Showing 1-13 of 13 results
-
American Institute Of Architects Bookstore
Architecture buffs are in heaven in this sleek (and rather unusual) specialty shop, which stocks the latest architecture and design titles and periodicals. If you need a present for a hard-to-shop for architect, it also has a collection of unusual architecture-focused gifts.
-
Beyond Comics 2
Teens love this small shop crowded with scores of new and used comic books. Trading cards and heaps of action figurines from TV, movies and animation are also for sale.
-
Chapters
The best bookstore in this area is dedicated almost exclusively to literary fiction; it has one of the liveliest reading calendars in town and an active book club that meets monthly. Blocks from the White House, it is a favorite of white-collars as well as tourists.
-
Idle Time Books
Three creaky wooden floors are stuffed with used literature and nonfiction, including the best secondhand political and history collection in the city. Its sci-fi, sports and humor sections are top-notch, and there's a good newsstand in its front window. A sweet-tempered old cat patrols the upper floors.
-
Kramerbooks
With the Afterwords café and bar behind the shop, this round-the-clock bookstore is as much a spot for schmoozing as for shopping. You can listen to live bands, drink a pint, check email for free, nosh and flirt (the store is a fabled pick-up spot for straights and gays). This flagship independent features fine current literature, travel and politics sections.
-
Lambda Rising
This landmark in gay and lesbian DC sells CDs and videos, as well as books. The flyers and free giveaways near its door are a good way to learn about happenings in the local gay community.
-
National Building Museum
This museum shop is an amateur architect's dream with small pieces of furniture, rich coffee-table books, paper models of famed buildings, and a collection of books on American and international architecture.
-
Olsson's Books & Records
A local chain, Olsson's sells both books and music. Its indie mood is invigorated by a small army of book-obsessed employees ready to offer you great recommendations and opinions.
-
Politics & Prose Bookstore
Tucked away in a quiet corner of Northwest, Politics & Prose is famous with the literary set. Selling thousands of titles along with steaming mugs of chai, this independent bookstore is known for hosting brain-food readings and discussions on a regular basis. Best-selling authors Nora Ephron and Brad Meltzer (whose latest thriller is set partially in DC) have spoken here.
-
Second Story
Up to its eyeballs in dusty used tomes, this Dupont Circle fixture also offers used LPs and CDs, and a small stock of Asian antiques. It's a good place to stop on your way to the local cafés, and an impromptu pick-up scene flourishes among its shelves. It's such a beloved DC institution that Defense Secretary William Cohen wrote a cheesy poem in its honor ('Hieroglyphics heaped/in deep layers of ink...').
-
Advertisement
-
Trover Shop
This two-level goldmine is a DC institution for books, cards and gifts. It also has a wide selection of books on tape, which are rentable. Unsurprisingly, its section on politics is primo.
-
World Bank Infoshop
The controversial multilateral lender runs the excellent World Bank InfoShop, which sells a vast collection of books and documents on all aspects of development and economics.
-
Yawa Books & Gifts
The focus here is on the books - lots of 'em - addressing African American political, social and cultural issues. Sports, spirituality, sex - absolutely nothing is overlooked. There is also a good selection of fiction by African American writers.
Showing 1-13 of 13 results
