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    Old Julian Book House

    4.4 (62 reviews)
    ModerateBookstores

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    kapri P.

    This place is an absolute gem for my fellow book worms! The owner is such a sweet man you can tell he's been here for many years. I highly recommend paying a visit while your here in Julian. Ended up buying a few and I'm excited

    Julian Book House. A place for books.
    David L.

    If you just ate some pie and need a walk the Julian book house is great to browse. Looks great from the outside very picturesque. The books are not too special or interesting at least to my liking. You could have a hard time finding things if you've never been here. There are signs to the rooms but they are rather small. It's a good place to browse. The experience felt almost like a goodwill bookstore. You never know if there is a rare find.

    Anne C.

    Cute little new/used book store down the road on Main Street. The lady here was very friendly and helpful. The store itself is small and cozy, and didn't have that "old" smell that sometimes goes along with any store that sells used anything. I ended up picking up a few children's books for the kids. The books I got were $1.99 and $2.99 "used" but seemed to be "like new" to me. They were all in good condition. At the counter, I also noticed some old vintage books that are probably collectors items. The lady behind the counter was friendly and helpful. She suggested some places to check out while in Julian.

    inside
    Jo S.

    Cute bookstore located across from Julian's Pie Co. That's how we noticed it. It's very cozy since it's located inside a house. This bookstore is charming, unique and fun to browse. The selection is decent, well organized, prices are decent, some books are inexpensive, on some they charge more than they should (like CD-s and newer fiction), but overall is fine. We didn't know when they'll close, it was passed 5 pm in Julian and most stores and restaurants start to close. We chatted with the owner, a nice older man and he said that he closes based on what's going on, at 5 pm, or 6 pm, or 7 pm if they have customers. You're on Julian time, so there are no set schedules. If in Julian, this is a cool place for bookworms to check out.

    Meesha S.

    I come here every trip into Julian! The owner is great and has such great stories. Whether you're looking for a used paperback to pass the time or a rare gem. This place has it. I always get a special edition book. He has great prices and the atmosphere is wonderful. Head to the front for the rare gems to see what he has. I am an old school lover of books and the smells and this place is just so comforting. Again, mostly used books, but the front near the register always has some good finds!

    Cute little bookstore
    PatrickJ T.

    Excellent service provided at this adorable little bookstore in Julian, CA. There are at least 4 rooms filled with various books. If you are in search of a certain kind of book, then there is a good chance that Old Julian Book House will have it. I expected prices to be high. In my mind, I think that independent book stores are much higher priced than chain stores. To my surprise, their prices were reasonable. So if you find yourself in Julian, I suggest dropping by this book store. Also do yourself a favor, and have a slice of apple pie at Julian Pie Company across the street. Books and pies!! What a terrific combination.

    Entrance set up
    Maricris O.

    This place is definitely a gem of the town. It is essentially a small home that was changed into a bookstore with completely filled shelves in every corner! Met the owner of the establishment and he was far too kind. He is so open to talk to each and every one that steps foot inside and is definitely a man with a lot of insightful / interesting words. The book selections range in age - there's a bunch of older ones as well as newer ones. Couldn't find anything that caught my attention enough to buy anything, but I still loved it.

    Frances C.

    Whenever I visit a new town, I always try to find their local independent bookstore. I'm a big reader and I have an entire wall of books in my sardine can-sized apartment. With that said, the Old Julian Book House is an amazing little shop; an old house converted into a quaint bookstore. Room after room filled floor to ceiling with used books; from obscure vintage titles, classics, to contemporary works. This bookstore has been around for about 29 years and since 2003, has been run by a lovely married couple. I met Don and he told me about how he and his wife wanted to keep bookstores alive. They're retired teachers from Diamond Bar who decided to move to Julian, and in the past few years, they've been one of the best places to find rare books dating back over 100 years. The Book House is brimming with gems.Three bedrooms, the front room, front porch, and adjoining room (which I would assume was the dining room) are all filled with books. Near the register, bagged and preserved century old collectible books prices at 1/3rd what you would find them for online. A cute little garden with a table and chairs to read in make for a wonderful book shopping experience. A must-try for book lovers.

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    3 years ago

    Always enjoy visiting this book store when I visit Julian. Have a wide selection of genre's to choose from.

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    9 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Always love to pop in here when I visit Julian. Never know what you might find, and Don is super friendly and fun to chat with a bit.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Old Julian Book House

    Review Highlights - Old Julian Book House

    With that said, the Old Julian Book House is an amazing little shop; an old house converted into a quaint bookstore.

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    Farenheit 451 Books

    Farenheit 451 Books

    4.4(96 reviews)
    43.6 mi
    $

    What a wonderful bookshop and the store owner was a pleasure to converse with. You can hear his…read morepassion for books in his voice. Anyway, we had planned a weekend trip to Carlsbad and searched for used bookstores in the area and Farenheit came up. So glad we stopped in and were able to walk out with a few books. Many vintage finds for all you collectors. Look closely and carefully as there are so many nooks and crannies in the shop where hidden gems can be found. You can find art books to cookbooks to history books. Please note that the shop's lease for this location is up soon. If you and anyone know of a space in Carlsbad Village, please contact the store owner Philip. He and this community deserve to have a bookstore. We are never too old or too young to learn. Grab a book and enjoy a good read! Lookout for the bargain books! And I loved the music played during our shopping experience, French jazz, which set the mood for our lunch in a local French cafe. Support this small business and stimulate the local economy and our brains!

