I was so busy going through the books that the fact that they also sold antiques was lost on me. Their literary selection is fantastic and extremely well organized. I went in without expectations but left very happy with an unexpected book find at a very reasonable price. If I were local, this would be the first place I'd visit any time I was looking for a book. read more

I ended up going to Second Story Books over a MLK Day weekend vacation in D.C. They had a 20% discount on books over the weekend so I felt I should take advantage of that and at least purchase a book which I did. Their selection and feel was good. Though, I was specifically looking for Agatha Christie books and was kind of stunned they really did not have any. Though they did humorously have some sort of John Grisham original collection for way too much money to the point that I have no idea who would love/care about Grisham to that extent. Anyway, I enjoyed the experience there, worth checking out while being in the popular area that is Dupont Circle, and still am using my Second Story Books bookmark. read more

How in the world is this place anything less than five stars? What a treasure trove of used books at reasonable prices. It was so much fun exploring this place and finding so many different books! And what a range of prices to fit every budget. SELECTION: Second Story Books had so many fun books. I found an original 1st edition of Star Wars and a hardcover printing of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Dune. And I found this amazing copy of an original manuscript by Lewis Carroll for Alice in Wonderland. Literally a Xerox copy made by Xerox. So weird and so fun. SERVICE: It seems this is hit or miss but I can only write from experience and we had great service. Maybe some of the employees aren't great, but the woman who helped us was terrific. I walked out extremely happy. COST: I felt it was very reasonable. Everything was priced nicely. I would definitely come and mine this place again. read more

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This is the kindest of bookstore I want to stumble into in a historic city like DC! You walk in and immediately the chaos of dupont circle fades away and you are enveloped in the familiar feel of old books and good tunes amongst quiet shelves. Neatly organized - and prices ranging accordingly to the rarity of the works. I could spend hours in here and forget I was in the middle of a chaotic city. Walked away with a couple of good books and a happy soul. read more

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Very cool selection!! Had so many cool books in every style- collections from the 1700s to modern day books. I got 2 books on the history of plants and am so excited to read them!! Staff were very kind and books were reasonably priced. Will return! read more

Such a great bookstore! If you're a book collector, make sure you visit - countless shelves of beautifully preserved finds! read more

Second Story Books & Antiques - Used Bookstore Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

A great and huge used bookstore in the busy neighborhood of Dupont Circle. When I would go to the Dupont farmers market weekly, I would stop by because I'm always surprised by how quickly the books on their shelves are moving and changing. A strong mix of old, rare finds and newer, hardback books for less than $15, I love Second Story. Sometimes it's a hit, but often times I don't find something, but the experience of browsing is often enjoyable. They also let you donate books for store credit, which is great. read more

Second Story Books & Antiques - Used Bookstore Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

A great place to walk around and check out the books. I did not see many people buying books, most were just browsing. They have books on sale outside which are reasonably priced. read more

Second Story Books & Antiques - Used Bookstore Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This bookstore is simple and unique ,it has an old school library feel.It seems small it you can get lost looking for a book ,labels and organization is pretty clear and easy to find specific titles.Staff is great and always welcoming and helpful while giving you space to browse.You can not beat the location , find a great book and grab coffee on P St. and sit at DuPont Circle or P street beach to read your book.I also love a good date idea activity after eating .If you're a DuPont person this store is just the icing on the cake. read more

In search of some fiction books, I went to Second Story with friends. I'm not sure what their selection is like for other genres, but in fiction, it seemed plentiful. My friends were able to find familiar authors and books to recommend me (and vice versa), and I left paying about the same I would've paid on eBay, which is where I typically buy used books. Knowing that Second Story has comparable prices, I'll be a regular! Support your local businesses, folks! P.S. They had a 20% off sale going which sweetened the deal, and they also had some books that were extra discounted for sale outside. read more

Overall a nice store. Clean, well lit, big... good selection of books. They have readers and collectible antique books. It's pretty nice. I picked up 3 books. The only reason they are getting 3 Stars and not 5 is because of service. The lack of interest and customer service by the cashier was astounding. I walked up to the cashier and put my books on the counter. There was a bit of a delay before the cashier began to process my order... I may have interrupted an incredibly important text or Snap or whatever. He never made eye contact, never greeted me, and didn't bother to actually tell me the total. He just looked at the credit card terminal and waited for me to put in my card. The only words he spoke was the question "Do you need a bag?" When I said yes that seemed surprising... though I had no bag or backpack or anything on me, so not sure why it was surprising. He never asked me about if I "found everything" or if I "had any questions". He never said "thank you for your business" or "come again" or "have a nice day". I don't need retail service people to be overbearing or effusive... but I like to be friendly and polite and civil and hope retail staff can be the same. It makes life a little more pleasant. A simple "hello" at the start and "have a nice day" at the conclusion of the transaction would've turned this from a 3 star to a 5 star review. read more

