Favortie Bookstores?

So what are people's favorite Boston area bookstores?

I'm quite fond of Bare Foot Books in Cambridge for kids, and consider a trip to Grolier's in Cambridge a real treat.

Well, I'm partial to Commonwealth since I work there, but I also make (much-too) regular stops at the Brattle (fabulous for review copies of new books, books on books and other goodies), Brookline Booksmith (remainders, mainly), Harvard Bookstore (remainders again), Rodneys and Raven (both good used stock). Each has its own little niche, I think.

I don't think I've ever been in Bare Foot Books. I'm in that neighborhood on a regular basis; I've just never stopped in.

I buy a lot of books for my daughter at Curious George, in Harvard Square.

I still miss Wordsworth, also in Harvard Sq. The Harvard Coop is pretty good---much improved under Barnes & Noble's management, but not the same.

In practice, however, we buy a large percentage of our books online. I have mixed feelings about this. I should buy more from local booksellers, so they don't go the way of Wordsworth, but I appreciate the convenience of shopping from the computer!

Harvard Bookstore is where I buy most of my books. If I can't get it there, I'm buy from abebooks.com. I tend to avoid Barnes & Noble and Borders if I can.

In roughly alphabetical order with what I tend to get there.

Ars Libri in the South End. Period art books.

Boston Book Annex on Beacon just outside Kenmore Square. Paperbacks and books
students might have owned. Their JP store is more specialized.

BPL books sales. Always some surprises.

Robin Bledsoe back off someone's garden outside Harvard Sqaure. Art
books for me; horse and polo books for the SO; a perfect combination.

Brattle Book Shop on West Street near Downtown Crossing. 19th thru
mid-20th century books. The $1-$5 books outside in the alley are
great when the weather is nice and I need a break from the office.

Brookline Booksmith in Coolidge Corner. New releases. Used
paperbacks downstairs (with our video store of choice).

Bryn Mawr on Huron Ave. in Cambridge. Art.

Commonwealth Books near Emerson and near BU. History, Literary Criticism.

COOP in Harvard and Kendall Squares. Textbooks.

Got Books in North Reading (car required). Every book is $1, so
anything found worth getting is a bargain.

Harvard Book Store in Harvard Square. Remainders and used books downstairs.

Harvard University Press in Holyoke Center. Loebs.

Lorem Ipsum in Inman Square. Nerdy.

McIntyre & Moore in Davis Square. Scholarly.

MIT Press Bookstore in Kendall Square. Postmodernism, architecture.

New England Mobile Book Fair on Needham Street in Newton (not mobile
and not a book fair). Remainders, current paperbacks.

Quantum Books in Kendall Square. Computers.

Raven in Harvard Square (and Northampton). Culture, anarchism.

Rodney's in Central Square and Coolidge Corner (one near work, one near home). Art.

Schoenhof's in Harvard Square (finally open more than one evening a
week). Foreign language.

Seven Stars in Central Square. New age.

I'd like to see a discussion of bookstores gone from Greater Boston that we miss.

Diskovery is now in Oak Square, right on Washington Street. My list was already too long. And sorry about the formatting. Here's hoping we get Preview (or at least Delete) soon.

I've only been in the area almost a year now, so I'm still discovering the little book places that I like... I'm a big fan of Brookline Booksmith at Coolidge Corner and the Harvard Bookstore at Harvard Square (recent find!) for used books. And I admit I'm a bit of a B&N/Borders/Amazon gal because of the rewards. Hey, grad student budget trying to build a classroom library; please don't ostracize me too much! ;)

I don't venture to the other side of the Charles very often, so I'm sure there's a whole other world of literary goodness Cambridge-ward. I'll have to check out others' favorites sometime. Thanks for posting!

Also, thanks to the person who gave the heads up on the BPL books this Saturday! I'll have to check it out. :) Which part of the BPL is the sale in?

Best,
Chelsea :)

The BPL sales are usually in the new part of the building, upstairs, but just follow the signs.

I suspect most of us contribute to the chain store masters (there's a B&N in the building I work in - I can't stay away), maybe we need a "chain store support group" group.

Another great place to check out North of Boston is Beverly Library - they have a rack with books for sale, and people drop off all kinds of stuff.

Ooops. I may have just divulged a treasured secret - please leave some for me!

