Very disappointed in the service from this shop. My partner's father recently passed and left us…read morewith many antique, rare books. We called this shop in hopes of establishing a connection with someone who could help us assess and sell the books (we have all the documentation from his father's purchases). We were treated with extreme disrespect, accused of being frauds by the person on the phone and hung up on without chance for conversation. We aren't antiquarian book collectors and as such might not know all the right questions to ask or language to use. We were shocked by the treatment we received in our search of information, and had hoped for a more pleasant experience. We will take our search elsewhere.

A phenomenal store for lovers of antiquarian books. I came away with a pristine copy of The Manual…read moreof Linotype Typography and couldn't be happier with my purchase. You really feel like you are in someone's rare book library. I visited with my friend without appointment and found it a little difficult to access--you had to go up a narrow staircase from the street and ring a doorbell to gain entrance, but that is entirely understandable for a rare book store of the highest quality. If you feel at all uncomfortable or intimidated at the prospect of going there alone I'd be more than happy to go with you! I know I was, but I am no longer afraid :) A hidden gem.

Niche selection, knowledgeable staff, and a great layout. A refuge for the weird and eerie and a…read moreplace that gives you hope in Metaworld.

This is genuinely one of the cutest and most authentic book stores I've ever seen. The staff is…read moresuper friendly and they have a ton of genres and authors to pick from. Theres truly something for everything. I also really liked the souvenirs they had in the front. I will be back!

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.

Open mic night here in one word: COMMUNITY…read more The sense of community is overwhelming, folks are super supportive, and its awesome to witness.

East Meets West (EMW) hosts East Meets Words, the longest-running open mic for Asian/Pacific…read moreIslanders (APIs), on the second Friday of each month at 7:00 PM. They make Facebook events for each one, so check those for more information. I started coming here a couple of months ago, and now always try to make it! EMW attracts lots of college folks from the area, primarily Harvard, MIT, Wellesley, Northeastern, & BU. It's great to see so many Asian-American poets, comedians, artists, performers of all kinds, and EMW always picks an Asian/Pacific Islander for the feature. East Meets Words usually draws a huge crowd, so try to get here earlyish to get a good seat. If you want to perform, make sure to sign up when you walk in! Bottom line: Wonderful community for Asian-American folks, always inclusive and always warm.

a dense microcosm of pleasure for the poetry reader and writer. An overwhelming ocean of words in…read morewhich to engage. For me navigating the breathtaking selection, the key has always been to engage the staff. I ask for their favorite poems and follow their lead. If you haven't left this store without a book , you've left behind treasure.

I've easily spent hours here, skimming through poetry books. It's always interesting because what I…read moreend up buying reflects my mood of that day. Nice place to get inspired, and reflect and read. They have contemp poetry, a translated section, a lot from local poets, the selection feels infinite sometimes lol. The man who manages the store asked me if I was a poet once - which was cool, because I write sometimes but only for myself. The manager, himself, is a published poet. And they do readings here from time to time too. You can definitely find books in every price range. This shop is probably the best thing Harvard square has to offer. Love love love.

Yep, the guy behind the counter, if he's white and older, is the one and only Skippy White. A…read morelegend of the local music scene (he actually was awarded a Boston music award), he's sold "black music" of myriad styles in the area for 40+ years. The man is generally pretty agreeable (not that easy with so much experience in retail!) and taking the time to talk to Skippy is well worth it--- he's a fount of information, and can remember label and release information far better than you could imagine. And he LOVES to talk food. If you spend enough time in the shop, you'll realize that it has a strong community aspect to it; regulars are popping in all the time and Skippy's ties to Boston's African-American community are substantial. He also does a weekly radio show called the Time Tunnel. Oh yeah, the music. A great spot for records, though they are very slowly getting into order. This is a great place for soul and blues oldies, as if Skippy doesn't have it on CD, he'll order it for you. He also sells a lot of gospel and modern Southern soul, and stocks some jazz. I recommend it more for CDs unless you like to dig a lot. But the counter is often the place to be, as Skippy can usually tell you if he's got what you're looking for.

I like to dig for records and Boston only has a handful of choices, this is definitely one of the…read morebest if you have a leaning towards a certain style. Very distinct collection of records, mostly "black" music, a lot of soul, funk, motown, disco, hip hop records. There doesn't seem to be much of anything else, but to a lot of diggers, this can be a goldmine if that's what you like. The man, Skippy, is a gentleman, and he knows his stuff. He was willing to work with me on the price, which was very fair. I bought a stack of about 15-20 records for around $60. He's got lots of unique and some rare 45's of old soul music. I really enjoyed it.

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 called inquiring about some CDs which were listed on their website and the person answering was…read morevery rude and dismissive and wanted to know "why" I was interested in them. After asking several times regarding availability, I couldn't get a straight / honest answer. Overall, the interaction was extremely bewildering and disappointing. Absolutely would never spend my money there, and strongly suggest others spend their hard-earned money elsewhere.

Vinyl Isn't Cool Anymore, But It Is…read more Like all, I was awed by my friend Yumiko work the tables last night at Via Matta. I neglected to ask her DJ name sadly. But she was so rocking it, I wasn't about to disturb her. It's evident, exacting Dedication to craft yields smooth delivery and seamless, effortless listening pleasure that does not fatigue in the least, 4 hours later. Yumiko invites comparison to Ben Watt from EBTG. Listening as I type. Send some compliment love to Yumiko. http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=L59t-Q16xPO1nMBJdF10Cw It also reminds me that I spin vinyl too. But I'll never be as cool, because all my vinyl is...classical and my turntable is...wood. Orpheus is exactly the kind of store you would expect to find in Boston, a classic music destination. Small with an exclusive collection, you'll find some rare stuff. How about Paderewski playing his own stuff, whooo. Rachmaninoff playing his own stuff, ouch. Ravel playing his own stuff, pretty! I've found them here. That's a tiny odd slightly incestuous cross-section, but you get the idea. Good stuff. Is Classical better than Electronic? Not anymore. Electronic's innovation, output and breadth easily surpassed the catalog of Classical music a while ago. Still, if you haven't seriously listened, Classical music offers Rhapsodic moments that will never be lost in time. Guts? Do you want some guts to go with it? Try my this 1:14 sample of Sviatoslav Richter, playing Scubert's Wanderer Fantasy. But you have to listen to the whole thing, OK? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Richter_wanderer.ogg I'll be honest though. 80% of my collection is from Salvation Army. And it's all gold, baby.