Walker Books, Inc., is the fastest-growing book distributor in the United States. Established in 1981 in Palo Alto, California, Walker Books was originally a side project of founder and current president Curtis Walker, who at the time was employed by a local law firm. Because reading was much more than just a hobby of his, he decided to use some of his savings to buy an abandoned restaurant and convert it into a neighborhood bookstore, mainly selling used books that were donated and obtained from flea markets.