From: ncramer@bbn.com (Nichael Cramer)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.books
Subject: R.A.B BOOKSTORES LIST: CAMBRIDGE/BOSTON
Date: 27 Aug 1992 10:42:22 GMT
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Interzone Office
Reply-To: ncramer@labs-n.bbn.com (Nichael Cramer)
NNTP-Posting-Host: bbn.com


	 R.A.B BOOKSTORES LIST: CAMBRIDGE/BOSTON [Updated: 27AUG92]

This is a list of many of what are, to my mind, some of the better/larger/
more important bookstores in the Cambridge/Boston area.  I've tried to be
somewhat selective and this list is far from exhaustive.  Each entry
contains the name of the bookstore, address and (if appropriate) nearest
T-Stop together with a short description of the bookstore.

Sections: GENERAL/FULL-SERVICE BOOKSTORES
	  USED BOOKSTORES
	  UNIVERSITY (BOOKSTORES AND PRESSES)
	  POETRY
	  FOREIGN BOOKS
	  THEOLOGY/RELIGION 
	  CHILDREN'S BOOKS
	  TECHNICAL BOOKSTORES
	  MISCELLANY
	  MAGAZINES, ETC.
	  RELATED NON-BOOK STUFF

 o I've received lots of excellent comments, etc.  I've incorporated a
   great deal of this below, sometime quoting wholesale if I knew nothing
   about the store in question or there was a significant difference of
   opinion.  Also, I have kept a list of all comments (which is actually
   twice the length of the original list) and will be glad to email on 
   request.  

 o CONCERNING HARVARD SQUARE [Hereafter: HSq]:
   In this list there is a lot of emphasis on Cambridge, and in particular
   on Harvard Square.  I'm assuming that most people using this list
   (tourists, weekend-visitors, etc.)  probably want the biggest
   book-buying bang per buck.  And around here that clearly means Harvard
   Square.

 o BTW, Most HSq bookstores carry the "Bookstores of Harvard Square" guide.
   Pick up a copy; it'll make getting around a whole lot easier.

 o Information concerning phone numbers, discounts, etc. is intended to be
   correct and up-to-date.  However I'm only human, so all Standard
   Disclaimers[tm] apply.


-------------------- GENERAL/FULL-SERVICE BOOKSTORES

WORDSWORTH, 30 Brattle St. [TStop=HSq Ph=354-5201] 
The flag-ship of HSq book shops. 100,000+ titles.  All books (except texts
and special orders) discounted (10% off paperbacks, 15% off hardcovers
(except texts) and 35%? off on NYT bestseller hbs) Knowledgeable, friendly
staff.  Open early, open late (Mon-Sat 8:30-11:30, Sun 10-10:30).  Recently
expanded.  Also recently opened a separate posters/calendar shop down the
street.  If you have time for only one stop, come here.


HARVARD BOOKSTORE, 1256 Mass Ave. [TStop=HSq]
Full-service bookstore.  Nice classical and remaindered sections.  A fairly
good used-book section in the basement.  (In spite of name, not associated
with Harvard so far as I know.)  Currently doing a stamp-your-ticket-for-
every-$10-and-get-30%-off-you-next-purchase-after-ten-stamps sale.


HARVARD COOP, 1400 Mass Ave. [TStop=HSq Ph=492-1000] Pronounced "koop".  
The official "college bookstore" of Harvard. Three floors of books.  (Also
clothes, school supplies, etc.) Currently has 10% discount even for non-
coop-members (text probably not included).  Good source for that weird anthro 
text you've always wanted. Also has a good music store and poster shop.

M.I.T. COOP, 3 Cambridge Center.  [TStop=Kendall Sq Ph=491-4230]
The (smaller) M.I.T. analogue of the above.