I love Porter Square Books in the Porter shopping plaza in Cambridge. Their buyers are just brilliant, so although their stock is relatively small, everything is great. I can never leave without picking up books on books, science fiction, or craft books. Their history, nature, kids, etc., are also great.

I second Porter Square Books. When they opened, I figured they would be just a little run-of-the-mill books store selling little more than best sellers and other mass market stuff. But they manage to pack an amazing number of interesting books into their little space.

Given the plethora of other bookstores in the Boston area, I'm not sure how far I'd travel to visit them, but they're definitely worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood.

Funny, as I went through this thread, I was thinking that Porter Square Books was missing from the discussion - and clearly others were too. Parking is a lot easier there than in Harvard Square. But the offerings can't compare with the Harvard Book Store.

Brookline Booksmith is my favorite.
I also love Trident on Newbury St., which has a funky little cafe and great magazine selection.
I agree about Harvard Book Store -- not to be confused with the Coop bookstore, which is Barnes & Noble in disguise (boooo!).

I always get a bit affronted when I see people in Brookline with a B&N bag. Support the little guy!

Must admit I'm biased as I work for Boston Book Company in Jamaica Plain - glad to see folks stopping by - and the Boston Book Annex's Guthrie will lick you heartily for your patronage. (He is a cat, I should add.)
I haven't been to Porter Square Books, must check it out... I'm fond of Harvard Bookstore, McIntyre and Moore in Somerville - and haven't been in a while but the Grolier Poetry Book Shop in Cambridge.

I know the hostility against B&N in Brookline. My wife worked at Brookline Booksmith, so the hostility is a sort of religion with her. I share it--to a degree. (Independent bookstores are great until you need a really large selection. Certainly for something like computer books they fall flat.) B&N is a special case, though. Usually the chain puts the independent out of business. But Brookline Booksmith's not only survived, it's gotten larger. B&N, in a crap space with no cafe or nothing, is the one in financial trouble.

Not to mention the fact that the B&N in Downtown Crossing closed its doors on June 30 - rent was too much, from what I understand.

I tend not to buy much from Borders/B&N unless it's a good deal or I have a coupon, but it's always sad to see a bookstore close, no matter what its name.

I was wondering why the B&N disappeared in Downtown Crossing! I had a friend visiting this past weekend, and I was telling her all of the book places around Park Street... then bam! no B&N when we walked past. I figured the big Borders down at the end of the street took over... but in Boston-like style, high rent sounds more realistic.

Chelsea :)

One thing that's exciting in the Boston area is the new ownership of Grolier's. I went in their once a year or so ago and was treated with no small amount of indignation at the poets I was asking for.

The new owner though is great, is always looking to chat and is willing to listen to (and even jot down) your suggestions about what he should include. For a while the store seemed to be surviving because it was an institution, but now it should survive because it's an excellent book buying expierence.

Tim, I take your point in general about independent bookstores, but even your specific example of computer books has an exception. Quantum Books in Kendall Square. Their prices are competitive and they have what you need in stock. They've been at it for twenty years and just bought out SoftPro in Waltham, for those people who have to work out on 128. They had a book by a former colleague on his new programming language that not even Amazon was selling.

The point is not trying to be everyone's bookstore.

The thing is, Barnes and Nobles and Borders don't have that great a selection - if you go in looking for poetry, you're going to find very few books outside a limited selection of "popular" authors, and after a year or two you'll have most of what you want from their selection. Ditto for History - B&N does not do a good job of carrying a range of books from the academic presses, and instead pile on loads of popular histories. It's like eating at Applebees - there is a selection of foodgroups, and not quite as bland as McDonalds, but you won't find anything you haven't eaten before.

Well, Amazon has it all, and the little bookshops have the interesting bits and pieces, but B&N does have a decent espresso and a kids section.

I go to Goodwill for kid's books. I've had good luck at Bryn Mawr Bookshop in the past and go to Rodney's in Central Square and McIntyre and Moore for academic books.

Wow. I eat lunch in Downtown Crossing all the time, considering I work a few blocks away. I had never noticed that the B&N was gone!

I'm also the poster of Message #6 above. I don't know if y'all have the same problem, but it's missing my user ID. Could be because I posted right as LT was hiccupped.

