Bookstore shopping in USA
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Schoenhof’s Foreign Books
Since 1856, Schoenhof’s has been providing Boston’s foreign-language-speaking literati with reading material. Special booklists keep regulars abreast of new arrivals in their language of choice, whether it’s scholarly or literary works, language instruction materials or children’s books. If you are wondering which languages and dialects are available, the official count is over 700, so Schoenhof’s probably has you covered.
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Hennessy + Ingalls
With its sleek shelves, snappy organization and eye-catching titles, Hennessey + Ingalls exudes a palpable cool. Approaching its 50th birthday, this indie favorite – which is dedicated to art and architecture – stocks everything from coffee-table books and fashion retrospectives to landscaping how-to tomes. If you happen to be looking for a gift for that hard-to-please artist in your life, this is the place to start.
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Chicago Comics
This comic emporium has won the ‘best comic-book store in the USA’ honor from all sorts of people who should know. Old Marvel Superman back issues share shelf space with hand-drawn works by cutting-edge local artists like Chris Ware, Ivan Brunetti and Dan Clowes (who lived here during his early Eightball days). Simpsons fanatics will ‘d’oh!’ with joy at the huge toy selection.
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57th Street Books
A serious university demands a serious bookstore, and as you descend the stairs to this basement-level shop you’ll know you’re in the right place. Its labyrinth of low-slung rooms makes up the kind of old-fashioned bookstore that goes way deeper than the popular titles. It has excellent staff picks and an exhaustive travel section. Seminary Co-op is the sister shop selling academic tomes.
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Abraham Lincoln Book Shop
This hushed, museum-like shop carries new, used and antiquarian books about Honest Abe, the Civil War and the presidency in general. If you want a real, Lincoln-signed White House memo – and have $30,000 to drop on it – you’ll walk out of here a satisfied customer. The knowledgeable staff regularly hold open round-table discussions with Civil War scholars.
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Open Books
Buy a used book here and you’re helping to fund this volunteer-based literacy group’s programs, which range from in-school reading help to adult creative writing courses. The expansive store has good-quality tomes and plenty of comfy sofas where you can sit and peruse your finds. It’s a particularly friendly environment for kids. Books average around $5.
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Seminary Cooperative Bookstore
This is the bookstore of choice for several University of Chicago Nobel Prize winners, including Robert Fogel, who says, ‘For a scholar, it’s one of the great bookstores of the world.’ The shop is owned by the same folks as 57th St Books. It’s planning a move (down the block to 5751 S Woodlawn Ave) at the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012.
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Borders Books & Music
This humongous Borders, right across from the Water Tower, is always crowded. Thousands of books, including lots of special-interest titles, are spread out over four floors. You’ll find a good selection of magazines and newspapers near the main entrance. There’s also a branch in Lake View. Both have free wi-fi.
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Harvard Bookstore
Family-owned and operated since 1932, the Harvard Bookstore is not officially affiliated with the university, but it is the university community’s favorite place to come to browse. While the shop maintains an academic focus, there is plenty of fiction for the less lofty, as well as used books and bargain books in the basement.
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Symposium Books
This is what bookstores used to be: there’s no café and there are no comfy couches, but there are floor-to-ceiling bookcases stocked with literature and scholarly books. The best part is that they are cheap, meaning 50% to 70% off the retail price, and staff are eager to assist devoted bibliophiles in finding a bargain.
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Quimby’s
The epicenter of Chicago’s comic and zine worlds, Quimby’s is one of the linchpins of underground culture in the city. Here you can find everything from crayon-powered punk-rock manifestos to slickly produced graphic novels. It’s a groovy place for cheeky literary souvenirs and bizarro readings.
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Myopic Books
Sunlight pours through the windows at Myopic, one of the city’s oldest and largest used bookstores. It rambles through three floors, serves coffee and hosts poetry readings (usually on Sunday evenings) and experimental music (on Monday evenings). In other words, it’s perfect.
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Larry Edmunds Bookshop
Every movie and TV book imaginable is crammed – sometimes haphazardly – onto the narrow shelves at this friendly shop that’s been around for 60 years. For everything from Kung Fu cinema to X-Files minutiae to Syd Field’s screenwriting tomes, look here first.
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Boulder Bookstore
Boulder's favorite indie bookstore has a huge travel section downstairs, along with all the hottest new fiction and nonfiction. The attached Bookend Cafe has plenty of seating indoor and out to make it an appealing hangout at any time of day, night, year.
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Bodhi Tree
Here since 1970, this cosy cottage of enlightenment carries an impressively broad range of spiritual-minded books – Buddhism, Christianity, astrology, shamanism – that’s attractive to students and dabblers alike. Psychic readings offered daily.
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Women & Children First
A feminist mainstay, this independent bookstore has been around for over 30 years. Book signings and author events happen every week at the welcoming shop, which features fiction and nonfiction by and about women, along with children’s books.
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Brookline Booksmith
Year after year, this independent bookstore wins ‘Best Bookstore in Boston.’ Customers love the line-up of author talks, the emphasis on local writers and the Used Book Cellar in the basement. Extra-long hours are also a perk.
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Powell’s
This leading store for used books can get you just about any title ever published. Shelf after heaving shelf prop up the well-arranged stock. Another outlet is located in Lake View.
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Europa Books
As the name promises, this store carries newspapers, magazines and books, primarily in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, but also in some non-European languages including Japanese.
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Barbara’s Bookstore
For serious fiction, you can’t touch this locally owned chain. Staff members have read what they sell, and touring authors regularly give readings.
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Globe Corner Bookstore
In new digs, the Globe Corner Bookstore specializes in travel literature, guidebooks and maps. There is no better selection of books about Boston and New England. It’s also a great source of topographical maps. Look here for the latest Lonely Planet guides.
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