Let’s face it. Los Angeles is much more well known for its glitterati than it’s literati. It is a city populated by hundreds of thousands of wannabe actors, writers, directors and filmmakers. Strangely though, nestled in somewhere between the make-up trailers, dingy improv theaters, and smog checks stations are a surprising number of used bookstores that offer a classic shopping experience for book lovers looking to unearth literary gems, or to just browse lazily among the stacks. Here are five of the best used bookstores in the L.A.. area for shoppers looking for rare finds and, in some cases, great bargains.
Brand Books in Burbank
231 N. Brand Boulevard
Glendale, CA 91203
818-507-5943
Brand Books has been a Glendale institution for over twenty years. It’s worth the trip just outside the city limits to Glendale to visit Brand Books. They have an extensive selection of rare and used books on every imaginable topic. Most importantly, Brand Books offers books in good condition for affordable prices. Visiting Brand Books will make you remember what it was like to go to bookstores before Barnes & Noble and Borders took over the world. The owner of Brand Books rocks and will be happy to help you find whatever you’re looking for. If you’re in love with a book that you don’t think you’ll be able to afford, he often offers room to negotiate! This store is known for, among other things, its extensive collection of paperback science fiction classics.
Located in the glamorous West Hollywood section of the Sunset Strip, Book Soup will remind you of a classic New York City bookstore. Book Soup offers both new and used books and has a great selection of signed editions. Book Soup hosts an eclectic mix of authors for celebrity book signings. Recent appearances have included: Tommy Chong, Muhammed Ali, and William Shatner. They offer a good selection of used books regarding art, architecture, and entertainment studies. The Book Soup staff is extremely knowledgeable and willing to order any book that they don’t currently have in stock.
The Mystery Bookstore
1036-C Broxton Avenue
Westwood, CA 90024
www.mystery-bookstore.com
Located just a few blocks from the UCLA campus, The Mystery Bookstore has one of L.A.’s best selections of used, rare, and out-of-print mystery and crime fiction. The Mystery Bookstore carries more than 20,000 titles. They have in-store author readings and book signings several times a week. If you’re looking to browse around for a couple of hours, there’s a garage right next door that offers two free hours of public parking-unheard of in L.A. It’s a perfect place for the browser who’s too engrossed in sifting through old books to worry about feeding their meter! The Mystery Bookstore has thrived in Westwood despite being surrounded by bigger corporate chains catering to UCLA faculty and staff. They’ve been able to survive because their used and out-of-print selections are so extensive.
Iliad Bookshop
5400 Cahuenga Boulevard
North Hollywood, CA 91601
www.iliadbookshop.com/zencart
Do you remember when every bookstore worth its salt had a least a couple of kitties nestled in somewhere in the towering stacks? Iliad Bookshop, in the heart of Hollywood, specializes in used literature. Perhaps the most important and exciting feature of Iliad Books is the store’s hostess Zola, “the one-eyed pirate kitty.” Zola probably isn’t the only kitty you’ll run into at Iliad, but she’s definitely the most exotic. One of the special features of Iliad Books is the extensive selection of vintage, pulp-fiction style paperbacks. With an inventory of more than 100,000 books, you could easily get lost in the stacks for hours. And perhaps the best part of Iliad Books is that there are plenty of chairs to sit back in and peruse their selection. The staff at Iliad Books is friendly and relaxed, and willing to help you go digging for unique literary treasures.
Alias Books
1650 Sawtelle Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025
www.aliasbooks.com
Alias Books, formerly known as the West L.A. Book Center, has been stocking used, rare, and out of print books for nearly fifty years. They state that their focus is on literature and academic books, but in my experience, they carry titles on pretty much every topic that you can imagine. Particularly interesting is their wide selection of books on the occult. Alias Books also has an impressive array of classic children’s titles, many of them signed first editions. Alias is a place for people who love to talk about books. You many find yourself lingering there for hours, not just reading, but connecting with the staff and other patrons engrossed in book heaven.
