“You have to buy every book you knock down. It’s called Newton’s Law. We have books on it!” shouted Morton “Jim” Toole as the natural consequences of consuming free wine among precarious heaps of used books finally caught up with someone.

Every second Saturday of the month for the past five years, while the Eastern Market is still bustling across the street, Capitol Hill Books has offered free wine and cheese to its customers while they browse the store’s 20,210 volumes, a figure estimated by Toole.

“Two types of wine, two types of cheese, two types of crackers, two types of mustard and two types of attitude: happy and happy.” He recites his mantra, entrenched behind a platter of food and surrounded by towering stacks of books.

Anika Fontaine, a junior marketing major, attended the last wine and cheese Saturday. “It was a lot of fun,” she said, “and the cheese was amazing.”

Along with the smoked cheddar and apple biscuits comes a 10 percent discount on all purchases and 50 percent off hardcover mystery novels, a genre Toole admits he finds hard to get rid of otherwise.

Toole, who has been at Capitol Hill Books for 10 years, took over the store after the previous owner died. The upstairs has since been converted into the fiction section, and the room where he claims the man died has been dubbed the “Mystery Room.” So far there have been no ghost sightings.

It’s difficult at times to escape the fear of avalanche while filing toward a refill and a second cracker. Fortunately, enough interesting titles line the way to hold your attention and keep your eyes darting from shelf to shelf. Among the many titles, you’re sure to find several topics that will strike your fancy, from Zen Buddhism to J.R.R. Tolkien.

Books fill every inch of wall space, floor to ceiling, and from a few steps back, it seems incomprehensible. But on closer inspection, nothing is out of place and you need only follow the signs to catch the alphabetic flow as it criss-crosses the store, extending into every corner and through the restroom.

It can be an overwhelming array to take in and may leave you longing for the tidy and spacious rows of a Barnes and Noble. For those who aren’t ready to take it on themselves, knowledgeable and friendly employees stand waiting to help navigate through cramped shelves.

Wine and cheese Saturdays were an idea posed by the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals, an organization aimed at promoting the success of businesses in the area. Toole embraced the idea, though funding for it is not provided by the organization.

Anyone looking to cap off a day of shopping at the Eastern Market with some free libations and friendly conversation need look not further than 675 C St. in Washington. The next wine and cheese Saturday will be held Oct. 8.

Contact reporter Andrew Vanacore at diversions@dbk.umd.edu.