Good news, my fellow bookworms, there’s a Stardew Valley bookseller that visits Pelican Town now, letting us get our literary fix twice a month. He may be new to the 1.6 update, but if you recognize the bookseller Marcello, it’s because he’s the man with the hot air balloon that features in Harvey’s ten-heart event.
Now that you’ve got some fresh XP and new skills, why not catch some more Stardew Valley fish, then gift them to Stardew Valley characters like Stardew Valley Sebastian and Stardew Valley Elliott? Except, maybe not Seb, as he doesn’t appreciate them much.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Stardew Valley bookseller.
Where is the Stardew Valley bookseller location?
Now, the big question is – where is the Stardew Valley bookseller located? At first, it can be hard to find this pesky merchant and his balloon as there is no overview of the entirety of Pelican Town. There is, however, a small sign on the wall above Pierre’s store.
Follow the path to the Joja Mart and then go behind and above it – there’s a set of stairs often blocked by wood and stone. Clear the path and then head up to a new area where Marcello has a stall next to his balloon.
When does the Stardew Valley bookseller appear?
Marcello doesn’t appear on any specific days each month, as the dates have to fit around birthdays and events in Pelican Town. He does, however, arrive on two days throughout each season, always in the same place.
You can check your calendar or the notice outside Pierre’s store to see when the bookseller comes. Just look for the mark on the calendar with a balloon icon. Plus, when you wake up on a day that the seller is in town, you get a notification in the bottom left corner.
What books can you get from the Stardew Valley bookseller?
Here are the books that you can buy from the bookseller. You can actually find some of them in the wild as you play, as books now drop randomly as you fish, farm, and mine. You can keep hold of them and then trade them with the bookseller for items, too.
| Book title | Price | Effect |
| Way Of The Wind pt. 1 | 15,000g | Makes you run a bit faster |
| Way Of The Wind pt. 2 | 35,000g | Makes you run a bit faster again |
| Horse: The Book | 25,000g | Makes your horse run a bit faster |
| Ol’ Slitherlegs | 25,000g | Makes you run a bit faster through grass or crop fields |
| Bait And Bobber | 5,000g | Gain 250 fishing XP |
| Combat Quarterly | 5,000g | Gain 250 combat XP |
| Mining Monthly | 8,000g | Gain 250 mining XP |
| Stardew Valley Almanac | 10,000g | Gain 250 farming XP |
| Woodcutter’s Weekly | 8,000g | Gain 250 foraging XP |
| Book Of Stars | 15,000g | Gain 250 XP across all skills |
| Jewels Of The Sea | 20,000g | Treasure chests found while fishing can contain roe |
| Friendship 101 | 20,000g | Friendships form faster with villagers |
| Queen Of Sauce Cookbook | 50,000g | Learn any Queen Of Sauce recipes that you don’t already know |
| Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Thick | 20,000g | You get +1 defense |
| Treasure Appraisal Guide | 20,000g | Artifacts sell for more money |
| Price Catalogue | 3,000g | The selling price of items shows up in the description |
Other Stardew Valley books
The bookseller isn’t the only place you can get some fresh reading material from – books can appear in other stores or as random drops.
| Book | How to obtain | Effect |
| Animal Catalogue | 5,000g from Marnie’s shop in year two | Gives access to Marnie’s store even when she’s out |
| Book of Mysteries | Found in Mystery Boxes | Bigger chance to get Mystery Boxes |
| Dwarvish Safety Manual | 4,000g from the Dwarf in the mines | Bombs deal less damage if you’re caught in the blast |
| Mapping Cave Systems | In Marlon’s room in the Adventurer’s Guild – you need to slay 1,000 monsters to access it | 50% discount on Marlon’s item retrieval service |
| Monster Compendium | Rare drop from monsters | Monsters can drop double the loot |
| The Alleyway Buffet | Found in the golden trash can behind the Blacksmith | Better chance to find items in trash cans |
| The Art O’ Crabbing | Iridium tier reward at the SquidFest | Crab pots have a 25% of double drops |
| The Diamond Hunter | Exchange for ten diamonds at the Dwarf in the Volcano Dungeon | All stones drop a diamond when using a pickaxe |
| Raccoon Journal | Reward for completing the raccoon family’s second quest | Weeds have a better chance of dropping mixed seeds |
| Woody’s Secret | Drops from chopped trees | When felling trees you have a 5% chance to yield double the wood |
Stardew Valley bookseller trade items
If you happen across a second (or third, or fourth) copy of a book, reading most of these books again gives you 100 experience in the skill listed in the book – or you can trade them in for items once you’ve gained the power they grant. There are some other books that you can’t buy that you can trade in. Here’s what you can get:
| Book | Trade-in item reward |
| Bait and Bobber | 30 pieces of deluxe bait |
| Book of Mysteries | Seven Mystery Boxes |
| Book of Stars | Eight bags of Fairy Dust |
| Combat Quarterly | One bottle of Monster Musk |
| Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Thick | Three lots of Stuffing |
| Jewels of the Sea | Three cave jellies |
| Jewels of the Sea | Three river jellies |
| Jewels of the Sea | Three sea jellies |
| Mining Monthly | 20 pieces of coal |
| Monster Compendium | One Slime Incubator |
| Monster Compendium | One Slime Egg-Press |
| Stardew Valley Almanac | Two lots of Pepper Poppers |
| Woodcutter’s Weekly | 100 pieces of wood |
| Woody’s Secret | 20 pieces of hardwood |
Well, now that you’ve got plenty of books to read, maybe it’s time to think about your next Stardew Valley co-op game to show off your skills or expand your farm with a new Stardew Valley silo.