BARILLARI BOOKS, One Mifflin Place. [TStop=HSq Ph=864-2400] 
Another largish HSq bookstore.  Overall: ho-hum.  A weird case.  In 99% of
the world, this would no doubt be the best place in town.  But here it just
comes off as another Wordsworth wannanbe.  Upstairs is primarily a
coffee-table book shop.  Pretty nice children's selection.  Also has an
espresso bar, and patio if your tastes run that way.  Also they're open
late, too (ala Wordsworth).

[I tend to agree, but they seem to have instituted a permanent policy of
25% off on every new (non-remaindered) book except for 35% on NYT
bestsellers. If on a serious binge, that extra 10-15% over Wordsworth can
add up...although you'll probably have to go to Wordsworth to find what you
can't find there. --tyg]


CHARLESBANK BOOKSHOP, Kenmore Square, Boston.  [TStop=Kenmore Sq]
*Huge* store.  Contains, as a single component, the Boston University
Bookstore.  Books, magazines, maps, etc. etc.

[Better than either the Harvard or MIT Coop's for serious non-fiction.
Also a place of last resort for obscure technical volumes (they had the
only copy of a Human Genetics text in the city). --William Loos]


HARVARD BOOKSTORE CAFE, 190 Newbury Street, Boston.  [TStop=Copley Sq]
Restaurant and bookstore in one.


WATERSTONES, Corner of Exeter and Newbury, Boston.  [TStop=Copley Sq]
The Boston branch of the famous London bookstore.  Again, hmmm...  I dunno.
Very tony: lots of nice carpets and pretty bookshelves.  Plenty of books,
but they could have made the store one-third its present size.  A friend
summed it up best: "A nice bookstore, not a great bookstore".


NOTE: There were requests that the following be included.  To my mind
      they're here more for completeness sake than for any other reason.

BORDERS' BOOKSTORE (in Framingham, RTE9, near Shoppers' World.)
Another instantiation of the growing mega-chain.  I've not been to this
one, (although I've been to the one in Indianapolis).  My advice: don't
make a special trip, but if you're trapped (way!) out west, this'll
probably be your best bet.

READING INTERNATIONAL, 47 Brattle St.  [TStop=HSq Ph=864-0705]
I'm afraid I don't care much for RI although a lot of people seem to like
it.  They remodeled a year or so back and the net effect seems to be a
drop in the number of books by about 1/3.  Some people see it as low-key
and more layed back; I see it as blah.  Take your pick.  Reasonably good
magazine selection.

BARNES AND NOBLES, Downtown Crossing, Boston.
A giant example of the famous chain.  Again, there are better places
around, but if you're trapped downtown check it out.

-------------------- USED BOOKSTORES
[NOTE: Often the phrase "used book store" is used to mean something like
       "paperback junk shop".  This is not true in these cases; Harvard
       Square alone has four great used book shops.]

PANGLOSS BOOKSHOP, 65 Mt Auburn. [TStop=HSq Ph=354-4003]
Focus on humanities and social sciences.  Seems to be primarily hardback.
Weird double shelving scheme.


MCINTRYRE AND MOORE BOOKSELLERS, 8 Mt Auburn St. [TStop=HSq Ph=491-0662]
General used books.  They have an excellent selection of history and other
non-fiction, but their fiction section is relatively small.  My personal
favorite (i.e. I can find something here I want a tad more often than the
other places listed).


THE BOOK CASE (AND ANNEX), 42 Church St. [TStop=HSq Ph=876-0832]
Your average college-town used book shop gone mad.  Upstairs has a lot of
old stuff (posters, postcards, etc).  The downstairs (where the majority of
the books are) is not for the claustophobic.


STARR BOOKSHOP, 92 Plympton. [TStop=HSq Ph=547-6864]
In the back half of the Harvard Lampoon building.  Be sure to check out the
"new" used book section (i.e. first dibs before these new acquires get
shelved --this seems to be a default place to dump review copies).
Surliest staff on the east coast.


BRATTLE BOOKSHOP, 9 West St, Boston. [TStop=Park St]
Ancient.  Also has "antiquarian" paraphernalia; e.g. autographs, etc.  Nice
old/used magazine selection.  

