Tucked in behind Cannery Row on Bloomfield Main Street is a literal, and literary, treasure trove.

More curator than bookseller, Lindsay Casey, owner of The Wandering Albatross, offers a unique selection of fiction and non-fiction books attuned to the curious.

Ms. Casey grew up in Chester, England, a land of quirky bookshops and countryside walks. She emigrated to Canada in her teens, and subsequently developed a career in marketing, but discovered you can take the girl out of the landscape, but not the landscape out of the girl.

A search for a motorcycle for her partner brought her to Prince Edward County some 15 years ago. Yes, they acquired the motorcycle — and before they knew it, they had also found a home.

And some years after that, Ms. Casey found a calling. “My whole life, I’ve wanted a shop. I don’t know why. I just always saw myself in a bookshop. But I never thought I could actually do it.

“Years ago, I used to work in the office across the lane. I actually used to look at this little spot and think it was really cute. And then the For Rent sign went up here and it was like a physical reaction. I could not stop myself. When I found out it was doable I spent a lot of time trying to come up with every reason under the sun why opening a bookshop was a terrible idea that was never going to work for me.

“But, in the end, I thought, if I don’t do it now. When am I ever going to? So, let’s do it and see what happens!”

This spirit of adventure energizes The Wandering Albatross. The idea of travel permeates its collection. Take the name of the store. “My partner and I were looking at animals that had the longest migration path, and when I realized the wandering albatross spends more time in flight than on land, and that it sees more of the world than any of us will ever see, it seemed the best way to convey a sense of old-time exploration.”

While there is a focus on non-fiction travel, the big picture moves from geographical travel to the life of the mind. Figurative and metaphorical travel. “I’ve always used books to travel through time and the world,” notes Ms. Casey. “To all outward appearances, this is just a little basement in Bloomfield. But I feel like you could go anywhere from here.”

“I love history. I love geography. I love travel writing. So when authors are walking through places and sharing their observations, I feel like you get the best of all of those worlds. That’s my true love.”

The shelves hold a strong collection of fiction in translation. “How can you understand the world that you live in if you can’t see it from somebody else’s perspective?” she asks.

I asked for a recommendation and Ms. Casey pointed to a new novel by Kuwaiti author Bothayna Al-Esa, The Book Censor’s Library, a modern update of the dystopian novel in the tradition of 1984 or Brave New World, with a touch of Don Quixote. It is a testament to the imagination, to the existential value of reading. And, of course, it centres around a book collection in a basement. 

The Wandering Albatross, at 287 Bloomfield Main St, lower level, is open Friday to Sunday, or by appointment. Online at wanderingalbatrossbooks.com.