Still a bastion of sanity, art, culture and decency in Harvard Square and in a crazy world. I did…read moremy undergrad at Harvard, and spent many a day in this bookstore, and I spent many a hard earned dollar there too! That was when there were a dozen of bookstores in Harvard Square. Downstairs, a lot of great used books, at great prices. Wonderful selection, pretty cool special events, and a great staff. Highest of recommendations. No negatives whatsoever.

Harvard Book Store sits on Massachusetts Avenue in Harvard Square and has been a fixture of the…read moreCambridge intellectual landscape long enough that it functions as a landmark rather than just a retail destination. We walked past the large windows and stacked displays visible from the street, and they invited us in before we had made any decision to enter. Once inside, the floor to ceiling shelves and the density of the selection created an atmosphere that is difficult to rush through even when we came in with a specific title in mind. The main floor covers new releases, staff picks, and a broad selection organized by subject across fiction, nonfiction, and a range of specialized categories. The curation reflects the surrounding community in the best way, with titles that reward browsing beyond the obvious bestseller tables. Staff are knowledgeable and genuinely helpful when you want a recommendation or need to locate something specific, and the information desk handles navigation questions efficiently without making you feel like you are interrupting. The basement is where the store distinguishes itself most clearly from a standard bookshop. The used and remaindered book sections downstairs cover an enormous range at a fraction of the cover price, and the quality of the used stock tends to be high. Spending time down there is one of the more rewarding ways to move through the store, and we came up with something we were not looking for when we went down. The remaindered section in particular offers discounted new copies of titles that did not move at full price, and the selection rotates enough that regular visits continue to surface new things. For an independent bookstore that delivers on depth, curation, and genuine value in the basement, Harvard Book Store is a Cambridge institution worth returning to again and again. It is the kind of place where you go in for one book and leave with a stack, and that is exactly how a good bookstore should feel.

This is the best book store & cafe I've ever been too…read more Lovestruck Books & Cafe is a romance-focused bookstore and cafe in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that offers a curated selection of romance novels, from contemporary to "romantasy," alongside a cafe with coffee and pastries, and plans for an evening wine bar. It aims to be an inclusive community hub with events, author signings, and merchandise, featuring cozy reading nooks and a focus on diverse voices in romance but also an amazing children's book and sitting area that is perfection to every momma bear ! While in Boston I promised my mini I'd buy her a new book for her collection back home and this book store caught my eye while having a beautiful evening stroll with my love. Service is so sweet and kind , the set up is cozy and the smell of coffee and books is simply perfection. Value is fantastic as well ! I will always make a trip just for this store when in Boston and plan to bring my little one up for a long weekend , I can't wait to see what she picks !

I wanted to love this bookstore. But Lovestruck's love may be conditional…read more They display their "Best of Boston" signs on the doors. It's clearly for their merchandise and not the customer service. I walked in through the side door and first went to the cute kids section. I was pleased by the amount of books my nieces would see themselves represent in. I decided to walk around first before picking some out. I went around the store once to get the lay of the land and not feel overwhelmed, a then again to narrow in on things, so many things that I adored and wanted to buy. However... it became apparent to me that most of the people in the store were not customers, but were employees. 3-4 people behind the register and another 2-3 on the floor. Harvard Sq 2pm on a Tuesday during the summer. It wasn't busy. And yet not a single: -Hi/hello -Welcome! -Find what you're looking for? -Need any help? -Ready to check out? ( as I was near the register with items in hand) - *eye contact and slight smile No acknowledgment. So I put the items back and left.

The service was good and friendly. They have a great selection of books to choose from. I only…read morebought just a small Souvenir.

This is a really neat bookstore to go into. It is right off the Red Line stop at Kendall/MIT…read morestation. It is next to the museum too. It is a really cool shop to walk around and they separate their books by field (physiology, biology, etc). They did have some strange hours and the two staff members working felt very judge mental. They watched us like a hawk and listened in on our conversations.

I was on the quest for slingshot organizers when I discovered this book store. I arrived during…read moremovie night so it was pretty dim and I was trying to keep as quiet as possible as to not disrupt the attention of others. They had a great selection of book ,(some of which I am already familiar with and others that I need to go back to get) They are non profit in the true sense but do accept donations to help pay for rent and stuff. I always find it refreshing when I see establishments like this nestled between the starbuck's and the gap's. I just hope this one manages to stick around. They always seem to disappear so quickly.

this is a decent place, but be warned that despite all of the other accessibility features they…read morehave (a ramp, snacks, a bathroom), it's extremely hot in there with no air conditioning. i was sweating so hard that my arms were drenched, and i left without buying anything because it was too hot to think in there. i thought it would be a nice place to go after buying a book from them at an event, but this is a small upgrade from a shack.

When my friend said she wanted to go to this book store on our short trip to Boston, I was lowkey…read moreside eyeing her. But man oh man, I'm glad she made this one of our stops!! Walking up, there's an outdoor section with books for sale that is aesthetically pleasing. We didn't go through the books but I saw sales as low as $5 a book. This book store is one of a kind! There's 3 floors. The stairs to the second floor are beautiful. The top floor has an impressive collection of rare books. We spent 30 minutes just looking through all the titles and oooing and ahhhing at how awesome it would be to own them! This is a book lovers dream and honestly just stop by to see how cool it is!