[Again, strongest on history and other non-fiction.  Most of their
paperbacks are $3/1 on a big unsorted table; you can usually find some good
ones if you take the time to weed through it. --Sandra Loosemore]


AVENUE VICTOR HUGO, 339, Newbury St, Boston. [TStop=Hynes Convention 
                                                     Center/I.C.A.]
[The best in Boston for used science fiction but they have much more.  The
shelves are about 12 feet high set in rows 40 or 50 feet long.  The sf is
half of one row (hardcover on one side, paper on the other), which is a
huge selection , but only about 10% of the total.  (And not just run of
the mill sf either -- in one haul there I found four by William Morris,
two by Charles Williams, and one by George MacDonald.)  The overall
selection contains something of everything.  This is the place where *I've*
found more stuff than any other.  The prices though tend toward the high
end.  --William Loos] 


HOUSE OF SARAH BOOKS, 225 Hampshire St., Cambridge. Ph: (617) 547 - 3447;
[Small but *quite* good -- all the stock is in good condition (*and* very
well ordered, which helps immensely).  There tends to be a wide variety of
topics with comparatively fewer in each topic.  However, fiction, general
religion, and history are fairly large.  A specialty is Women in Religion
(get it?  "House of Sarah" as opposed to the "House of Abraham").  The
owner is also quite nice.  The prices on balance are toward the low end of
this group of stores.  --William Loos]


BRYN MAWR BOOKSTORE, 373 Huron Ave.  [Ph=661-1770]
[A wide selection.  All profits go to establish scholarships at Bryn Mawr
and for this reason they don't buy books but only accept them as donations.
One result is that a portion (but only a minority) of the books are not in
as good condition as one would like.  Another is that everything is
significantly cheaper, being closer to 1/3 list price rather than the 1/2
which is the norm.  --William Loos]
	

ZEMBLA BOOKS, Davis Square, Somerville.  [TStop=Davis Square]
[Pleasant small store w/used books, some good finds in the way of new review
copies.  Plus a truly literary weekly in-store quiz. -- Mark Eckenwiler]

[Yet another good small one.  It's most like the House of Sarah, in size,
price, and quality of books.  Being small, it's easier to keep things in
order.  All the books are in good condition and the prices tend towards the
lower side.  A good chance of finding something.  --William Loos]

-------------------- UNIVERSITY (BOOKSTORES AND PRESSES)

HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS DISPLAY ROOM, 1354 Mass Ave. [TStop=HSq Ph=495-2625]
The name says it all.  A whole *roomful* of Loeb Classics (at a small
discount, even).

[More than a small discount.  There's a whole section of books discounted
due to damage.  However, the damage is often slight.  It's worth checking
out, though the amount that different books are discounted seems to vary
wildly.  My impression is that it has to do with how long they've been
trying to unload a given book.  Very nice staff here also ...  --William
Loos] 


MIT PRESS BOOKSTORE 292 Main St.  [TStop=Kendall Square Ph=253-5249]
'nuf said.

-------------------- POETRY

GROLIER BOOK SHOP, 6 Plympton St. [TStop=HSq Ph=547-4648 or 1-800-234-POEM]
I don't know what all to say about Groliers.  As the sign on the door says
"minimum of prose".  Poetry to the ceiling.  Like Ralph, if Louise doesn't
have it --or know about it-- you can probably get along without it.  Has to
be seen to be believed.  (BTW, they also do mail/phone/fax orders.)


-------------------- FOREIGN BOOKS

SCHOENHOF'S FOREIGN BOOKS, 76A Mt Auburn St.  [TStop=HSq Ph=547-8855]
Foreign language books; literature, non-fiction, language learning, etc.
160 languages in reference section.

