My favorite seattle used bookstore. Super close to UW, if you're a student or in the area. They've got a neat little music biography section too. And the employees are always super nice! Pop in... you won't regret it. :) read more

Great place! Incredible staff. Very helpful and knowledgeable. Brought in 9 boxes of my old art books etc. They excepted 6 boxes and what they gave me for them was way more than I ever thought I would get. Thank you Magus Books!! read more

Found "the gene" here - unavailable elsewhere. Thanks! Personnel guided me right to the aisle and book

I brought my 3 year old grand daughter here this week to look for some fun books. They had a great children's section with lots of choices. Kind of strange that the picture book section is placed on the highest shelf? Not a huge deal though. The books are well organized. I feel like some of the prices were slightly high? I am not from Seattle tho so maybe they are priced appropriately for this area. The staff is wonderful- lots of masks and hand sanitizer was available. All in all, a really great shop and a fun experience my grand daughter. read more

My husband had a very special book taken from him years ago. It was a first edition of Dune signed by the author himself, Frank Herbert. He loved that book and it definitely was a sore subject; so my goal was to find him a replacement for Christmas. I contacted Magus bookstore and I can't say enough nice things about them. First, they educated me about the series (because I literally knew nothing) and gave me some history behind the author and his son. They then helped me find the perfect replacement of Dune which was also signed by the author. They sent me a few text messages, so that I could see the condition of the book. The book was also well protected when I received it in the mail. My husband absolutely loved my gift and was beyond ecstatic to have a signed Dune book again. Thank you Magus for all your help! read more

Really love this bookstore!! They have amazing books. They have a great selection of really good titles. It's a used bookstore so they have good prices too. I keep walking by and looking in the window and stop in to grab a book from the window selection, and end up walking out with 2-3 more each time. Good selection. Good titles. Very kind staff greets me with a smile every time, which is so nice. They make me feel welcome which makes me want to come back more often and stay and browse longer. I'm going to have to start reading faster. read more

This is an awesome freaking used bookstore, man! They have a ton of books, pretty cheap, and the people who work there are actually nice. I can easily get lost for an hour or more in here. Not lost as in can't find my way out, but lost as in, "oh crap, I wonder if they have this book...yippie!!" (Then I do a little dance in the aisle and every one looks at me all weird. I have only had the cops called on me once, though.) Seriously, lots of books here, many different categories and subcategories, and all reasonably priced. A must visit whenever I am in the U-District. Zipzap Zubidy Bop! read more

What a gem! This was our first time at Magus. A great selection of books. I had to put my pretend blinders on so I wouldn't be taken in by the books calling out to me, "Rinky, Oh Rinky--I know you want to take us home...." I focused on the song books and sheet music, which they had several shelves and boxes worth. I found just the songs I was looking for---"Rainbow Connection" and "Cheek to Cheek." I found myself humming the melody to "Cheek to Cheek." "Heaven, I'm in Heaven, My heart beats so that I can hardly speak....." Magus is heaven but a dangerous heaven where'll you'll find one too many books that strike your fancy. Very friendly and helpful staff. I also noticed the great camaraderie among the staff---always a good sign! read more

I came here to get a fairly ubiquitous Hofstadter book and it seemed a bit overpriced for a used paperback with weakened bindings. I went the extra block and checked Twice Sold Tales, sure enough it was a couple of bucks cheaper, and in better condition. Maybe this place is better for harder-to-find texts, but Twice Sold Tales remains my Ave bookstore of choice. read more

This review is long overdue: Magus Books looks like a 'used' bookstore should: Packed shelves overflowing with a wide selection of books. One day I walked out with a philosophy book by George Santayana; a biography of the Princess des Ursins; and a children's book by author-illustrator Richard Scarry. It's also a touch of a maze...To get from history to fiction, one can take a serpentine route to get there. I just love it. The Magus team is also great. They don't hold your hands like they may in a chain bookstore. You come in, smile, nod your head, even say hello and you're on your way. It's like they're there, but not there. They'll let you find your way and if you get lost or need help, they'll absolutely assist. To summarize, GO NOW read more

