Author Jeremy Mercer picks his top 10 bookstoresDEC 08 2005
Author Jeremy Mercer picks his top 10 bookstores in the world. Any personal favorites that you'd add to the list?
There are 66 reader comments
04 08 2005 9:04AM
Pages on Queen St. in Toronto is quite nice. They have a lot Art and Design books you would normally have to buy online elsewhere.
11 08 2005 9:11AM
Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon. It's a whole city block!
16 08 2005 9:16AM
Prairie Avenue Books (pabooks.com) in Chicago is one of the greatest architecture / design book stores I have ever been in. Many a lost Saturday has been spent there...
16 08 2005 9:16AM
Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Vermont. Cute, homey store. A true gem.
17 08 2005 9:17AM
Brookline Booksmith in Brookline, Mass. I need a bookstore with a used books section in the basement for my scavenging cheap self.
18 08 2005 9:18AM
McNally Robinson Booksellers
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
27 08 2005 9:27AM
The Brattle Book Shop, Boston.
27 08 2005 9:27AM
Moe's Books in Berkeley, CA is great, Strand and St. Mark's Bookshop in NYC, La Central bookstore in Barcelona had one of the most fantastic collections of contemporary art books I've seen.
55 08 2005 9:55AM
Bookman's Alley in Evanston, Illinois (just north of Chicago) is a must visit for any bibliophile/bookstore lover coming through the area. Here's a quote from the link: "The store is known for its abundance of author-signed and first-edition volumes, but books aren’t the only decor in Bookman’s Alley. The shop is also chock-full of antiques, old rugs and other such timeless objects, as well as overstuffed chairs to relax in. (Erin Brereton)"
00 08 200510:00AM
Powell's, Portland.
27 08 200510:27AM
On the Upper West Side, there is Murder Ink, that sells only mysteries. Next door is Ivy's Books, which is a more traditional independent bookstore.
29 08 200510:29AM
duh! he missed the Barnes and Noble in union square. what's wrong with this geezer?
30 08 200510:30AM
City Lights Books in San Francisco for it's historical aspect. It
was founded by Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
33 08 200510:33AM
Booked Up, located in 4 buildings (two of them barn-like) in Archer City, Texas is home to about a quarter million "fine, rare & scholarly books". It's owned by Larry McMurtry, and although Archer City is a long way from most places, and the books are arranged "Erratically/ Impressionistically/ Whimsically/ Open to Interpretation" it is well worth the pilgrimage.
54 08 200510:54AM
Is Booked Up closing? I can't seem to find out just googling around. It looks like they are now open by appointment only.
I would add the Tattered Cover in Denver; Labyrinth Books, Three Lives, and Biography Bookshop in NYC; and two places that no longer exist in Colorado Springs: The Chinook Bookshop and Four Corners. Davis-Kidd in Memphis is also pretty good.
58 08 200510:58AM
The Tattered Cover in Denver is the best bookstore on Earth.
01 08 200511:01AM
The Book Mill in Montague, MA, is great. So pretty.
01 08 200511:01AM
Boffins in Perth, Western Australia... not only a beautiful store, but full to the brim with gorgeous books of the kind that are hard to find in ordinary book stores in this city: design annuals, technical books on every conceivable topic, I can't resist it whenever I'm nearby.
11 08 200511:11AM
matt: for a while there it did look like Booked Up was closing, but they've recently announced that they're still in the game. Regular hours and everything.
29 08 200511:29AM
hmm...interesting. I wonder if the Tattered Cover in Denver and St. Mark's in new york are of-the-same chain (?) ...their websites are identical though I thought St. Mark's was independent.
44 08 200511:44AM
Second the Tattered Cover in Denver.
46 08 200511:46AM
yp, looks like the Tattered Cover and St Mark's just use the same ASP:
"What does it mean when you spot the Book Sense logo? It means you've found an independent bookstore..."
51 08 200511:51AM
Second Powell's which is not only an entire block (with multpile floors) it also includes specialty satellites including technical books, architecture, gardening and cooking. Non-fiction especially strong compared to most other stores. Also, no snobbiness. Huge sections for fantasy, sf, thrillers, rpgs, comics, you-name-it.
03 08 200512:03PM
ah ha. thanks jake.
