Located in the vibrant artistic and academic community of Ashland, Oregon—home to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival—Back Alley Book Store was a quintessential independent used and antiquarian shop. Run by Richard E. Moore (who previously served as the library director at Southern Oregon State College and was an active figure in regional historical publishing through the Oregon Book Society), the shop catered to academics, theatergoers, and book collectors searching for Pacific Northwest history, rare imprints, and general literature. Its physical configuration nestled off the main street lent the store its evocative name.