Glad to see that this Dupont Ciircle jem is still in business. What it lacks in overall inventory it more than makes up for in it's curated selecrion and the condition of it's stock. There is something here for everyone, and their organization system makes it easy to find the book you are looking for. If you are ino collecting and first editions, this place is for you. The $4 racks outside are always worth a look as well! read more

I frequent rare bookstores A LOT and I feel as though I get the same treatment at these specialty stores whenever I ask to see books that tend to be higher in price. "May I see the Portrait of a Lady in the bookcase?" "All of these books are at least over $100.00" "That's usually the point of having them locked...." "Do you have any Wilde?" "Wild? The book about the woman walking across the country? No. That's too new to be in our shop we only sell rare books" "I'm referring to Wilde the poet." "Oh." To give a few examples of the types of comments I get when I ask simple questions. I received the same treatment here when asking to see the books in the case. I understand I'm a young woman and its rare to see anyone my age interested in collecting books, but don't judge a book by its cover. All the puns intended. Aside from the customer service, I loved their selection of books both high and low end. Left with a first edition of "Death of a Salesman" and am loving the new addition to my collection! read more

Huge range of books from $4 to tens of thousands of dollars for some collectibles. The sidewalk sale could be better organized, but it's not too bad. Inside, the variety of books is astonishing. They have plenty of collectible books that are in locked cabinets. They also sell other things like posters and antique pieces. Time seems to work differently here - I lost an hour just perusing the shelves in what seemed like 5min. Such a nice place to stop by in Dupont Circle! read more

A museum and a book store in one. This needs to be the list of sites to visit in DC!! They have something for every age, interest, and pocket book. read more

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Definitely worth a visit. Part of our recent visit to DC included hunting down as many independent bookstores as possible and this was definitely our favorite. Well worth the hunt. read more

I love a good independent bookstore and the location (Dupont Circle) is excellent, but I've never been impressed with the book selection here. All the books seem ancient so it's NOT the place to find a large, modern selection of travel books or business books. The one good side of this place is that they often have discounted books outside their store front. read more

Some of the reviews for this used bookstore are downright hilarious! My recommendation would be to ignore them: This place is perfect - clean and curated with quality books in a wide variety of topics for a wide variety of budgets with interesting collector's items sprinkled throughout the room. A great place to browse while waiting for your reservation at Zatinya across the street! It was cleaner with better lighting than some of my favorite used book stores, but don't hold that against them! There wasn't even piles of books on the floors - oh, the horror! I thought it was well-curated within the niches that I checked out, and I appreciated that it was organized enough if you did some exploring first to see how it was arranged. Keep in mind - it's not a library. Some of the nonsense about the size of the store not being to a reviewer's liking are just absurd. Nor do I believe clerks at used bookstores are there to help you find books - you're supposed to browse and hunt on your own, THAT is the purpose. Everyone knows that clerks at used book stores are there to read! My thoughts are that if you are looking for a used copy of a specific book, use the internet and have it shipped direct to your door and forego the whole used bookstore experience. I would visit this place on every visit to Washington D.C. Interesting maps, too! read more

Great store but the employee who rang us up was so rude. Didn't say a word to us (even when spoken to) and had a nasty look on their face the whole time while ringing us up. Overall good experience despite that. read more

I'm always on the hunt for good bookstores and this one passed the vibe check! What a great selection of books, I found so much great classic poetry books. Definitely check this place out if you're a bookworm in need of a fresh selection read more

Good selection of books for great prices! I got two books for $14. The inside is nice and cozy

SERVICE! Service service! I got a massage a few doors down and decided to explore the area. I'm here for work for a month. So i ran into a nice book store w/ sidewalk options! Really nice cause i can't fit anything else in my luggage and a $4 book selection is nice and i will be able to leave it for someone to enjoy since i don't have room. However, when i went to checkout the awful cashier made me want to leave and not purchase anything. I say my book down and said how are you- NOTHING. I asked if it was tap to pay - NOTHING. "Do you need a bag" were the only words. WHO HIRED THIS PERSON? Maybe they're depressed or something cause that was so awful and uncomfortable. There were a ton of ppl hanging back behind the counter and none of them engaged with anyone in the store at the time. I WOULDNT RECOMMEND THIS STORE. Customer service is very important to me and this place doesn't offer it. read more

Second Story Books is the best used bookstore in the Washington area. That's not quite the distinction that it used to be, as so many wonderful bookstores have gone out of business, but I'm grateful that Second Story continues to thrive. The selection is very good and the prices are reasonable. read more

