Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Harvard Book Store

    4.4 (369 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Harvard Book Store Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Harvard Book Store

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Chastity R.

    This charming bookstore has the feel of a classic bookstore. Creeky floors, tight spaces, and the smell of pages and pages of knowledge. The staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and super helpful. A huge variety of genre you could ever want. A good selection of merch. The prices are on par with everyone else. I just got a good, cuddly feeling in the place.

    Danielle F.

    A nice bookstore with lots of books and crannies stuffed with books. Used books and clearance are downstairs with new books, notebooks, puzzles, and gifts upstairs. There's a rewards program. The prices for used books are a little high - the Alice book I purchased was a bit over half of the original price of $16 with visible wear and tear. However you could spend lots of time looking in both floors. (Note that there are only stairs to get down.) It is quite crowded but the staff is friendly and helpful. Of course there are a lot of things in the area and it's worth a stop.

    Padma A.

    Books bring joy to most people ... although the bookstore has no relation to Harvard University it's just the most stocked up bookstore I have had the joy of visiting. There were 3 authors doing a book reading the evening I stopped by. Bought some books and will be sure to come back again.

    Outside
    Annie W.

    This is an awesome book store with a great atmosphere and super organized inventory. They have a lot of the newest and trending books, and the store is really easy to navigate and explore. My daughter especially enjoyed the teen section, which had reviews from the staff about which books they enjoyed. The staff is also super helpful and the store is quiet. We definitely could have spent hours in there, and not just because it was air conditioned on a hot summer day. They have a wide range of mystery, fiction, history, and any genre you want. I didn't spend much time in the used section, but the upstairs area has a lot of options. I would definitely recommend coming here, whether it's for quick browse or if you are looking for a specific book. The new books are around 15-20 dollars, and we purchased a novel for around 17.

    Outside
    Tiffany H.

    Great place to get books. Very charming old style book store. But to be honest, I just went to get a Harvard logo sweatshirt souvenir . They don't take Apple Pay, at the time i left the hotel w only my phone . So I had to borrow cash from a friend n Venmo . They take cash.

    Discounted Books Area
    Sunny P.

    Independent book stores are always a must stop in for me! This was one of the better ones I have been to. They had a huge selection of books and they were all very organized by genre and easy to find. They even had the rolling ladders for the taller shelves! I was more excited about the basement area where they keep the used and discounted books. I was able to get a couple cheap Agatha Christie novels that I haven't read before. This seemed like the spot that the locals shop at, but I would recommend stopping in even if you are just visiting!

    Doris H.

    Friendly staff. Well lit! Which is a plus since I have night blindness and can't handle low light environments like in many bookstores or shops. I was really happy to find some of Wallace Stegner's books from the used book section in the basement. The sorting system was easy to understand. Price was fair and condition good!

    Proof I was a customer

    See all

    11 hours ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    29 days ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    9 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 1
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kristin M.
    46
    71
    167

    10 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Padma A.
    326
    1514
    7102

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Luke H.
    1
    113
    4

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Alex M.

    Alex M.

    Thanks for visiting!

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Hszs J.
    0
    250
    160

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 3
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 2
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of S K.
    0
    29
    0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 7
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Esme H.
    868
    1276
    2036

    8 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 10
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Place is just massive and had a great selection at a variety of price points. I love this place, I will definitely be back.

    Business owner information

    Photo of Alex M.

    Alex M.

    Thanks for visiting! We'll see you next time!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Michael F.
    1401
    1429
    5014

    14 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Dawn E.
    730
    1184
    2080

    18 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    19 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Skye G.
    170
    894
    3278

    14 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    This is my favorite bookstore! Staff is very friendly. Nice selection of books. The used books are downstairs, and is large.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 10

    Ask the Community - Harvard Book Store

    Review Highlights - Harvard Book Store

    Walking around Harvard Square we happened upon this bookstore and my son saw a book he wanted in the window.

    Mentioned in 36 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Bookstores 3,826 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Rodney's Bookstore - Books

    Rodney's Bookstore

    4.2(95 reviews)
    0.2 miHarvard Square
    $

    We stumbled upon Rodney's while exploring Harvard Square area. We loved bookstores, so we had to…read morecheck it out. Wish we had more time! It is pretty big and they have a lot of books, but it was crowded, making harder to browse and navigate. As far as the selection goes, it wasn't our cup of tea. Which is OK. Schedule - every day 12-7 pm , Fridays and Saturdays stays open till 8 pm which is great! You are left alone to look at books, staff here doesn't come around to bother you which is a major plus! Prices are a tad high for a used bookstore. It's worth checking it of you're in the area and you're a fellow bookworm! It has a charming, cozy feel to it.

    Stopped there on the way out of town and spent about 40 minutes browsing. Parking was a little…read moreexpensive... it was a Sunday so we couldn't find street parking and instead opted to park at a little lot next door. Was about 6$ for 30 mins or 14$ for 1 hr... needless to say we spent a little more than 30 minutes browsing at the book store. They have a few very old books located next to the checkout point. Books on many hobbies and world religions as well as classics. They do have groups of reference books and thesaurus's (and while they may have been there... I noticed partial sets and only maybe 1-2 complete sets). Books are reasonably priced -- between 94 cents and 30$+. Store was pretty busy when we stopped by but that's exactly what I'd like with a used bookstore. They do accept donations and I surmise that the inventory turns over rather quickly.

    Photos
    Rodney's Bookstore
    Rodney's Bookstore
    Rodney's Bookstore - More books

    See all

    More books

    Harvard Book Store - bookstores - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...