At first glance, Magus seems quite comparable to Twice Sold Tales' U District location. A point-by-point comparison yields some differences, though: Fauna: TST: Cats. Magus: A worm fell on my shoulder once. Magus takes the lead here: bookworms have better taste in books than cats. Caffeine: TST: Next door to Sureshot. Nice enough place, but not really an ideal environment for reading. Magus: Allegro. Advantage Magus. Am I forgetting something? Right, the books. My arms seem to fill up faster at Magus. I usually end up with some science fiction (which gets read at my desk at work) and a classic or two (which sit untouched on my bookshelf, and make me feel smart). Magus also seems to have more stuff that you wouldn't normally find in a used book shop. Terry Pratchett, for instance. Who sells their Terry Pratchetts*? All is not lost for Twice Sold Tales, though. It has a cooler name, and a marginally better location. * Answer: Magus customers. read more

Forget Half Priced Books. You will only feel like you got a half-assed deal after shopping there. Magnus is solely the best for used books in North Seattle!! Its piled ridiculously high from floor to ceiling with such a great mix of books, art, vintage record sleeves...........its heaven and so much fun to browse. Only issue is navigating one's way through the narrow bookshelves. I was surprised to find such a great abundance of really good vintage books (i.e. pre-70's) that were a heck of a lot cheaper than trying to bargain at Half Price. With the location being perfectly next door to the university it attracts all types of people and there are plenty unique and cheap coffee/eateries nearby to nestle in with your books. Any book lover should make pilgrimage to Magnus and then explore its cafe life! read more

Magus changed hands a while back, and the new ownership has really injected life into this venerable U-District bookstore. The key to selling used books is turnover, and Magus has become one of the best at bringing fresh used stock into their space while at the same time keeping prices reasonable enough to send books out the door. Ownership and workers are friendly and helpful, but not intrusive -- an admirable trait in an industry that often employs embittered English majors, obsessional George Bush haters, or chatty Cathy's. Another couple of pluses: Magus falls under the used bookstore category "does not reek of cat urine", guaranteeing visitors a more sublime olfactory experience. And because it is open until 10pm most nights, Magus offers that most satisfying of used bookstore experiences -- the post-dinner browse. read more

Magus is my favorite used bookstore in the University District, and possibly all of Seattle. They have an amazing, quirky selection, even for a used bookstore. The employees are always helpful and courteous without being aloof, which is important in a bookstore. I was in a couple weeks ago, and I picked up Raymond Carver's Ultramarine, a poetry collection. I also came across a real gem: A first edition copy of Robinson Jeffers' collection of poetry, the Double Axe. Naturally I had to get it. I love Magus books, and its central location on campus means I'll definitely pop in on a regular basis over the next couple years. read more

Intent on finding some good light reading for my plane ride home, my friend took me to this place. I feel compelled to give this place 5 stars because I found a fairly new book I'd been eyeing at the UW Campus Bookstore. I bought that and another book for the same price I would have paid at the UW bookstore, which made me feel like I'd received an unexpected present. That warm and fuzzy feeling definitely made my day. Also, the shelves are crammed TIGHT, aisles are narrow and the sci-fi section is huge in proportion to anything else in the store. It's a good place to browse around but you can quickly get lost if you don't have a pretty good idea of some things you might want. read more

Best used book store in Seattle, one of the best of its size I've ever witnessed. Curated selection of many eras' worth of gems sometimes shockingly reasonable prices. Knowledgeable staff and smart organization. read more

This is a fantastic used bookstore in the U district. There is an excellent selection. I always find something good even when I'm not particularly looking. The staff are really friendly. They never fail to recognize a regular and are always full of warm greetings and smiles. They also give great value for your used books. Call ahead and make an appointment though. read more

I can't bring myself to nitpick about a place once it has a gloriously ridiculously huge amount of books organized only just enough to be mostly findable. Organized, not sterilized. That's what makes a great book store. I used to think the presence of a cat or two was a good signal as to the character of a place, but I suppose this one has changed my mind. Good place to bring people who you love but are slightly sick of. Everyone will immediately be drawn in and disperse to their own little territories for at least half an hour, and then you can reunite basking in the glow of fortunate purchases. read more

This place was a popular midweek lunchtime stop before I grabbed some take out from Orange King across the street (serves burgers and teriyaki). I would find all sorts of unusual auto repair books (Morris Minor, MGA, etc.) and they have good collection of 1950s and 1960s road maps that I find really kitchy. They also seem to have quite a few books of various types from various languages. Totally the kind of place you'd think Harry Potter sold his volumes of potion-making reference guides so he could buy plane tix to Vail. read more