This is a small shop but has many deferent kinds of books. Most of them are cheaper than original prices. It's just like a treasure hunting to shop here. It reminds me of one of my favorite book stores in Paris. read more

Second Story Books & Antiques - $4 - Used Bookstore Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Excellent bookstore with both new and used and very old. Wonderfully curated collection with an additional $4 rack out front and "half off new" tables inside. Collections of editions from the mid 19th century to present which the true bibliophile will relish. There's something for everyone here. read more

Second Story Books & Antiques - Used Bookstore Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This place is one of the reasons I love living in DC! Pro's Love the feel of the place. The disarray is part of its charm in my opinion. You can find books at around half the retail price (it's second hand of course). They have a large non-fiction section, divided according to topic, and a much smaller fiction section. However, I do find great fiction titles. The price is inside the front cover of the book (took me a while to figure that out). Although not in the same league, this place beats Politics and Prose and Kramer's in my opinion. Yes, this statement might be considered blasphemy in DC. Con's The service is a hit-or-miss. I agree with the previous reviewers that some of the staff are unfriendly and can even make you uncomfortable. read more

I had wanted to check this place out for awhile and am glad I finally did. They have a decent selection of used books from across the spectrum and seem to have a large number of really expensive antique type books that are hundreds of dollars. If you're a book collector that's probably your thing but for the rest of us, they have a decent selection of regular used books and CDs. Keep in mind they're a bookstore in the city, if you want a huge warehouse you have to trek to their Rockville location from what I understand. Pricing confused me at first but open the book and the price is listed on the first page. The winner here is the sidewalk sale, all books are $4 and there are even bins of 50 cent paperbacks. I'll come back here for sure. read more

Lovely little bookstore! Has a very nicely curated collection of antique, hard-to-find and second-hand books at pretty great prices! The collection seems rather carefully picked, with a high density of interesting books and a heavy emphasis on non-fiction, a nice change from your mainstream bookstore. Wish I could have spent much, much more time here than I did, but in a matter of a mere half hour, picked up some gems in the philosophy section, a Nat Geo title that would have otherwise been too expensive, a graphic novel I'd long been searching for and some rad cookbooks. If you're looking to find historical/early-edition texts by great authors in the humanities or social sciences, foraging for that elusive out-of-copy CD or hungering for some offbeat food for thought, check this place out! There's also a bunch of books at throwaway prices just outside the store, but alas I had no time. Someday.. read more

Second Story Books & Antiques - Used Bookstore Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

My heart goes out to SSB. They have a fantastic collection of literature and even a swathe of foreign-language titles. They also boast some interesting collectors pieces, which helps contribute to the nice little aura of my favorite bookstore in D.C. read more

I have been in this place for two weeks straight and it never gets old. If there is an exit or a map I could borrow to find my way out...perhaps a riddle I can solve? Please just turn the lights on and off by the front door and I'll just start walking that direction. Thanks . read more

I have a friend who started collecting old Tarzan books. I contacted Second Story Dupont and ended up being helped by Willem, who was extremely patient and kind! I was able to get 2 Tarzan books shipped very quickly. Willem was super helpful and a delight to talk to! It was a great experience! read more

Second Story Books has a sign outside imploring patrons to "love us on Yelp." So here's my two cents... The brick-and-mortar bookseller is a dying business model, and many people like me lament that independent bookstores have been closing at an alarming rate. For stores like this to survive, it will be only because of the relationships built with loyal patrons. With that being said, I did not appreciate the total disinterest and bad attitude from the sales clerk when I asked if he had a certain book. He acted like I was being a total inconvenience to him despite there being no other customers for him to help, and he showed zero interest in helping me find what I was looking for. No offer to look with me. No offer to look on their computer inventory. No advice. No concern. Nothing. Later when I informed him that my book was not in stock (after searching myself), I got a mumbled "okay" and no eye contact. I really want to support local independent businesses, but my business should be appreciated more. There is no excuse for making a customer feel unwelcome or unwanted. Are you seriously expecting people to "love us on Yelp" when you have such a bad attitude? read more

I haven't written a review in six years for this unique bookstore. They have cleaned it up and reorganized things -- but it still has its charm. DVDs and CDs now take up more room in the back, but there are still chairs and works of art scattered throughout. Bookstores need to have nooks and crannies and Second Stories still has more than enough. The outdoor book flea market (sale books on portable shelves) provides a magnetic field that draws the unsuspecting towards the store from Dupont Circle and the farmer's market. Let's keep supporting our local businesses! They are SO worth it. read more