[I don't think the listing really does this place justice.  Simply put, this
is THE foreign bookstore for the entire east coast.  Smartest sales staff
in HSq, bar none.  --Mark Eckenwiler]


[See also Loeb classics at HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS DISPLAY ROOM, above]


-------------------- THEOLOGY/RELIGION 
[NOTE: These stores are not "Religious" bookstores, per se; rather they are
       bookstores that function as sources for the many seminaries and
       religious schools in the Greater Boston area.]

DIVINITAS, 5 Magazine St.  [TStop=Central Sq Ph=354-1114]
Nice selection.  Often has good prices on remaindered/damaged books.


HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL BOOK STORE, Francis St. [TStop=HSq]
Again, name says it all.


MASSACHUSETTS BIBLE SOCIETY BOOKSTORE, 41 Bromfield, Boston [TStop=Park St]
Smallish.  Very "bible" oriented.


ISRAEL BOOKSTORE, ?? Harvard Street, Brookline.  
[More specialized, but worth mentioning.  In their domain, they have an
excellent selection.  They give Starr a good run for least helpful staff,
though.  --Jonathan Delatizky]

-------------------- CHILDREN'S BOOKS

CHILDREN'S BOOK SHOP, 237 Washington, Brookline.  [TStop=Brookline Village]
Excellent selection.


SAVANNA BOOKS, 858 Mass Ave.  [TStop=Central Sq Ph=868-3423]
(Note: I've never actually been here, but I've been told it's quite good.)

[My impression is that they have children's books from all over the world,
with special emphasis on the Third World and Africa in particular.
--William Loos]

[See also BARILARI and WORDSWORTHS above]


-------------------- TECHNICAL BOOKSTORES

QUANTUM BOOKS, 4 Cambridge Center. [TStop=Kendall Sq Ph=494-5042]
Large selection of physics, math, etc.  Rather computer-heavy.

[They will give a 10% corporate discount, depending on where you work.
I buy all my technical texts there, since the Wordsworth discount
does not apply to textbooks.  -- Dennis A. Franciskovich]

[See also MIT COOP and MIT PRESS BOOKSTORE above.]


-------------------- MISCELLANY

GLOBE CORNER BOOKSTORE, 49 Palmer St.  [TStop=HSq Ph=497-6277]
Travel books, maps (USGS, ATC, NOAA, DMA), globes, atlases, related
paraphernalia...  If you're having trouble getting around Cambridge/Boston,
this is the place for you.  A branch of the original store, which is 
at the (suprise!) corner of School and Washington in downtown Boston.


SEVEN STARS, 58 JFK St. [TStop=HSq]
Standard college-town occult/new-age bookshop.


GLAD DAY BOOKSTORE, 673 Boylston.  [TStop=Copley Sq]
I forget what the acronym stands for (Gay and Lesbian <something>).  On the
second floor so it can be a little easy to miss.  Has sort of a split
personality: as you enter, the back half is basically an adult bookstore.
The front is what one might call a full-service gay bookstore (i.e. they
seem to carry about any book available that has so much as a single gay
character).  Postcards, records, tapes, etc.


ASIAN BOOKS, 12 Arrow St.  [TStop=HSq Ph=354-0005]
Large selection of books, cards, prints, etc. on history, language,
literature, architecture, art, etc. of Asia and Islamic world.


NEW WORDS, 186 Hampshire St, Cambridge. [Ph=876-5310 TDD=876-3340]
[One block from Inman Square, down Hampshire St, towards Kendall Sq]
Feminist/women's bookstore.  Cards, journals, music.


KATE'S MYSTERY BOOKS, 2211 Mass Ave, Cambridge. [Ph=491-2680]
[If you're going to take the T you best shot is Davis Square.]
KATE'S is to mysteries what GROLIERS is to poetry.  The bottom half of a
house filled with books.  Great black cat collection.  Seems to have lots
of readings and signings.  (See if you can find the secret panel/doorway in
the back room.)


