Cambridge has more than its fair share of great bookstores--new and used--and the Harvard Book Store is at the top of that list. One of the best selections of university press and small publisher back lists I've ever come across. I love this store! read more

I think this is greater Boston's best bookstore. A fantastic selection, including children's books, art and photography books, cookbooks, classics, textbooks, current fiction. Lots of events and author talks support the merchandise, the staff are friendly, they are efficient at ordering what you want. There is a book on demand printing machine (for books that are out of print or public domain, I think). read more

I haven't read consistently in years, but this bookstore is the kind of place whose charm lures you in such that you can't help but pick up a new book and not be able to put it back down. Part of this is selection and part of it is space: there's, in a fairly small area, a lot of books packed between the walls. The New Arrivals section brims with awesome (hand-selected?) picks, and the best-sellers are easy to find nearby. The other thing is space: you can just as easily grab a wooden box to sit in a corner somewhere as you can plump yourself on the built-in cushioned seats adorning some walls. Two of my recent digs are the eye opening charmer "Americanah" and the cerebral tearjerker "When Breathe Becomes Air", both of which I found easily and read comfortably in-store. If you're looking for one bookstore that can re-kindle (!) your love of reading, come here. read more

Simply go for the downstairs used book section. Best selection in the Boston Area, hands down. But make sure you have some money on hand, because there is no way you are leaving without buying something. read more

Love this bookstore.. great selection of books, good mix of discounted books, lots of book readings and other events going on. Very courteous and helpful staff too. read more

Very cool bookstore. 4 1/2 stars. Their e-mail updates on signings etc that are going on there are quite nice. The layout is pretty basic. I loved the used section downstairs. I almost always find what I am looking for there, though it's a tiny bit on the pricey side for used. read more

i love this bookstore. if i'm coming to the area for something, you could bet a vital organ i'll find an excuse to come by here too. there are so many things i want to buy! plus, the random extras they have are so fun to look thought (why yes, i would like "learning russian on 10 CDs"). plus, they have a great selection of used books, which, in my opinion, are so much better than new books. same content, just someone else has read it before you. :) i have a fairly long shopping list of things to buy there the next time i go. maybe i should just have my boss make out a solid chunk of my paycheck straight to "harvard book store." read more

Awesome selection of both new and used books. Prices standard for the area. I could spend alot of time here.

Really awesome bookstore. The downstairs (used books) is actually really well organized and the prices are good deals (cheaper than online!). I spent most of my time downstairs but what I saw of the main floor was clean and well-organized. read more

I love the Harvard Book Store. Wonderful, intelligently chosen selection. Much bigger inside than you'd think just from walking by. I like the way the store is organized, and I appreciate the staff comment cards and the rotating theme display inside the front doors. I always feel so smart when I shop there. read more

Such a great bookstore and it is huge. This is a local business very worth supporting. They have been in Harvard Square forever and are quite the landmark. This is a great meeting place as well as just a wonderful place to shop. read more

After reading the awesome reviews of the Harvard Bookstore, I was excited to add it to my itinerary from my most recent Boston trip. I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. They had a great selection of books on topics that I was interested in but they all were expensive. I found absolutely no deals like other Yelpers have described and, believe me, I looked. The atmosphere is very nice, however. I have a romanticism with tall library ladders like the ones in this bookstore. It feels old-worldly. read more

best bookstore in the business. fantastic, intelligent staff. anyone who disagrees is bratty and dumb. i might be a tad biased, though... read more

Despite upstairs being rather small and cramped, downstairs more than makes up for this. I want to live there, amongst the poetry and language sections. Someone set me up a tent. read more

it is cozy. i like the talks the store has been organizing. last time i went was for Amy Chua's new book. My husband read through her first two books, plus her new book. she is a good speaker. i will go to the store more often when this stressful semester is done. read more

Its a nice place to browse a collection of Harvard oriented texts - with a strong showing from the HBS press. Other than that its just one of the many clean well appointed Harvard Square bookstores! read more

This bookstore was so quaint! It was very crowded so it was hard to move around in there but they had a great selection of books and I bought a map of the area in there so I could make my way around, it is right across the street from Harvard University which is obviously a must-see. The woman who helped me find the maps was very polite and smiley. I would say this is a nice little place to stop by into and take a look around when in the area. read more

This is an awesome, locally owned book store with a great selection!

I was quite disappointed in the engineering section, especially as it relates to the "old economy". Clearly, there was little interest in populating books within topics involving industrial production and product development. Sorry. read more

Being a fan of indie bookstores really any brick and mortar bookstores is challenging these days. This is a Harvard Square veteran and I think it's changed hands in ownership a few times but remains solid. They have a diverse selection of new books plus book-stationary type gifts including the 7-year pens I love to give as gifts, on the first floor and the second floor is used books--a very wide selection. The bookstore is carefully and lovingly curated. If I lived closer I would get a frequent buyer card. The staff always are very nice and take questions even when busy and setting up for a reading. I think the used book department has certain hours for selling books which is pretty typical and reasonable. read more

Overall, I'm underwhelmed by their selection and prices. The used books downstairs are extremely overpriced, considering the condition and quality of most. I recommend Raven Used Books for high quality used books or Rodney's Bookstore in Central Square if you want to find a good deal. Also, last time I was in here, I had an unpleasant experience with an employee staring me down suspiciously as if I were about to walk out without paying. I love shopping at independent and used bookstores, but I will not be back here. read more

Excellent bookstore, knowledgeable staff. A great place to spend a few hours browsing books. Convenient location. Great author events.