    I love all used bookstores. I may not love all of them equally but I still love them. Anytime I…read morecan buy books at significantly lower prices, count me in. This is a small shop but they've probably got something that will catch your interest. I bought a fat history book (no, not a book about the history of fatties, come on, now) for 1/3rd the normal price. And it is in perfect condition. I also appreciated the notes throughout the store encouraging the reading of banned books. Seems an appropriate message given the name of the bookshop. Plenty of free street parking in the area.

    Photos
    Farenheit 451 Books
    Farenheit 451 Books - Really old books are preserved in plastic bags here.

    Really old books are preserved in plastic bags here.

    Farenheit 451 Books - Crystal ball hanging in store.

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    Crystal ball hanging in store.

    Helen's Book Mark

    Helen's Book Mark

    4.3(61 reviews)
    27.8 mi
    $

    Two stars for cleanliness and friendly staff…read more Three stars off for the most important aspect of a used bookstore... price. $5 per paperback? More for hardbacks? For a book whose spine is parting? Missing pages? C'mon. Don't even bother looking at most of what they call "Vintage" books. They ask a king's ransom for them. I found paperback after paperback that was priced at over $20 each... for a book barely 50 years old and a cover price of $1.50. Outlandish. I actually performed a reality check and went to Ebay to check on 7 or 8 of those titles. In each case the books sold for much less on Ebay than Helen is asking. They most definitely need to adjust their pricing schema. It's not like they're paying rent in downtown La Jolla for goodness sake. I was originally, upon walking in, going to say their large, diverse selection is a strength. Now I understand it's simply a function of them not selling their books at a good turnover rate at all... consequently, their stock piles up. Shame.

    This place has a TON of books and I'm so happy I discovered it! I was able to find 3 books in my…read moreTBR list, which I was surprised with because they're all contemporary authors who are pretty hot right now. I could honestly stay in this place for at least a couple hours; there books wall to wall and they even have a large romance section in the back. I can't comment on the stock as I don't really read romance, unless it's for sh*ts and giggles. They have also got plenty of comfy chairs for you to sit around in, too. Pricing is average as many are half off the cover price. Some books are deeply discounted and are in little baskets scattered in the store. I'll definitely come here again! The only drawback is that they're open Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays only.

    Photos
    Helen's Book Mark
    Helen's Book Mark
    Helen's Book Mark

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    Warwick's - Latest Fiction Releases

    Warwick's

    4.4(252 reviews)
    42.2 miLa Jolla
    $$

    I love bookstores and enjoyed coming here!…read more They have a good selection of books and there's also gifts and office supplies too. Lots of other shops too around here. I'd definitely come back when in La Jolla.

    Rough one, because I've had good times here and bad. I enjoy their large selection of stationary,…read moreit really is the only store in San Diego with this sort of selection. There are also lots of books to choose from for how small the store is. They also have a wide variety of artsy gifts. But here's to the bad. However recently I went in to browse the selection of Hobonichis, since they're the only store in the city to have them. For some reason, instead of stocking them on the international release day (like I was originally told), they decided to stock them on September 4th. Disgruntled, but my fiancee promised to come back. So, she did! Came back on September 4th right when they opened, and wouldn't you know they were NOT in stock. In fact, they didn't even have them, they were stuck in customs. My fiancee was also with multiple other people who had been told the same things, all showing up for their Hobonichi release, only to be disappointed. So, here's the issue. Lying to customers about having a product, when you DONT is absolutely wild. Assuring customers it will be in stock on a specific day, then not telling your customers that it can't, is so beyond unprofessional. To me, it felt like a game to Warwicks in an attempt to drum up hype for these highly sought after brand and items. Overall I'm really going to need Warwicks to redeem themselves on this one.

    Photos
    Warwick's - Books etc...

    Books etc...

    Warwick's - Toy & game section

    Toy & game section

    Warwick's - La Jolla Garibaldi sticker

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    La Jolla Garibaldi sticker

    Living Tree Bookstore - Harmony Grove Spiritualist Association

    Living Tree Bookstore

    4.3(4 reviews)
    30.8 mi
    $$

    Open Weekends, this is one of the best New Age Bookstores in N. County San Diego. It may be small…read morebut it's artfully stocked to the gills and run by happy Spiritualists who are there to offer a warm hug and great conversation. Everyone seems to be a medium here so they are delighted to talk with you about those things that go bump in the night, premonitions and apparitions and won't think you're crazy in the least. If you don't see what you're looking for, Celeste will order it for you too. It's run completely by volunteers and they are always so happy to see you and share their latest discoveries. There's such a wonderful variety of offerings that would include many items that you might usually find at a Metaphysical Bookstore, like gems and minerals, vibrational healing jewelry, incense and all kinds of Tarot Cars plus all Spiritually based books new and used. But then there are the more specialize tools for mediumship development classes. So you can find trumpets and slates and of course crystal balls too! There's also some wonderful inspired artwork that's really unique.

    Wonderful little book store and for such a little gem it has so many wonderful books and one of a…read morekind treasures, Celeste Brock and Bill Brock are always there with their loving and above and beyond service...

    Photos
    Living Tree Bookstore - Wonderful New Age Bookstore at Harmony Grove Spiritualist Assn., run by  Rev. Celeste Brock and a troop of volunteers. i

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    Wonderful New Age Bookstore at Harmony Grove Spiritualist Assn., run by Rev. Celeste Brock and a troop of volunteers. i

    Old Julian Book House - bookstores - Updated September 2026

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