I daresay Magus will outlast them all. Great selection (though one thing I do wish they had more of is hardcover science fiction). Very robust local history and language and linguistics sections. I could spend hours here. Long live Magus. Do be aware, by the way, that it's not Half Price (which has its place) -- this really is a used-book store, not a remainders store. With Magus, Half Price and the University Book Store within a few blocks of each other, the U District still remains THE neighborhood in town as far as bookstores go. read more

I'm not afraid of heights but I am well aware the fact that there are mischievous spirits that live more than 8 feet off the ground and would be more than happy to pull me down Cousins of these same spirits live in those dying dens of prose, used book stores. Magus is one of their great homes. Spirits living in shelves with names like bugs, pirates and the juvenile giggle inducing, watersports. Mitchell, Grass, Borges all yanking my chain. Finally I succumbed to the Compendium of Cockroach's and Shel Silverstien. The soft spoken, friendly guardians know the name and location of every spirit here. Not wearing diapers and no pizza nor beer, I was finally able to to break free of their siren call. read more

This place is ace. I've run bookstores. I know how hard it is to be organized and customer oriented. At Magus I found a knowledgeable, engaged staff, super helpful, and the books I needed. The selection is terrific and prices are very fair. I'll be paying more visits. read more

Pleasantly surprised to see that this place had books that weren't about wizards as well. I am concerned that if the lady at the counter gets any nicer that woodland critters will start to flock to the store and they are probably going to eat the books. read more

Not a good place to sell used books, especially if you have a lot. I hurried in there before 4pm, because they only buy certain days and hours. Now that's difficult enough to deal with, so I brought a truck load (like I mentioned, I had a lot). At first, the lady wasn't sure, she thought it might be too late at 3:30 PM. But the book buyer said it was okay and he'd look at them. In the middle of bringing them in, he stops us and has us load them back in the truck. He goes and explains that they're not what he's looking for, they don't sell, excuses, excuses. The point is that they didn't even look at all the books. Whatever, I went to Half Price Books they will take em even if they can't sell them. Its pretty rude to say: okay, bring them in, and then change your effing mind with outgoing through all of them!!! read more

This is my favorite book shop in the U District, I come in here often and just get lost among the rows... My favorite thing about this book shop is the good prices. I've been able to find lots of science fiction for super cheap. The selection is also very good, though not encyclopedic for everything. I've bought books on sailing, hiking, religion, and sci fi here. As a grad student at UW, I don't get near enough time to wander and read. This is the best way to spend a long lunch break: grab some pizza at Mod, espresso, then head to Magus for 45min of uninterrupted quietness with the paper forest. read more

I don't think there is enough praise to be sung for Magus. The phrase "small but mighty" seems to be fitting for this place. If you are looking for rare and hard to find books this is the place to look. The shelves are packed with old and new books alike. There always seems to be new material coming in weekly. The staff are always happy to help and are really friendly. If you have a question be sure and ask. I've received some really good recommendations just from casual chit chat. Even with my very small niche of Nordic foreign literature, I've managed to find a lot of Knutsen printed in Norwegian and a few Icelandic authors in their foreign language section. If you don't come out with any books you haven't been looking. Even if you only have a few minutes to kill browsing, you'll find this place pretty amazing. read more

The best used bookstore in Seattle. Also will buy good used books for cash or (higher value) in-store credit. Well worth a special trip. Now only a few blocks away from the metro. read more

Why own a kindle when you can shop here? Beautiful old books that you can touch & the store smells wonderful! You can search here for hours and the wonderful staff is there to help you with any questions. And if you keep searching, you'll find a real gem. The window displays change monthly and are always a delight! If you are in the U District, stop in, you won't regret it! read more

Magus, a Udistrict staple, takes the cake for the best foreign language section hands down. Not only do they have a great selection of foreign language reference but they have more used foreign literature than all of the other used bookstores in Seattle combined. I have no idea who they buy from but they are always getting new stock in French, German, Japanese and other Asian and European languages. The proximity to the UW gives Magus great English literature and philosophy sections with a high turnover; chances are if you don't see something they might have it as soon as the next week if you luck out. They have a pretty large hold shelf in front so do yourself a favor and call ahead if you are looking for something in specific but if you are just browsing Magus could take away an hour or so of your day so watch out! read more