I should probably also mention Cornerstone Books, in Salem. It's a very nice general indie bookstore, with a great selection of games and gaming material. My girlfriend is the assistant manager there. She is totally my dealer.

Wow! This is a dangerous topic! As if I didn't have a difficult enough time with my few favorite locations to get my book fix (Brookline Booksmith, Harvard Books, Trident, and yes, online with the evil forces that be!), now I'm learning of even more dangerous places to go in Boston. I'll say thanks for the insight for now, but my wallet might be cursing you all later. :)
As for favorite bookstores elsewhere, I'm a Colorado girl originally, so I have to give a mention to The Tattered Cover, a long time favorite of mine. I'll have to add a caveat though, because they just moved to a new location (again due to the high rent), so I'm not sure what the new place wil be like. It will certainly take some adustment on my part, as they've been in the same 5 story book store (yes, five stories of books!) as long as I can remember.

I can't believe no one's mentioned the New England Mobile Bookfair. Is that because we love it or hate it? Every time I'm there I get quite irked at the whole impenetrable classification system, and yet I keep breaking down and stopping in once or twice a year, when I'm out near Rte. 9.

I miss Wordsworth's with the bitter melancholy of a thousand moons. It's especially frustrating that the space is still just sitting empty nearly two years later. I do some shopping in the basement of the Harvard Bookstore, and at Porter Square Books, but mostly these days I'm trying not to buy so many books and take better advantage of the library, at least until I can afford enough shelving to house the books I already have.

Actually, I did mention the New England Mobile Book Fair in my admittedly too long list.

Excellent suggestions so far - but missing a key player in the small, easy-to-overlook, ideosyncratic category.

Rhythm & Muse on Centre St in Jamaica Plain has a great selection of new & used books & cds, at very reasonable prices. The store is small enough that it can be browsed completely in less than 15 minutes, but is unique enough that you are always certain to discover something new and valuable. The behind-the-counter folks, without fail, are among the best people in the Boston area. I love shopping at this small bookstore.

They run a once-a-month book discussion, which is usually lively and simultaneously close-knit and friendly to newcomers.

Pandemonium has moved to Central (around the corner from the post Office) and has reopened. I don't know about Diskovery- they were supposed to get new space in Oak Square.

I am also a big fan of McItyre and Moore in Davis Square.

My roommate trekked down to the new Diskovery location, they're open and possibly even more haphazardly crowded than before. I don't have an address for y'all though.

Has anyone been to the new Pandemonium location? The Caitlin Kiernan reading got cancelled because they didn't have enough of her books in stock to make it worthwhile, apparently.

MMcM wrote:

> Actually, I did mention the New England Mobile Book Fair in my admittedly too long list.

Sorry, MMcM! I managed to miss it there, but I shouldn't have -- you even have your list in alphabetical order so everything's easy to find.

Does anyone know anything about the little used bookstore in the vicinity of Downtown Crossing?

I *think* it's on Milk street... (I'm not entierly sure, and my husband says I'm directionally challanged so I could be totally off with this). It is a cute little store with shelves outside that get boarded up at night. I havn't been there yet, but hope to find the time to some time soon.

-Kindli

Kindli, that would be Commonwealth Books, in the basement of Old South Meetinghouse ... where I work part-time. Do stop by!

Commonwealth was a very plesant surprise - there are a lot of interesting titles down there.

And while I do enjoy the Borders across the street, if only for the building it's in, that B&N was miserable on so many levels. Good riddance!

Has anyone mentioned the store (can't think of the the name) in Davis Sq., near Diesel Cafe? Really nice architecture selection.

And seconding (thirding) recommendations of HBS, Rodneys and Brookline Bookseller. I'm heading over to check out Lorem Ipsem this afternoon.

Also, I should note that HBS is doing 10% off Saturday and Sunday in conjunction with the tax-free weekend (which means I'll be heading out there this afternoon after work at Commonwealth ... so many books, so little time!)

McIntyre and Moore is next door to Diesel Cafe on Elm Street.

Bryn Mawr is half-price. All August I think, but certainly today. And tax-free as was mentioned already.

jbd1,

thanks for telling me! I'll be sure to check it out next time I'm in the area! is just used books? or used & new?