09 08 200512:09PM
I third Powell's. That place is amazing.
23 08 2005 1:23PM
Hennessey + Ingalls in Santa Monica, CA.
00 08 2005 2:00PM
The Harvard Bookstore in Harvard Square (yet not affiliated with Harvard, go figure) is the best in greater Boston: many local and academic authors, awesome used and remaindered books, and the best midnight Harry Potter release parties. When in Worcester, there's Tatnuck Bookseller, which has a little restaurant in the middle.
05 08 2005 2:05PM
Seminary Coop Bookstore in Chicago. Must be visited to experience properly. A basement maze of only books books books, no magazines, no toys, no crap with a front table of only the most egghead academic books. Unfortunately, no used books either. Harvard Bookstore is also great and Powells and the Tattered Cover are true American National Treasures.
06 08 2005 2:06PM
Pages on Queen St in Toronto far outshines the noted This Ain't The Rosedale Library in my opinion. Steven Temple Books in Toronto is great for rare and modern first editions. St Marks, Strand and Gotham Bookmart in NYC should be there.
Does anyone else think that Shakespeare & Co. in Paris is extrememly over-rated ?
I love City Lights in SF and aspire to visiting Powell's one day.
Has anyone mentioned a shop solely based on how it looks, perhaps despite shortcomings like what they stock etc? I love the look and feel of a cosey old bookshop even if I would never buy anything there. Winning for sheer quantity of lovely to browse shops should be the entire village of Hay-on Wye in Wales.
06 08 2005 2:06PM
That Book Store in Blytheville, AR
12 08 2005 2:12PM
I simply love that little bookshop at the Markale Market in the central Sarajevo. It is so small that you literally have to push other people, yet so many books! Buybook is nice, too.
51 08 2005 2:51PM
Lemuria in Jackson, Mississippi
07 08 2005 3:07PM
Tattered Cover in Denver is definitely a number one favourite.
40 08 2005 3:40PM
I 5th or 6th or what ever powells in Portland.
49 08 2005 3:49PM
Powell's Books. Portland, Oregon USA.
29 08 2005 4:29PM
McNally Robinson Booksellers
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Seconded. I would also add:
Words Worth Books
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
and
The Bookshelf
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
42 08 2005 4:42PM
Black Oak, Cody's and Moe's are the three best bookstores in the bay area, with all due respect to the
history of City Lights. NYC's bookstores are, by contrast, largely wanting.
Tattered Cover is all right, but they don't sell used, or difficult to find books, and they sell
a lot of crap that you find at Barnes & Noble.
58 08 2005 4:58PM
For selection, Powell's in Portland - recognize!
For atmosphere, Elliott Bay Books in Seattle.
59 08 2005 4:59PM
Elliott Bay Bookstore, Seattle, WA
01 08 2005 5:01PM
aardvark at church & market, in san francisco. great used bookstore, been going to them for almost a decade. i've gotten fabulous books of theoretical physics, mathematics, ecological conservation, applied art, photography, dark fiction, queer literature, science fiction, graphic novels, most anything you could want. i often go there on my way to meet people, good place to go when you need a book to read during a night of drinking at a bar by yourself, or if you're on your way to sit in the sun at the top of dolores park.
06 08 2005 5:06PM
Powell's absolutely should be on there. I don't know the facts, but they pretty much pioneered putting the very same used books right next to the new ones on the same shelf, when most other stores were sending you off to the not-so-well-lit and dusty "Used Books" section at the back of the store. As a college student, this was life-saving. And as others have said, Powell's is also hard to match from a selection standpoint, especially for more unusual titles. Wonderful laid-back atmosphere.
19 08 2005 5:19PM
how about another vote for The Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge, MA.
The only place where I have a frequent buyer card and seriously one of the big reasons I always look forward to going back home for the holidays : )
a nice cozy feel with lots of great new books along with a basement with the best selection of used books (no crap, just good stuff!) I've ever seen!
25 08 2005 5:25PM
Gleebooks, Glebe, Sydney, Australia, which could only be better if their used books store was integrated with the main shop.
45 08 2005 5:45PM
Atomic Books, in Baltimore. Everything you can't find on the shelves at the chains, plus online ordering.
