JERRY WOLKOWITZ George J. Engle, owner of the Book Garden in Upper Freehold, studies one of the many volumes available for sale in his shop.

UPPER FREEHOLD — The sign outside The Book Garden on Route 537 advertises 50,000 books inside the shop, but that may be an understatement.

Inside, it’s a bibliophile’s paradise, with books on every conceivable topic, as well as CDs, postcards, sheet music and comics.

Whether the genre is mystery, science fiction, children’s tales, military history, religion, biographies, novels or classics, it will be found here in abundance.

Owner George Engle is in charge of the "book" section of the business. The "garden" section is the domain of his wife, Joyce, and it features plants and floral arrangements, plus gifts and jewelry. The store handles funeral flowers, and often works with local cemeteries; it does not do wedding flowers.

Engle obtains most of his books from private sales. People come in to sell their books, or he goes to their homes. Many people want to unload books if they are moving or as part of an estate settlement.

"I get nice, clean books out of private sales," he said.

He does not go to auctions or book sales, nor does he catalog his books on computer. All sorting and cataloging is done the old-fashioned way — by Engle personally.

Engle started the business 27 years ago at the old New Egypt Flea Market, and the store moved to its current location in August 1989. The building was built for books.

"It’s a fun business," he said.

Engle left his "real job" when the company he worked for closed. While he has a steady local clientele, he noted, "People come from afar, and I do a lot of business with dealers." He serves as vice president of the New Jersey Antiquarian Booksellers, and has some rare volumes for sale.

Although the bulk of available titles are general interest, the store specializes in New Jersey history, and also has a large theology section.

In addition, Engle deals in ephemera, the old catalogs, tickets, advertisements, schedules, etc. that make up so much of daily life and provide an insight into past times.

"Books draw you into the ephemera," he claims. "It’s all related."

There is a warehouse full of Life magazines, dating to the magazine’s inception in 1936. These are popular birthday gifts, and he "can usually find the date."

Locals may be interested in the collection of equestrian, gardening and farming books. Food lovers will want to visit the store on the Friday after Thanksgiving, when it holds its annual 50 percent off cookbook sale.

For the 13th anniversary at this location, from Aug. 13-18, there will be a 20 percent off sale on books and comics and 10 percent off on floral and gift items.

The Book Garden is located at 868 Route 537 in Cream Ridge. It is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday from 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and is closed Mondays. Contact the store at (609)-758-7770 or via e-mail at bookgl@comcast.net. The Book Garden also has a Web site, www.abebooks.com.