Boston Shopping

Book shopping in Boston

  1. A

    Calamus Bookstore

    Calamus (aka Kalamos) – son of the Greek river god Maiandros – was transformed with grief into a reed when his lover drowned. The character (and the namesake plant) inspired Walt Whitman’s Calamus Poems, which celebrates gay love. And now, he has inspired Boston’s biggest and best GLBT bookstore. With a full calendar of author talks and art exhibitions, as well as a regular electronic newsletter, Calamus is not only a bookstore but also a community center.

    reviewed

  2. B

    Mcintyre & Moore Booksellers

    McIntyre & Moore is one of Boston's best and biggest used bookstores, with over 85,000 titles in 200 subject areas. Subject matter ranges from scholarly to New Age to fiction, with an excellent selection of children's books and even cookbooks. The well-organized place is great for browsing. Also home of the Davis Sq Philosophy Cafe, which meets here monthly (from 19:30 to 21:30, every third Tuesday).

    reviewed

  3. C

    Grolier Poetry Bookshop

    Founded in 1927, Grolier is the oldest – and perhaps the most famous – poetry bookstore in the USA. Through the years, TS Eliot, ee cummings, Marianne Moore and Allen Ginsberg all passed through these doors. Today, Grolier continues to foster young poets and poetry readers. Besides selling written and spoken poetry, the store hosts readings and festivals.

    reviewed

  4. D

    Trident Booksellers & Café

    Pick out a pile of books and retreat to a quiet corner of the café to decide which ones you really want to buy. You’ll come away enriched, as Trident’s stock tends toward New Age titles. But there’s a little bit of everything here, as the ‘hippie turned back-to-the-lander, turned Buddhist, turned entrepreneur’ owners know how to keep their customers happy.

    reviewed

  5. E

    Brattle Book Shop

    Since 1825, the Brattle Book Shop has been catering to Boston’s literati: it is a treasure trove crammed with out-of-print, rare and 1st-edition books. Ken Gloss – whose family has owned this gem since 1949 – is an expert on antiquarian books, moonlighting as a consultant and appraiser (see him on the Antiques Roadshow!).

    reviewed

  6. F

    Central China Book Co

    Tucked into a basement in the heart of Chinatown, this little bookstore carries fiction, reference and children’s books, as well as CDs and DVDs. The impressive inventory (over 100,000 titles) comprises almost exclusively Chinese-language products.

    reviewed

  7. Toad Hall Bookstore

    Socially responsible reading: buy your books here and the shop donates some of its income to environmental projects.

    reviewed

  8. G

    Coop

    Regional books, music and all sorts of souvenirs emblazoned with the Harvard logo.

    reviewed

  9. H

    Concord Bookshop

    An independent bookstore packed with good reads.

    reviewed

  10. I

    Yankee Book & Art Gallery

    Offers a selection of books on Pilgrim history.

    reviewed

  11. Advertisement