Open Tues 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Wed – Sat 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Sun 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
232 Xenia Ave. Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387
About Tesseract Books
Tesseract Books is a place where one can travel through space and time and into other lives. The name Tesseract comes from Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. A tesseract is a way to travel in an instant to another part of the universe. This pocket-sized independent bookstore has a wide variety of carefully curated new and used books – perfect for finally picking up that book you keep hearing about, or for discovering an underrated gem. From our well-stocked children’s section to the latest in fiction and non-fiction, our goal is to be a resource and retreat for villagers and visitors. In addition to books, we also carry a diverse collection of merchandise, such as puzzles, candles, greeting cards, and much more.
Tesseract Books was established in the summer of 2025 by Kathy Engisch. Tesseract took over the wonderful space at 232 Xenia Avenue, along with the remaining inventory and bookshelves, from Gail Lichtenfels of Epic Book Shop after her retirement. Gail and Sam Eckenrode, of Sam and Eddie’s Open Books, were gracious in their support and advice throughout the process of establishing this new business, and Tesseract hopes to meld the characters of these classic Yellow Springs book establishments with its own unique identity. We are happy to be joining the growing Yellow Springs bookselling community alongside Dark Star Books, The Emporium, and Super Fly Comic Books and Games. Books are for enjoyment, but may be the most effective way to connect with others beyond our own circle. We support freedom of expression in any form and look forward to great conversations about books with Villagers and visitors.
Meet our team
Kathy Engisch
Owner
Kathy retired from teaching neuroscience at Wright State University at the end of 2025. Reading has always been a passion of hers, and she is looking forward to immersing herself in the world of books far beyond her own specific tastes, which tend towards science fiction and classic literature (especially Jane Austen), but she also loves a good mystery or romance.
Karen Crist
Bookseller & Nonfiction Section
Karen is a locally grown Yellow Springer. After graduating from Earlham College, a bit of global travel, and a decade residing in California, she returned to the Springs to raise a family. She spent nearly three decades as a higher education administrator in student services.
Dedicating herself now to developing and deepening her outlets for creative expression, Karen relishes time in her art studio, taking writing classes, and walking her doggo, Georgia.
Karen holds particular reading interests in social justice, antiracism, philosophy, neurodiversity, and spirituality. She views reading as a way of awakening to the limitations imposed on the disenfranchised and broadening perspective-taking for the betterment of self and community.
Selah Griffin
Bookseller & Marketing
Selah is a recent graduate of Denison University, where she studied Journalism and Religion. She is consistently drawn to observational and witty contemporary fiction and is currently reading through the works of Miriam Toews and Lorrie Moore. Outside of Tesseract, Selah continues to surround herself with writing by working as a freelance editor.
Savannah Brantley
Bookseller & Events
Savannah graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in May of 2025 where she studied Creative Writing. Her liberal arts education gave her the opportunity to read books otherwise not on her radar, such as Krik?Krak! by Edwidge Danticat and The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy. Her interests are mainly horror and nonfiction/memoir, but she loves to be surprised.
Emma Robinow
Bookseller & Children’s Section
Emma is a mother, pharmacist, reader and lifelong resident of Yellow Springs. She fell in love with children’s literature after having kids and loves sharing the world of books and reading with them. She enjoys reading literary fiction, mystery/thrillers, graphic novels (especially memoir) and listening to podcasts about books.
Hours and Address
Tues 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Wed – Sat 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Sun 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
232 Xenia Ave. Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387
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