-k.

k, Commonwealth is mainly just used; Harvard Book Store is both used and new (wasn't sure which one you meant).

There is also the Brattle Bookshop on the other side of Downtown Crossing from the Borders. On one of those tiny side streets between the commons and the road that the Silver Line travels on there...it's late and I've forgotten the name now. Easily visible from KnowFat, the health food store cum fast food restaurant, a few doors down from Macy's.

Brattle's on West Street ... and it's an addictive addictive place! :-)

The Brattle Book Shop started out on Brattle Street in Scollay Square, which is now under that brutalist monument to urban renewal, City Hall Plaza. In trying to stick it out around there, they were in the Sears Crescent on Cornhill before it was gutted (the building with the tea kettle -- the street is just a pedestrian walkway in front; Brattle would be the next street over) and someplace on Washington Street.

Then they moved to 5 West Street, which is the vacant lot next to their present location, where they sell cheap books when the weather cooperates. The whole building burned to the ground in early 1980, destroying all of the stock. With almost no insurance, they still re-opened right away selling donated books (further up the street at first, maybe in the building that Rita's is in -- I'm a little fuzzy here).

Would it be worth starting a Boston Bookstore Nostalgia topic in this group? It needn't be really old-timer stuff. Wordsworth and Avenue Victor Hugo would count.

Can someone tell me something about Pandemonium? I do most of my sci-fi/fantasy shopping at chain stores (general readership indies usually don't have great selection, I find), but would welcome a good alternative. Do they have used, new, or both?

Also, while I'm talking about specialty shops, there's a mystery book store near my house in North Cambridge (the name of which I don't know!) which is supposed to be great. Anyone know the name or want to second that?

Kate's Mystery Books

I am actually not in Boston, but in Nashua, NH. I go in on the T from Alewife. I like The Harvard Book Store and didn't even know Wordsworth was gone. I guess I haven't been there in a while, oops. I also like Pandemonium. I knew they moved because I am on their mailing list. I really don't like that they moved - because everything was in one place and close to the T.

I actually was at the new location of Pandemonium last weekend. I was in Cambridge to see a movie at the Kendall Square Cinema, and then I went over to the book store. It is set in a nest of one way streets, and of course parking is a problem. There is an upstairs for books and a downstairs for activities (games, groups, authors, movies). The upstairs is a little bigger than the old store (maybe). Didn't go downstairs. Not sure how often I will go back, I got lost driving in, and driving out.

I have been to NE Mobil Bookfair and once was enough. I love all the books, but the way they are stored, and trying to find anything -- forget it.

We have both a Borders and B&N in Nashua, they are fine - though I love the fact that you can browse the catalog of any Borders on-line. I can determine if I should go to pick up what I want, or just order it to be held at the store.

There is a good Indie store in Milford, NH called The Toadstool and they have an agreement with a UK distributor and they order and stock books from the UK and don't charge for shipping.

I actually *love* the New England Mobile Book Fair. It's probably because I'm a librarian and have been working in libraries (with the requisite classification systems) for over 10 years. The chaos of it all re-invigorates my desire to read actual books. I can browse willy-nilly without any fear of knowing that as soon as I turn a corner, I'll be in the HQ 76.3 section, for example. The place has liberated me.

Also, their children's and YA paperback selection is out of this world!

What I do when I'm looking for something specific is to print out my LT wishlist (titles I've tagged with "wishlist"), making sure that whatever view I'm working with has the publisher listed as well as title, cover image, and author. Since most everything is organized by publisher and then title, that seems to work for me.

I've gotten some truly wonderful and unexpected books from MacIntyre & Moore in Davis Sq. Since the Avenue Victor Hugo on Newbury closed a few years ago, M& M has definitely become my favorite. I also go to the Harvard bookstore and Shoenhof's, and then I get a fair number of books from amazon, actually, if I am looking for someting specific (or knitting related).

Harvard Book Store in Harvard Square is excellent. Great remainder section in the basement.

Pandemonium Books in Central Square is great for SF, fantasy and horror.

Another City-Wide Friends of the Boston Public Library Booksale tomorrow, 10/7/06, the first Saturday of an even month. 10 to 4 in the Mezzanine Conference Room.

