Iowa Books & Authors

Our little book supply company is one of the oldest in Iowa. It began in 1883 when Mr. Oren Gates Waffle decided to start selling books during his summers off as a country school teacher. He continued his book selling career for 65 years as the O.G. Waffle Book Company, mostly selling books to schools and libraries. His bookstore has changed names and adapted to the times but carries on his legacy as a locally owned, independent store.

Today, The BookHouse is still an independent business specializing in books for children, teachers, librarians, and nonprofits. We provide books, ebooks, and audiobooks to community members as well as wholesale books, library supplies, and book fairs in the Eastern Iowa area. We are your one stop source for all things book related and hope to give you the same personalized, one on one experience as Mr. Waffle would have with his customers.

Shop our full online catalog at  https://bookshop.org/shop/theiowabookhouse