Magus' selection is the perfect blend of the eccentric and hard to find with commoner books. It adheres to an organizational scheme, which puts it head and shoulders above other used bookstores and thrift shops. Some Yelpers complain about having higher prices or a worse selection than online retailers like amazon.com, but about 50% of Magus' books are either unavailable on Amazon or beat Amazon's price + shipping (most common paperbacks are under $4.00). As a personal aside, Magus also has books in Greek and Latin, super fun to classics students, and they offer trade-ins for cash or a greater amount of store credit. read more

By far one of the best used bookstores I've been to in Seattle! They have a large supply of academic and popular works ranging from a large fantasy/sci-fi section to sections on just about any academic subject imaginable. If you're a student at the UW, someone looking for a good used bookstore, or just wandering by, I recommend making a stop. read more

More books than you know what to do with! This place is just piled high with tons of books, most of which are for a bargain price. This is where I go when I'm not really sure what I want and feel like wandering aimlessly. This is a straight used store, they don't stock any new material, so if you're looking for something in particular, don't expect to find it. read more

It seems like every time I come to the U-District I'm just intrinsically drawn to this book shop, one of Seattle's best. The first thing you notice is how overwhelmed the walls and floor are with books. It's a little daunting trying to locate the section you're searching for, especially since the signs posted on the aisles' head are usually covered by books. Nevertheless, once you've spent some time mapping the place out, you'll find yourself lost by all the titles. I especially enjoy their large Anthropology section. Once in a while you'll stumble across a hard-to-come-by title, but often those are either hidden somewhere, displayed immediately in the window and sold just as quickly, or stuffed in the new arrival section, which is constantly being updated. This is the kind of book shop you must repeatedly shop at if you're that sort of hunter. Great place to sell your books, too. They paid me quite a considerable price for just an average lot of titles I had. The staff are nice and wonderful and aren't uptight about checking your bag or taking too long browsing. As long as you're aware of the mass-market paperbacks separated from their more formal counterparts, you'll be in good shape to find something worthwhile. read more

Neat place. Plenty of older used books; my favorite kind. Not super impressive though. I'm sure the name comes from the rack of occult materials held in trust behind the register. With a name like Magus, I would expect they would have had more. I guess it's not that kind of campus. We couldn't figure out if the guy working the counter was into. It was either me or her. She thought that he was into me. I though it was all about her. He was really interested in something though. Well whatever. I bought her a copy of Foucault's Pendulum for her flight. read more

I have spent many an afternoon, evening, morning, whenever in here slowly exploring the jam-packed aisles. I love this bookstore so much! I'm a sucker for their window displays - always intriguing and sometimes esoterically-themed. I doubt I've ever come out of there empty-handed. First, there's the great old-book smell, then the tall shelves. You never know what you'll find, but the fiction section is reliable. I'd also recommend their poetry and history areas. The prices are great and I've never had an issue with the quality of the books. read more

I've been here few times and I've never bought anything. I usually come here to waste time between classes or if I'm going to be waiting for a bus for a while. I really like the atmosphere. I love bookstores like this. Quirky, used books, organized yet unorganized at the same time, I also love the smell. I've never been greeted here, which is a little weird, but I don't really care. They often have carts outside that have books for cheap, though I can't remember how much it says even though I pass it all of the time. The books inside are quite fairly priced as well. read more

I could never really find decent used book stores in Texas. VERY loved on books were always over priced. So when I stumbled upon Magus when I moved here, I felt SO lucky. Their pricing on almost brand new books was everything I could've asked for and then some. I always find at least one new books when I stop by. The staff is also so nice and always ready to help. (Unless they have a massive load of new books in, then I deem it best not to stress them out any further) read more

Very unhelpful, unpleasant, and unattractive staff. The books are overpriced. Twice Told Tales is a much better deal.

Pretty good selection! Loved the interior of the store and had great prices on the books. Definitely a college-y bookstore vibe, which could be you or not, imagine what that means towards selection, style, format, service etc. read more

A grandaddy of a bookstore that's been around forever, with a staff that knows its business. Stocks the stuff everyone wants and sells it cheaper; but better than that, they have an eye for true rarities without putting specialty dealer prices on them. This where you go to search for treasures OR everyday reading! You'll never fail to score one or the other or both. read more