About The Snail

The Snail on the Wall is a full-service bookstore without the store, based in Huntsville, Alabama. The Snail's mission is to offer specially selected books that readers will love. You'll find some of The Snail's favorite selections featured on the website, though we also have access to thousands of titles in every genre. So browse away, or feel free to e-mail The Snail here for personal recommendations.

The Indie Difference

The Snail loves to help book clubs, businesses, schools, and other organizations, whether it's bringing a pop-up store to special events, providing books for fundraisers, or finding the right books for your group. Since it launched in 2017, The Snail on the Wall has been part of the Huntsville community, partnering with other small businesses and nonprofits to make a difference in our city. 
 

How the Snail Got Its Name

The Snail on the Wall wants you to read books that inspire, educate, and entertain you—and, above all, make you think. It all goes back to Virginia Woolf, who envisioned a snail on the wall in her 1917 story “The Mark on the Wall.” The woman in Woolf's story doesn’t know it’s a snail at first, when she sees a mysterious spot on her wall. She imagines it might be all kinds of things instead: a nail hole, a leaf, or a shadow. As she considers the possibilities from the comfort of her chair, she ponders much bigger topics: life, death, history, art, war, and more. “How readily our thoughts swarm upon a new object, lifting it a little way, as ants carry a blade of straw so feverishly, and then leave it . . . ” So many thoughts and ideas inspired by a spot that turns out to be . . . a snail.

                   

The Person behind The Snail

The owner of The Snail on the Wall is Lady Vowell Smith, PhD. Lady has worked as an editor, writer, and English teacher, and has spent a large portion of her life studying and reading books. E-mail her here to let her help you find books you love.

Follow The Snail

For reading recs, book news, and more, sign up for Snail Mail here, and follow The Snail on the Wall on InstagramFacebook, and Twitter.