There is also a book store in Roslindale, MA called Village Books. It is a nice little book store with a choice selection. If you are one to support an independant bookstore it is worth the trip

I tend towards Harvard Bookstore. My shelves are filled with books that I probably wouldn't have picked up if I hadn't found them remaindered there. Also, their readings and events are excellent, and for me conveniently located. I had a friend who recently went to see Hodgeman at Brookline Booksmith, and from her account they just didn't have any idea what they'd be in for. Not enough space, not enough books.

Generally speaking, though, I restrict myself to there as a means of keeping myself in check. If I only allow myself books from one store, even if I find myself browsing elsewhere, I stop myself from buying a book everytime I'm in a store. And if I do go with a title in mind that I can't find, the Harvard Coop is close enough to fill the gaps.

I just discovered the Lucy Parsons Center in the South End (one Columbus Ave. near Mass. Ave.) Their selection is limited, but I've found a lot of interesting stuff, and the people and events are great. They have a Web site, lucyparsons.org, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be working at the moment, so this will have to substitute.

After them, I'm torn between Brookline Booksmith, which is relatively convenient for me, and Harvard Bookstore, whose events always catch my eye.

My wife and I used to get in to Boston/Cambridge a couple of times a year. With parenthood, this has dropped off in recent years to, well, basically, never.

I'm saddened by the news that Wordsworth is gone. (Heck, there's still a gap in my life from the loss of AVH.)

So: what are the top (used) bookstores to hit during a day-trip to Harvard Square?

And where is the Cambridge branch of Raven? (I know them from Northampton.)

AsYouKnow_Bob:
My two must-hit Harvard Square stops are Harvard Bookstore and Raven (which is on JFK Street just past where it intersects with Mt. Auburn, across the street from Staples). Harvard Bookstore's big 20% off sale on everything is November 5, so if you've got a frequent buyer card you can put that to good use!

Jbd1, my two must-hits are different, but not used bookstores -- Grolier Poetry Bookstore, just down from the Harvard Bookstore, and Barefoot Books (for kids) just north of the square on Mass Ave. The Barefoot books is right near the Harvard Natural History Museum, so if you're looking for a post-parenthood outing with the kids, Barefoot and the Natural History Museum can be a really big hit! (There's also Curious George, still, but I prefer Barefoot).

So, Asyouknow_Bob, you've now got four must-hits. I'll bet the number goes up from here!

Does Rockport count as "Boston-area"? If so, I'd like to recommend Toad Hall Bookstore. Growing up, my family and I would take day trips to Rockport in the summertime and that bookstore was always a favorite stop on our walk around town. It still is, or atleast I hope it is - it's been a few years since I've made the trip. They had this great spiral staircase and a wonderful children's section.

jbd1, A_musing, MMcM:

Reporting back:

We did a Boston "book trip" and hit:

- the BPL bi-monthly sale
- Pandemonium. (ladypeter at #42, I don't know if anyone actually answered you, but Pandemonium has a good selection of both new and used. I'm an SF collector, and found it still worth a stop. We found a parking space immediately behind them.)
- Grolier
- Harvard Book Store
- the little "Revolution" (Avakian/RCP...) shop on Mass. Ave.
- Raven.

Enough for one day.

A cold Saturday in February meant that parking was not quite as insane as it's been on some trips.

We profoundly miss WordsWorth and AVH.

Up-thread MMcM mused about a 'Boston nostalgia' thread - I'm in.

And could someone post an address and/or a link to MacIntyre & Moore in Davis Square?

http://www.mcintyreandmoore.com.

(An extra a slipped in to some of the references above.)

(An extra a slipped in to some of the references above.)

That would do it. Thanks, MMcM. (We do seem to be crossing paths frequently....)

I can actually find that: I'll have to add it to the itinerary for next time.

(Speaking of 'Boston nostalgia' - I'm thinking that I recall McIntyre & Moore from my pre-parenthood trips to Harvard Square, but I'm not remembering where, exactly.)

AsYouKnow_Bob's report reminded me that I had read last week that Pandemonium was in danger of going out of business. Apparently they have until the end of the month to satisfy the IRS & their creditors.

I don't want to spam these forums, but I thought some people here might be interested in a note and a link to further information.

AsYouKnow_Bob - yes, Mac & Moore used to be in Harvard Square (at least that's what I've heard, it was before my time in Boston); they're in Davis Square now.

