By Michaela Randall, Clearwater Communications
Inside a quiet home in Mott, one library tells the story of a lifetime’s curiosity turned into devotion. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the walls, packed tightly with more than 14,000 titles, all tied into North Dakota or the people who call it home. This is the personal library of 80-year-old book collector Kevin Carvell, a man whose lifelong fascination with the state’s literary heritag
e began, quite unintentionally, in a seventh-grade classroom.
“I went to St. Vincent Catholic School in Mott, and our class shared a room with the eighth graders,” Carvell recalls. “The eighth graders got to learn North Dakota history, and we seventh graders were supposed to stay quiet. But I listened in and loved it.”
That spark of interest led to a lifelong passion. His first treasured book was Up the Trail from Texas by Frank Dobie, a Christmas gift that same year. Years later, while working for the Fargo Forum, Carvell decided to start collecting North Dakota books, thinking it might help him in his job. “I figured there might be 500 or so,” he says with a laugh. “Turns out, I was a little off.”
A Library All His Own
When Carvell’s parents passed away, he moved back to Mott to live in the house they built in the 1950s. “None of my siblings wanted it, so I sold my Fargo house and renovated this one,” he says, noting he built a full library addition with tall shelves that reach the ceiling. “It’s peaceful in there.”
When expanding the house, Carvell thought through every tiny detail to make it perfect for his collection. “I tried to avoid natural light directly on the books, so thinking about where every window would go was important,” he says.
Building the library on the back of the house helped keep the collection safe from sunlight, he says. “It all kind of worked out for the better, I’m glad I did the addition.”
The room, lined with carefully organized volumes, holds the same scent of aging paper reminiscent of a hometown library. The space, part museum, part memory, houses his collection of well-known names like Jamestown’s Louis L’Amour, alongside other writers whose works capture the grit, humor and hope of life on the plains.
The only rule for adding to his shelves is simple, says Carvell: the author or subject must have a connection to North Dakota. That definition casts a wide net, memoirs from homesteaders, poetry about the Missouri River, novels set in small towns, and even academic research on the state’s geology and tribes. “It’s all part of the story,” he says. “North Dakota’s voice isn’t just one thing.”
Hidden Treasures and Family Ties
Maintaining this large book collection takes care, but Carvell says it is not too difficult. “Books like what I like,” he jokes. “Same humidity and temperature as me.”
Among thousands of titles, a few stand out. One favorite is Dakota Days by Edison Batson, a book about sheep ranching near Dickinson. Only three hundred copies were printed. “I bought it online right when the internet was getting started,” he says. “It’s gained in value since, but for me, it’s more about what it represents.”
Carvell’s collection extends beyond books. Alongside his shelves, he displays North Dakota artwork and family treasures, pieces that connect his home to both place and memory. Among
them are a painting collection, small historical artifacts and items rich with family history, including a Japanese wire cutter recovered during World War II by his relative Robert Carvell and a well-worn scythe once used by earlier generations of his family on the farm.
Keeping the Stories Alive
Still, with the shelves full, expansion is unlikely. “At 80, you have to be practical,” he adds with a grin.
Technology has changed the hunt for rare books, though Carvell still prefers the thrill of discovery in a dusty bookstore over scrolling through online listings. “Online, you never really know what you’re getting,” he says. “Finding something unexpected on a shelf, that’s the fun part.”
His knowledge of North Dakota literature has made him a resource for writers, historians and readers alike. Visitors who stop by often leave amazed by both the scope of his collection and the depth of his recall. He can easily name authors, publishers and print years, all from memory, and serves as a “walking index” of North Dakota’s literary past.
In the Spotlight
Carvell’s dedication has not gone unnoticed. In 2016, The Dickinson Press profiled his growing library, describing him as “a reservoir of knowledge” on North Dakota’s past and present. At that time, his shelves held more than 13,000 North Dakota-related titles. The article highlighted Carvell’s deep respect for the storytelling that has shaped the state’s identity, and his ability to recall obscure details about authors and editions.
Since then, his passion has continued to draw attention. In April 2024, Bismarck-based KFYR-TV revisited his collection, reporting it had grown to more than 14,000 books. The feature captured Carvell’s humor and unwavering focus on his goal. “Why not collect every book that mentions North Dakota, is about North Dakota or is written by a North Dakotan,” he noted in the new segment.
These stories brought Carvell’s lifelong project to a broader audience and inspired readers across the state to think differently about their own connections to North Dakota’s history and culture. Among his most meaningful acquisitions, however, is one especially close to this publication. Carvell notes he owns every single issue of North Dakota Horizons magazine, now known as North Dakota magazine, from its start in 1971 to present.
He purchased 14 bound volumes of the magazine years ago from a bookstore in Fargo, recognizing it as an important record of North Dakota’s people, places and progress. “It’s the kind of collection you just can’t let slip away,” he says. “Every issue tells a piece of the state’s story.”
For Carvell, these bound volumes fit perfectly among his other treasures, an ongoing chronicle of the people who have shaped North Dakota’s past, celebrated its present and envisioned its future.
The media attention may have begun as novelty stories, but it revealed Carvell’s library is not just a personal hobby; it is a living, breathing record of a state’s creative spirit.
Looking Ahead
Carvell says he has not written the closing chapter on his collection just yet. “A collector once offered to buy it all, but I just like having it here,” he says with a smile. “I joke that my daughter’s stuck with all these books when I am gone. But honestly, I hope a regional library will take them someday; they belong in North Dakota.”
Over the years, Carvell has welcomed visitors from across the North Dakota University System, each curious about his extraordinary archive of state stories. “I just hope someone sees the value in preserving North Dakota’s history,” he says. “It tells us who we are.”
For those just beginning to explore the state’s literary connections, Carvell recommends following their own interests. “There’s something for everyone,” he says. “Writers like Larry Woiwode, Louise Erdrich, and of course, Louis L’Amour, those are great places to start.”
And for anyone looking to help keep North Dakota’s stories alive, Carvell has a small challenge. “I’ve got about 500 or 600 duplicates,” he says. “If someone wants to give them a good home, I’m happy to share.”
In Carvell’s library, the story of North Dakota is not just written, it is preserved, cherished and waiting for the next reader to open the cover.