For a person who loves books and going to the bookstore, this visit was a treat! However, it is expensive I was surprise how expensive. They carried customized Harvard backpacks, colligate sweat and tee shirts the usual college store things. read more

Good selection of books, and plenty of places to just sit down and read. If I happen to be in the area with some time to kill, this would be a great place to go. read more

Like an old friend, I passed by it every day, sometimes stopped, watching people got drunk there; sometimes rushed, with capturing their quiet figures. read more

Could not make it to Anna Kendrick book signing. Called them that night that I would not make it, gave them my information to have them ship me the signed book I had paid for, they charged my credit card for shipping, then never sent me the book. read more

I spent more than an hour just in the used book section downstairs! I loved the place!

This bookstore has a great feel to it, very different than barnes & noble, etc. Political pins at the counter, thoughtful and alternative staff recommendations on the books, interesting selection. Obviously it is not an enormous store, so the selection is limited, but that is part of the appeal - they make great choices in most fields and it is a good size for browsing through. read more

Best book store I've seen in awhile! For me the highlight was all of the book recommendations by employees that are scattered throughout the store. I loved their downstairs used and remainder book section! They also have a great selection of unique postcards/greeting cards, and some nice journals. read more

Not the place for a serious book collector, but if you are a reader of general books it is comparable to Borders. 99% of their used books are paperbacks. Used US history fills about 2 racks of 10 total shelves, world history about 1 rack of 5 shelves. The books are mixed, military next to politics next to social history. The new history books are similarly scarce, almost all paperback, and mixed together. The books are in very good condition, it just that the selection is poor. Compared to a chain like Half Price Books in Seattle, this is of significantly lower quality and quantity. Very disappointing. read more

Cheap graphic novels? Yes, please. The basement is the best! They also offer fair prices when buying books as well. Great author events...and they have a spiffy new website. Love it! read more

with so many independent bookstores going under today due to the migration to online purchasing, the Harvard Book Store is an amazing hold-out in this tightening market. At the bookstore, you can find most any book you are looking for with an amazingly broad stock of books as well as a basement full of older, more rare books as well. In addition to their amazing selection, they also have a great guest speaker series that is worth keeping an eye on as well. read more

Everything you want in a bookstore without the massiveness of Barnes & Noble. Their used selection is pretty decent and their new books area is large. It's across the street from Harvard (duh) so expect it to get packed, especially at the start of a semester. Staff is friendly, store is well organized and clean. read more

What a fun place to shop and browse. Found some great used books at some really good prices. Quite happy with the selection and overall store! read more

This is a fun bookstore with an excellent used and discount book section down in the basement. It's well organized and full of interesting sections. The prices are moderate and the used book prices are not bad at all. It's definitely worth a look. read more

Basically the best place to get books. I was drowned by the amount of books that were available so I just picked one up randomly and see how it goes. It was really good. "Our souls at night" is what it was called. Seems like the selection of book is also very good. 10/10. I'd come back every time I need a book read more

This bookstore has an awesome selection of titles (I was surprised to see they had quite a few Deleuze & Guattari books hard to track down at most bookstores & a great selection of east-asian lit:) I also appreciate the section downstairs with the remainders, I was able to find a Yoshitomo Nara art book for a fracton of the original price. read more

Their usually-free, never-expensive author lecture series is one of my favorite weekday night activities in the Boston area. The lecture venue is small and intimate. You won't have any trouble finding a seat for most readings, but you may want to show up 15-30min early for major speakers. They seem to have an event more nights than not and they attract authors of some of the most interesting new non/fiction in the country, as well as the occasional major pundit or politician. Make sure you buy the author's book in the store to support the HBS! Stay after the lecture to speak with the author and get it signed. Their summer warehouse sale is one of the best used book events in the area - definitely worth putting on your calendar. The daily used book selection in the lower floor is reasonably prices, but they rarely offer any cheap books. They do leave racks of very inexpensive books outside when the weather's nice - definitely worth browsing. read more

I love this book store. The large bookstores can not compare to this smaller one. Honestly, I do not think I have ever looked at the books on the main floor, I usually head straight downstairs for used books sections. I love browsing the large selection of used books. I have never walked into this book store and left empty handed. In fact I usually buy more books than I have time for, but I don't see this as a problem. They have everything you could want. I am now a owner of an ereader, but that will not prevent me from taking trips to harvard Book store. read more

My favorite independent bookstore. Perfect balance of academic and popular stuff, and they can order just about ANYthing in print. I've been a fan for twenty years, back before I moved to the area (this place and Wordsworth [rip] were always great for an afternoon looking through poetry, philosophy, and Dilbert books). read more