That's right, on Mt. Auburn St. near where it and Mass. Ave. and Putnam all run into one another.

daschaich @59 - thanks for the link to 'Pandemonium' news, that was certainly interesting.

Since no one seems to be reaching very far back into nostalgia-land, I will. I don't necessarily remember Harvard Square's old bookstores as much for their collections as for their atmosphere. The Pangloss. The Bookcase on Church St.--it was the first used bookstore I had ever been in, as a freshman, and the first book I bought there was Par Lagerkvist's *The Sibyl*, a copy which was falling apart even then, but which now is almost as dusty itself as that basement floor. The Starr. I had to leave Boston five years ago after half a lifetime there to move to the midwest, and I have to admit losing the bookstores is one of the worst bits.
As far as bookstores which still exist, Mc and Moore, yay! They say that the hot spot for drawing customers into a store is a few feet in, to the right of the door, and what do they shelve there? Greek and Latin texts! Ha! (unless they've changed. . . ?)
I don't think anyone has mentioned Schoenhof's, but to those of us who need it, it's a national treasure. That's my piece--thanks for listening.

One of my favorite college professors recommended Schoenhof's to me for continuing education after I finished taking the only two Greek classes offered at my alma mater. I was looking for an Ancient Greek-English copy of the Bible and I think Schoenhof's had about a half-dozen. I had a lot of fun poking around in there and I ended up with a Nestle Arand copy of the New Testatment that for some reason I cannot input into LibraryThing, but since I'm still fairly green at this LT business, I'll bet it something so obvious I'll embarass myself when I find out.

I've started a new Bookstore Nostalgia topic.

Hi!
I've got a favor to ask y'all Bean-towners.

I've got a Group here called Favorite Bookstores. You could do the rest of the LTers a great service if you were to do reviews of individual book stores over in there. A sample subject line should look something like:

Massachusetts, Boston, Toad Hall Books

Then in the message, you could explain that it's really in Rockport, which is ~n~ miles northeast of Boston, and anything else you 'd like to say about it.

When LTers travel, they could see which bookstores are recommended by the locals for any given city.

Thanks!

I recently came across an article which says that McIntyre and Moore's lease only has one more year left on it. The article can be found here. Does anybody have any more information? I'd hate for them to move again, I love their spot in Davis Sq.

Boy the comments on that article are fascinating - Michael McIntyre even gets involved. Check it out.

It'd be a shame if it closed.

I'd be very sad if McIntyre and Moore went out of business. I have been frequenting it since its Mt. Auburn St. days.

For those going to Cambridge, you could park in Central Square, hit both Rodney's (excellent used book assortment on two floors) and then Pandemonium right around the corner. Then hop on the subway to Harvard Square to hit the stores there....

Sounds good, except for the "you could park in Central Square" bit. =)

Actually, there are a number of parking lots within two, three blocks of the bookstore -- they're not very visible from Mass Ave, all being one block North or South of it. There's even small lots right behind Pandemonium, though I don't know how reliably empty they are.

Check out Google Maps and you'll spot the lots easily....

Note: I'm not an employee or related to an employee of either Rodney's or Pandemonium, I just like 'em!

Since I moved to Brookline, I've been a huge fan of Brookline Booksmith. Their readings are great, the weekly emails are packed with tons of info, and I love the behind-the-scenes info on their blog. I feel bad when I use my Barnes & Noble credit card there, but if Booksmith could give me points to use on more books like B&N can, I'd be all over that.

As far as the NE Mobile Bookfair goes... I love how haphazard it is. The fun of it is just wandering the stacks; it makes you feel like you've really discovered a book.

The Rodney's in Coolidge Corner is closing, so everything is 50% off. Things are reduced in Cambridge, too, I think.

As I understand the venue hints so far, it'll actually be closer to the Bryn Mawr Bookstore.

Oh what a thread! I'm ready to get on a plane and come home! I now live in a California city with NO BOOK STORES. The joys of a weekend book store crawl are a very distant memory.

In the nostalgic bookstore mentions earlier in the thread I'm surprised to see that there was only a fleeting reference (in 63) to The Starr Bookshop. Its original location was in the Harvard Lampoon building (the flat end, on Plympton) for many, many years. The Lampoon was always trying to get rid of it - they wanted more office space. There was a small upstairs room, but most of the store was in the basement. A cousin had the Starr Book Store over in the old leather (garments and shoes, not S&M, you perv) district in Boston, not far from South Station.