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I was excited to visit this place especially because they are so big. I stopped at Starbucks first, and grabbed a warm cup of coffee this one cold and rainy night. I had planned on looking through stacks of books and leaving with a few. Unfortunately, in order to enter the store I had to leave my drink behind. The gentleman behind the counter would not allow me to place it on their counter by the door and asked that I place it outside by the door. Bummed, I did. I put it under the shelter, so it wouldn't get rained on or knocked down. I walked through the store and while it is a great size, really could not find anything I would like to have found. They didn't have a very large section on what I was looking for. Primarily gender/women studies and contemporary literature. I walked through the entire store and didn't want to walk out missing something. So I made a second round around the store. The gentleman behind the counter thought I was being suspicious and continued to eye me as I walked in and out of the sections. I would grab a book and read the back cover, and feel someone's stare burning into my cheek. Low and behold, it was the guy behind the counter. Eventually, I became very uncomfortable and missed my warm soy latte that I just paid almost $6.00 for that was now sitting outside alone, getting cold. I also couldn't stand being watched as I made any move - like I was some kind of criminal. I walked out to get my drink, and it had been knocked down. Apparently, someone had a dog and was standing nearby it, and must have knocked it down. It was spilled all over the sidewalk. Thanks, for making me waste my $6.00 drink for absolutely nothing. Thanks very much. Will I be back? Probably not/ Selection was okay. Service wasn't welcoming or warm. read more

I ordered a book bundle for my boyfriend's graduation present. The store got back to me within 24 hours to take details on my order, and it shipped so fast! We got 8 books for $50, including two absolutely stunning Dostoevsky books with gold engraved covers. I had asked for a pretty specific book type (fiction taking place in Eastern Europe and Russia) and they selected the perfect books, with historical fiction, horror, and even a contemporary piece from 2016. I couldn't have asked for better service. Further, in the Before Times, their bookstore is the ONLY bookstore I've ever been to to have a public health/medical section that was not made up of self help books and used medical school texts. Instead it has legitimate public health books on topics like the opioid epidemic, the vitamin industry, sex trafficking, the evolution of the tobacco industry, and more. I used to sit in front of those shelves till my tailbone hurt. Please for the love of god and all that is holy buy their books and help keep Second Story in DC. read more

Before my friend ended up canceling/re-scheduling getting together on this particular evening, I popped into Second Story Books to look around. Immediately upon walking in, the scent of old books filled my nose. Kind of made me feel like I was in an old library (which is not a bad thing). I prefer this smell over the headache-inducing-new-book-smell that you sometimes get at Borders or Barnes & Noble. The selections were wide and the prices were good. Again, I didn't end up buying anything but I plan on coming back to pick up a book or two on China as soon as I find the time to start readin for leisure again. read more

I wandered into here after eating in this area and saw a couple really cool first edition books for sale here. To me there is something intoxicating about the smell of these old leather bound books, screw those crappy paper back books that get that weird worn folds on the spine. I had a good time perusing the shelves and found some really cook retro cook books that reminded me of ones that were on my parent's shelves when I was a kid. It's kind of fun to dig through this shop, you may end up finding quite a find at a bargain, My gf, managed to find an out of print book that she had been looking for ages. You never know what your going to come across in here and I much more fun then going to one of those typical big box book store. read more

I walked into this bookstore on an afternoon before heading to Georgetown just as they were about to close for 3 weeks for remodeling. Since it was a house cleaning sale, everything in the entire store was an extra 50% off. There was a huge array of econ and nonfiction books at amazing prices. They were in great condition, the store was well organized, and it was the sort of place I could spend hours of every day. Granted, it might not be as great without the extra sale, but it was still pretty amazing. They had a lot of classic political cartoon prints, records, CDs and tapes as well. A perfect place to get random reading material and a variety of other things. read more

A good, classic used book store. I'm currently on a mission to read the top 100 novels (as cited by the MLA) and Second Story is where I pick up most of my books, as this is turning out to be an expensive mission! (I know there's a thing called a library.... but I have a habit about not returning things on time and I may or may not have ended up on the blacklist... oops). Most of the books are half off on the cover price, but definitely not all! Be sure to check before you buy them: my copy of Gone with the Wind set me back $30! When you don't care about what edition it is, be careful to check the price. All in all, this is a good place to check out before you buy new. The staff was very friendly and its also a great place to people watch. If they had a cafe like Kramer's, I may never leave... read more

I'm almost afraid to write a review of this place because it's such a hidden gem. In an area with tons of bookstores (Olsson's, Books a Million, Kramer's etc) this place still stands out because it is the only bookstore that I know of in Dupont where I can easily find a hardcover book to buy half-price that came out mere weeks ago. The other day I bought 2 recent NYT best-sellers and paperback classic in perfect condition for $15.00 total. You really can't beat that - not even online. Additionally, almost every coffee-table book I own on architecture/art is from here. Also, you can sit on the floor and read for hours and they will not disturb you. How great is that? read more