SPENCER'S MYSTERY BOOKSHOP, ?? Newbury St.  [TStop=Hynes Convention Center/
                                             I.C.A.]
[It's about a block down Newbury St. from the Avenue Victor Hugo.  The
selection and atmosphere isn't quite the same as Kate's, but it's a more
convenient location.  Both places have a good selection of used books, too.
--Sandra Loosemore]


REVOLUTION BOOKS, 38 JFK St.   [TStop=HSq Ph=492-5443]
Well, it _is_ Cambridge...

[It was suggested that I make clear that "revolution" in this context does
_not_ mean "as in 1776".  The store is run by the RCP (the Revolutionary
Communist Party). --NLC]

Others seem to prefer the following:

RED BOOK STORE, Jamaica Plain.  [TStop=Orange Line to Green Street]
Red Book has no formal political affiliation.


PANDEMONIUM BOOKS, 8 JFK St.  [TStop=HSq Ph=547-3721]
The kind little SF shop that you would expect to find in HSq. 

[On JFK over the Wursthaus.  Devoted to sf/fantasy/gaming and has 10%
discounts. They carry some specialty press stuff not available elsewhere
the Square.--tyg]

NEW ENGLAND MOBILE BOOK FAIR, 82 Needham St, Newton.
*Huge* warehouse of a store.  It has three sections: hardbacks, paperbacks
and remaindereds, each section being as big as any other bookstore you've
probably ever been in.  All at discount prices.  (Warning: except for a few
specialty sections, most books are sorted by Publisher alphabetical by
*TITLE*!  This makes browsing nearly impossible, and it can be pretty
overwhelming your first time there, but if you know what you want, it can
be a good deal.  Copies of _Books in Print_ all over the place.)  No one 
seems to why it's called "Mobile".


-------------------- MAGAZINES, ETC.

OUT OF TOWN NEWS, 0[!] Harvard Sq.  [TStop=HSq]
A Cambridge Fixture.  Newspapers from all over.  Good Magazine selection.


NINI'S CORNER.   [TStop=HSq]
Right across the street from OUT OF TOWN NEWS.  Better magazine selection.

See READING INTERNATIONAL above.

-------------------- RELATED NON-BOOK STUFF

There are also a lot of nearby sites you may want to check out.  

Henry (and Alice and William Sr and Jr) James' graves in Cambridge Cemetery.

"Authors Ridge" at the cemetery in Concord (the graves of Thoreau, Emerson,
L M Alcott and [?]).

Out at Amherst is the Emily Dickinson house and grave.

Walden Pond is just down the road at Concord.  If you come, be sure to
bring a rock with you (really!).  At the site of Thoreau's cabin is a cairn
of rocks that has built up over the years by people who have brought rocks
from their homes.

[Charlesbank, Wordsworth, Harvard Bookstore, Borders', and Kate's are very
strong on author appearances and readings and visitors might want to call up
and find out if anyone they're interested in is doing one while they're in
the area. Waterstone's may also be, but I'm less sure on them.  --tyg]
[Also, while there's no central local source for listing for readings, etc,
you can usually get some idea what's happening in the Globe's Weekend 
section (put out on Thursdays) and The Phoenix --NLC]

--------------------
Comments, corrections, additions, etc, from:

Ron Newman <rnewman@BBN.COM>
Sandra Loosemore <loosemore-sandra@CS.YALE.EDU>
tyg (Tom Galloway) tyg@hq.ileaf.com
Dave Murphy <djmurphy@wam.umd.edu>
Scott Drown drown@alliant.com
LOOS@Frodo.MGH.Harvard.EDU (William D.B. Loos)
eck@panix.com (Mark Eckenwiler)
Jonathan Delatizky <delatizk@BBN.COM>
Dave Murphy <djmurphy@wam.umd.edu>
gary@futon.SFSU.EDU (Gary Hoo)
Dennis A. Franciskovich (daf@loghost)

As always, corrections, comments, additions, etc., actively solicited. --N

Newsgroups: rec.arts.books