I remember well when McIntyre & Moore first opened in the building directly facing the Starr - all except the date! I think it was summer of '82. Possibly '83, but no later. They were NOT on Mt. Auburn Street but on Plympton, between Bow and Mt. Auburn. A very small shop with large front windows. When I knew him, Mike McIntyre used to occasionally hang with Marc Starr up at, oh, what was the name of that dreadful Chinese restaurant on Mass Ave., with the bar upstairs that served Scorpion Bowls and had a beers of the world club? And the exterior painted the color of Pepto-Bismol? Kinda near Bartley's Burger Cottage? You go up Plympton to Mass. Ave and turn right and it's a block or two. Maybe it's still there (frightening thought).

Anyway, I'm glad Mac & Moore are still in business. I understand the Starr Book Shop finally got pushed out of the Lampoon building, was on Arrow Street for a while and is now on Mass Ave.

I mourn The Bookcase and its wacky Annex, Wordsworth (bought all my Barbara Pym there) and Pangloss.

And please, buy lots from the Bryn Mawr Bookstore, as the alumnae are raising money for scholarships. They gave me a pile for my undergrad work at Bryn Mawr. (Thanks again, sisters.)

Back in the early '80s, I remember seeing the claim that Cambridge had more bookstores per capita than any other place in the world. Wonder whether that's still true. Hope so.

I only found out today that the Commonwealth Books store in Kenmore had been replaced by a Symposium Books a few weeks ago (they still haven't replaced all the signs, or apparently received all their stock).

They seem to do mostly overstock from independent and academic publishers, and I noticed some interesting books, all at 40-60% the cover price. Anybody more familiar with them?

That's got to be a tough spot with B&N right across the street (and so many other stores not far away).

Maybe Im not so uber but I get huge discounts for being a teacher so I go to Borders and Band N. I like the Borders on Boyleston. Its the easiest one. B and N in the mall, also easy but ppl move too fast there!

Thank you, everybody. As of today (1/2/2008), I am a new arrival to Cambridge. I will refer back to this thread frequently.

I have a new favorite book source.

It turns out that the Boston Public Library has audiobooks you can download. So for my car listening, I can now just download from the library.

Boston Book Annex on Beacon Street near the Brookline border has a 50 percent off sale going on until the weekend, in case anyone's interested.

I just hit that sale Tuesday - it ENDS TODAY!

They have a lot of literature - they are clearing out the rare book store's backlog in JP.

Update to #67 in today's Somerville News: McIntyre and Moore will close / downsize when the lease runs out.

#83: Ouch!

On the other hand, I guess that's my cue for a Boston/Cambridge book run.

I finally checked out Symposium Books today and I like it a lot. Decent prices and some very unique titles. According to their website, they're based out of Rhode Island, but it seems like its mostly internet business. Is this there first store (in the Boston area or in general)?

Well, their contact page lists a store in Providence in addition to the online store. Using the Google Maps street view (which I still have trouble believing could actually exist, despite the evidence), it looks like a very substantial location.

#83- MacIntyre & Moore is going to move to Porter Square/Mass Ave. below Bob Slate, where the Bookcellar Cafe used to be. Yay!

Is the book store front on West St. a movie prop?

We're all guessing so ... it's been perplexing us all for the last few days, but we can't think of anything else it could be. Good name for a shop though, Fezziwig's ...

Does anyone know of a book store that sells--and more importantly, would buy--used foreign books? I've just made a deal to buy a large collection of Czech books that I really only want a small part of, and I need to get rid of the rest of them. I could leave them in the trash cans at North Station, but I think MBTA police--and my mother--would be all over me. I can call up Rodney's, but it's not exactly their forte.

> 90: Try Schoenhof's Books in Harvard Square (617 547 8855). That's by far your best bet.

> 91 Thanks.

Rodney's in Central Square is closing now, too. 50% off.

Misery.

Whoa! What? How can Rodney's be closing?!?!? I like the 1/2 off part but, wow, that's really a drag.

Thanks for the info, MMcM.

Lame Duck Books is closing their Harvard Square shop. 50% off below $1K.