1. Pale Moon Books

One of the Village Shops, Pale Moon Books appears from the outside as a late eighteenth or early twentieth century brick shop from Old Earth's country of England, with a glass storefront. Painted on the center pane of the three windows is a triple moon logo, surrounded by the words "We have more questions than answers" in Terranglo, Scots Gaelic, and Japanese. To the left of the windows is a glass door with the shop hours painted in the same three languages.

Opening the door rings a brass bell hanging from the transom. Within, there is an atmosphere of calm, in which the peculiar scent of old books may be enjoyed. To the right is a wooden desk, often covered in antiquarian volumes. Behind the desk, a publish-on-demand replicator offers customers access to contemporary titles. One glass case full of retro writing implements such as pens, pencils, and paper notebooks sits nearby, but most of the shop is filled with three aisles flanked on either side by massive dark wooden bookcases full of printed works.

There is a shop dog, a calm Irish Wolfhound who responds well to offers of petting, but doesn't often intrude on shoppers.

In the back of the shop, a shoji wall conceals a step tansu which leads up to the family's private residence.