Cottonwood Books is one of the best—and only—secondhand bookshops left in Baton Rouge. Louisiana history buff Danny Plaisance opened the store 27 years ago; today, he has 35,000 used books in stock, plus 7,000 new titles. Cottonwood has sizable sections on Southern history and the Civil War and shelves upon shelves of vintage YA books, philosophy books, art books, cookbooks—you name it. Tomes are chaotically organized within their respective genres, but browsing is half the fun. Plaisance also collects rare first editions and signed copies. If you’ve got an extra $2,500 stuffed in a mattress somewhere, a first-edition Confederacy of Dunces is yours for the taking. Alas, the unprecedented flooding in Baton Rouge this year has devastated the area. While Plaisance’s bookstore was unaffected by the widespread water damage, his home wasn’t so lucky. Show your support for him, for the city, and for used bookstores everywhere by rallying around this small, local business.

3054 Perkins Rd., Baton Rouge, LA; 225-343-1266.