books and Amazon have made it very difficult for used bookstores to survive," he said.

One of the ways the store has worked to increase sales is to add a larger stock of collectible books, Rohfritch said.

Good Books in the Woods has many rare books, such as first editions by John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway and J.D. Salinger. Rohfritch also has a large selection of magazines, including 1940 and 1950s editions of "The New Yorker" and "Collier's." Good Books in the Woods has a copy of a "Collier's" from 1945 featuring a story by J.D. Salinger in which the author first mentioned in print his now famous character Holden Caulfield from "The Catcher in the Rye."

"When I checked last, there was only one other for sale in the world," Rohfritch said of the magazine.

Rohfritch sells many of his collectible books online, accounting for 40-80 percent of his monthly revenue. The owner travels the state looking for rare finds and often buys books from retiring professors. In November, he bought 6,000 books from a retired history professor in Katy, transporting them in five car loads.

"Owning a bookstore is much more physical labor than I ever thought," he said. "Books are heavy."

Rohfritch attends annual book shows in Austin, the Grapevine-Dallas area and at the Houston Museum of Printing History.

"I am kind of addicted to buying books," Rohfritch said.

Rare books for sale at Good Books in the Woods:

First edition of "Of Mice and Men"–$3,500

First edition of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"–$3,900

1940s and 1950s magazines including the "New Yorker" and "Collier's"

First printing of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway–$1,800

Civil War Union propaganda book from 1862–$400

First edition of Charles Dickens' "Master Humphrey's Clock" from 1840–$400

Complete set of Jane Austen's work, 12 books, including her letters and novels she wrote as an adolescent–$2,100

Good Books in the Woods

25915 Oak Ridge Drive

The Woodlands 281-298-2497

goodbooksinthewoods.com

Hours: Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.