20 Best Independent and Used Bookstores Across the Country

If you ever wondered why old books contain that distinct smell that some of us can’t get enough of, it is due to “lignin– the stuff that prevents all trees from adopting the weeping habit– is a polymer made up of units that are closely related to vanillin. When made into paper and stored for years, it breaks down and smells good. Which is how divine providence has arranged for second hand bookstores to smell like good quality vanilla absolute, subliminally stoking a hunger for knowledge in all of us.”

There are tons of bookshops out there, but we have chosen the 20 best Mom and Pop shops across the country that will make you wanna get your lignin on.

Beer’s Books - Sacramento, CA

Address: 915 S St., Sacramento, CA 95814

Website: www.beersbooks.com

Time Tested Books - Sacramento, CA

Address: 1114 21st Street, Sacramento, CA 95811

Website: http://timetestedbooks.net/

Recycled Reads – Austin, TX

Address: 5335 Burnet Road, Austin, TX 78756

Website: http://www.recycledreads.org/

Changing Hands Bookstore – Tempe, AZ

Address: 6428 South McClintock Drive, Tempe, AZ 85283-3936

Website: www.changinghands.com

Riverby Books - Washington, DC

Address: 417 E Capitol St SE (between S D St & N 4th St), Washington, DC 20003

Website: www.riverbybooks.com

Books For America - Washington, DC

Address: 1417 22nd St NW (between N O St & N P St), Washington, DC 20037

Website: www.booksforamerica.org

Magus Books – Seattle, WA

Address: 1408 NE 42nd St, Seattle, WA 98105

Website: Magus Books Facebook Page

Powell’s City of Books – Portland, OR

Address: 1005 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97209

Website: www.powells.com

Ravenswood Used Books - Chicago, IL

Address: 4626 N Lincoln Ave (between Wilson Ave & Eastwood Ave), Chicago, IL 60625

Website: chibooks.blogspot.com

Kilgore Used Books and Comics - Denver, CO

Address: 624 E 13th Ave, Denver, CO 80203

Website: http://kilgorebooks.com/

Iliad Bookshop – North Hollywood, CA

Address: 5400 Cahuenga Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Website: http://iliadbooks.com/

Camelot Books – Fountain Valley, CA

Address: 18838 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Website: http://www.camelot-books.com/

Westsider Rare and Used Books – New York, NY

Address: 2246 Broadway (between 80th St & 81st St), New York, NY 10024

Website: www.westsiderbooks.com

Common Good Books – Saint Paul, MN

Address: 165 Western Ave N Ste 14, Saint Paul, MN 55102

Website: http://www.commongoodbooks.com/

Annapolis Bookstore – Annapolis, MD

Address: 68 Maryland Ave, Annapolis, MD 21405

Website: http://www.annapolisbookstore.com/

Wilson’s Book World -Saint Petersburg, FL

Address: 2394 Dr Martin Luther King Jr St N, Saint Petersburg, FL 33704

Website: http://www.wilsonsbookworld.com/

Crow Bookshop – Burlington, VT

Address: 14 Church St, Burlington, VT 05401

Website: http://www.crowbooks.com/

York Emporium – York, PA

Address: 343 W Market St, York, PA 17401

Website: York Emporium Facebook Page

Book Loft of German Village – Columbus, OH

Address: 631 S 3rd St, Columbus, OH 43206

Website: http://www.bookloft.com/

Left Bank Books – St. Louis, MO

Address: 399 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63105

Website: http://www.left-bank.com/

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