Such a unique book store with book shelves outside. They had a large variety of books so there is…read moredefinitely something for everyone. Check their Instagram to make sure that the books are outside because it's such a cool experience. I will be returning next time I'm in Boston.

Definitely a book lovers bookstore. It's actually located in the alley where the early pilgrims…read moreobtained their freshwater in the early days of Boston. An absolute plethora of little gems to be found all over the place here Definitely the best bookstore that I saw in Boston

After a hearty lunch yesterday, we stopped by here to browse the plethora of used books. A…read moreselection of $1 books are stationed in front. Impressive use of a small space and decent organization of books by genre. One staff present, attentive and appeared ready to answer any questions. I enjoyed looking at multiple different shelves of books though I didn't end up buying any. My husband was actually looking for old copies of Edgar Rice Burroughs books: he did find some newer editions. Glad we stopped by!

As a socialist for many years, I was SHOCKED when I first came to this gold-mine!…read more Every socialist book from Marx, to Lenin, to Trotsky, and the 2nd International was there. The staff are super helpful on finding books and regularly host public meetings from book authors and general meetings on Marxism. I highly recommend this to everyone who is interested in socialism and wants to learn more!

This store has a good deal of books on politics, economics, and the social sciences in general--a…read morelot of them put out by independent publishing houses. The people who run the place are really friendly, sweet elderly folk. They also host free classes, lectures, movie screenings, and other events. It's a small store, but it carries a lot more social science books than the average bookstore. It's even better in this regard compared to the harvard coop, since the harvard coop's social science and philosophy shelves are cluttered with a lot of newly pressed pop junk whereas Bookmarx carries a good deal of the classic works and major writers. Go here if you're looking for social science/philosophy books and are sick of seeing covers with Sarah Palin's face on it the moment you walk into Barnes and Noble or Borders.

I've lived in the South End for about a year now and haven't done nearly as much exploring as I had…read morehoped to (school, always getting in the way!). So last weekend, boyfriend and I decided to stroll down Harrison to find Gaslight and get to know the neighborhood better. We passed Ars Libri and I was drawn to the stacks of books inside. Typically when stores have doorbells, you ring them...so we did. Soon after, a man let us in and left us to explore without giving us a snooty attitude just because we're on the young end of the spectrum--something I've encountered in many snobby art bookstores before. Before I could comprehend where I was, I noticed a large table amid the stacks with open bottles of wine so that, presumably, you could sit and sip on something as you read. Sweet, I thought. And then I realized that I had found the holy grail. Most people like art, so an art bookstore would be a cool thing to find. But as an art history major who is minoring in museum studies, the realization that the place was solely dedicated to books on art, ethnography, and architecture led me to hold in the loudest squeal that would have ever left my lips. I flitted from bookshelf to bookshelf, seeing titles that I had read excerpts from for school before but had never been able to hold in my hands. I was in heaven. The store is impeccably organized, and the selection is amazing. I didn't speak much to the shopkeep, who I understand is a book dealer, but I imagine that he could find anything you might ever be looking for. And depending on what you're looking for, the book prices are actually pretty reasonable; there were a couple of out of print titles that I had been stalking on Amazon for upwards of $50 that were for sale at Ars Libri for less than $30. Not bad at all, especially considering the fine quality and excellent condition they were in. I highly recommend this bookstore for any lover of books or art, or anyone looking to expand their horizons a bit. The space is beautiful and light, a soothing respite from the bustling city. I will most definitely be returning and hope to gradually fill my bookshelves up with the phenomenal wares this store has to offer.

An excellent dealer in fine and rare used books primarily in the fine arts…read more Ars Libri is located in an unassuming storefront on a quiet part of Harrison Ave. Stumbling upon it one Saturday morning I couldn't tell if it was even open to the public. I tried the door, and finding it locked, began to walk away. Just then a gentleman popped his head out and asked if he could help me. I was just passing by and curious, I said. "Are you open?" "In a few minutes," he said. "Come on in." Inside it felt more like the back room of a museum or a fine library. Historic and arcane books in all manner of languages lined the shelves of aisle after aisle, ranging from small manuscripts to huge leather-bound catalogues. Along one side, the owner sat at his desk, making deals on the telephone with other dealers of rare and delicate volumes as I just walked the aisles in some awe, occasionally daring to remove and inspect a book here and there when I wasn't afraid I'd somehow ruin a treasured artifact. I have to admit, the whole place was a little bit intimidating, and I felt a little, well, unqualified to be there. The cheapest of books here are not at all cheap, and the low-key display and location made it feel almost as if I should have had an appointment to be there. But he let me in, so I tried not to let it bother me. If you're like me and your heart rate picks up a little when surrounded by mysterious, intriguing old books, or if you're just passionate about the fine arts and want to see some books on the subject that you probably won't find in may other places, it's worth hunting this place out and having a careful look around.