58 08 2005 5:58PM
I have 5 fave bookstores in Los Angeles :) Support your indie bookstore for yummy reads!
03 08 2005 6:03PM
Elliott Bay Books in Seattle, WA
http://www.elliottbaybook.com/
09 08 2005 6:09PM
marfa book co., marfa TX
27 08 2005 6:27PM
Black Swan Books in Richmond, VA is a really upscale used book store. More high end sometimes than I like, but a very nice place. Too bad they don't really have a web site...
44 08 2005 7:44PM
The Book Loft in the German Village of Columbus, Ohio is
fantastic. How can you not love 32 rooms of books? Too bad their website looks like clown puke.
09 08 2005 8:09PM
I love Tattered Cover--the selection of books, the knowledgable staff and those cozy chairs you can sit for hours in without anyone bothering you in the middle of a sentence.
11 08 2005 8:11PM
Caroline is right. Skip the lame web site and visit The Book Loft in person.
I'd also recommend Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe in Washington DC's Dupont Circle. I spent many a college-era Saturday or Sunday morning reading and drinking coffee in the Cafe.
52 08 2005 8:52PM
Seminary Co-Op in Chicago. An absolute subterranean joy.
58 08 2005 8:58PM
For very different reasons, three not on the list: La Hune, in Paris; Blackwell's in Oxford (esp. the Norrington Room); The Winding Stair in Dublin.
19 08 2005 9:19PM
I second Boffins in Perth, and also recommend Metropolis in Melbourne.
30 08 2005 9:30PM
Powells hardly seems to need any more support here--but seriously--I'd bet good money that if the author had ever been there he'd have it on his list. It oozes books.
57 09 200512:57AM
powell's in portland, oregon.
massive with everything from obscure used books to bestsellers
17 09 2005 2:17AM
Pulpfiction in Vancouver, BC. Great small neighbourhood used bookstore, with consistently good selection.
43 09 2005 7:43AM
I like the Motta art book store in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Athaeneum in Amsterdam is rather good as well.
Over here there are no book stores (that I know of) where you can sit down and order a coffee, like in the USA. I'd love that.
47 09 2005 8:47AM
two favourites....
The Elliot Bay Booksop at Pioneer Square in Seattle (http://www.elliottbaybook.com/) which is a hangout on visits to Seattle... we bring an empty suitcase! Great staff recommendations and great coffee shop. Also, Kenny's Bookshop in Galway here in Ireland. sadly closing, but, remaining a thriving outlet in cyberspace (http://www.kennys.ie/) - great atmosphere and service.. esential as a refuse from the summer rain in Connemeara!
20 09 2005 2:20PM
1) Powell's, Portland OR. It's like the Winchester Mystery House of bookstores...so many great nooks and crannies to lose oneself in for hours. Wonderfully creaky hardwood floors. Neat rare books room.
2) Elliott Bay, Seattle. Room after room of a very nice selection. Great cafe in the basement. Enjoyable, if not cozy, place to see authors on book tours.
3) City Lights, San Francisco. The spirits of Kerouac, Ginsberg and Cassaday are as thick as fog in this wonderful bookstore. Head to the basement for a history lesson: signs painted on the walls by a Christian sect that had used the basement for prayer meetings in the 60s are still the walls today. You can still fragments of them: "Remember Lot's Wife," "Born in Sin and Shapen in Niquity," “I and My Father Are One,” and "I Am the Door." Makes for a unique browsing experience.
Long live indie booksellers!!
24 09 2005 4:24PM
Half-Price Books (the East Northwest Highway one) in Dallas. Best and coolest used book store in Dallas, for sure. Plus, the store is just filled with indie girls. No sooner does one turn the corner of a book-filled aisle than there stands another one, absorbed in leafing through some book, the cloth Converse All-Star sneakers a dead giveaway.
44 10 200510:44AM
Book People on 6th and Lamar in Austin
13 10 200510:13PM
how can nobody have mentioned green apple books in san francisco?
12 11 200510:12PM
"Readings" - Carlton, Melbourne Australia.
Still going strong after the yanks put "B*rders" across the road.
This thread is closed to new comments. Thanks to everyone who responded.
hvi41 08 2005 8:41AM
Athenaeum Boekhandel. Spui 14-16 Amsterdam, Netherlands.