This is my favorite local bookstore in the city. I used to live walking distance but have since moved completely across town (Jefferson Park) but I still come to this book store once a month. I place an order online for pickup (saves me shipping) and on the most recent occasion when I accidentally selected shipping, they knew me well enough to follow up and make sure I had meant to have it shipped (I hadn't and was able to switch it to my normal pickup). Love that my bookstore knows me better than I know myself. Great selection and if they don't have it, they can usually order it and have it for you pretty quickly. read more

Great selection and ambiance. A classic bookstore feel with reasonable prices. The only used bookstore I've been to that has a sale section and it's not just full of garbage books but I've found great books in the sale area and it is not small either. read more

I LOVE this store. Nothing beats the smell and browsing the shelves for a good book. They have a big selection of kids books, cook books, novels, and the basement travel section is incredible. Journals, magazines, photography books, everything. I always find something I like. I've taken to ordering things from them because I believe strongly in supporting local businesses, and they've ordered in so many books for me, even some stuff I don't think is their regular stock. And I love their customer service. I've got two small kids, and they help me out when I need it. And their Staff Pics signs around the store have helped me get a few books I love. And they recently remodeled and rearranged, it looks great inside. Shop here!!! read more

Unabridged Bookstore - New kids books they ordered for me! - Bookstores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So do you remember that "Twilight Zone" episode where Burgess Meredith plays Henry Bemis, the bespectacled bookworm who survives an A-bomb blast and finds all the time in the world to read only to break his glasses? Loved that show... Anyway, I walked up and down this part of Broadway for three days before I even noticed a bookstore was here, so non-descript is the facade. Yet, when I finally paid attention and went inside, I was impressed with how large the selection is and how friendly the staff is. There's a great travel section downstairs in their basement and even calendars in yet another alcove. They certainly use every inch of their space. Now I suppose you could go to the Borders down on Diversey, but why? Didn't you see "You Got Mail"? Wouldn't you rather support Meg Ryan than Tom Hanks? ...and get your eyes lasered, will ya Henry? read more

Unabridged Bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great selection and in a super cute area! Would definitely recommend- there is something in there for everyone

Love this store! I have been coming in and buying the books for the book club that they have( there are 3 or 4 different groups). I'm never able to finish the book in time but I really like this comfortable cool shop. Today I went in and looked at some new books and then ran out to catch a zoom meeting. I later called the shop and Mondo answered the phone. I asked him if I had left this grey basket that I purchased earlier in the morning. He looked and said No, sorry it's not here. My response was a chuckle and I said I probably left it at the coffee shop where I was before the bookstore. When I asked the name of the coffee shop in the corner he told me. I said ok. He asked if I wanted him to go check if the basket was still there. I said sure if you have the time. I was on hold a Few minutes, Mondo picked ip and said that he got it from the coffee shop and would hold it for me! WOW! Kudos to you Mondo for being so kind and helpful!!! read more

I walked into this store and I was completely amazed by the sheer collection they had in every genre. Art books(tattoo origins, books by art style), comics are utterly delightful. Employee picks with cute little review blurbs pasted under each book, made me smile. New arrivals to classics, they seemed to have everything. I am not too knowledgeable about kids' books and YA fiction but those sections looked extensive too!! read more

Unabridged Bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The layout is very thoughtful, every time I've been they are welcoming and more than happy to help you find anything you're looking for

RIP: Heath & M.C., I miss you dearly. One of the last proud few bookstores with a little taste of everything and no attitude. Where else could you find a big children's book section next to a large used (and good!) book section, next to a massive GLBT lit section, next to a classic lit section, next to an alternative porn mag section, next to an erotic photo book section next to the travel guides. One stop stimulation for every organ. The only place to peruse Madonna kid books in one hand and erotic bondage artwork in the other hand. I'm making this sound trashy, but really they have a wide selection of the best and newest lit also, and again lots of great sales. Support the local bookstore, especially when its this good! read more

Best bookstore in America, full stop, no caveats. Stop reading the reviews and go visit!

Friendly service and wide selection -- a Boystown fave for years now!

They always have cool books in the front windows, but definitely go inside. There you will find that the staff have put little "blurbs" on index cards all over the store, next to books, so you have instant reviews and recommendations. The cards are really fun to read. You will find a great children's and YA book section, as well as all the different genres for adults. I have asked them to climb into the front window more than once, and they are always super nice about it. (I always bought those books!) Marco was the last employee I asked, the other day, and he was great. Don't forget to look at the discounted book section, near children's because there are some great buys there for $5.99-10.99. If you are in Chicago, and you like bookstores, it is worth the trip over to this neighborhood because there are other shops and small places to eat. We will have been in about 4 times over the last year, and will return! read more

Unabridged Bookstore - You can get classics in nice matching binding. - Bookstores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Was tempted to rate two stars, but decided to give it three because they have a good selection here and I like having an indie bookstore in my neighborhood. I browsed for a couple hours one evening this past January and left with three books! I had only planned to buy one. Their selection is large and varied, they even stock books from small presses. All of that being said, I had an interesting experience there this morning when I went to pick up an order I'd placed online. Things have been stressful lately and I was excited to get two new books! Just a ten minute walk away from me! Awesome! I walked in and gave the gentleman near the front door my first name, perfectly pleasant. He directed me to the top shelf and when I reached for my books the package next to them got caught (on my package) and was about to fall to the floor. From the top shelf. I reached my other hand up to gently stop the other person's package from falling to the ground and I was scolded for that. The man told me to let it go and said that he would take care of it. Alrighty. Pandemic or no pandemic, I wouldn't want another customer to stand by and let books that I had purchased fall to the floor from the very top shelf. I was kind of shocked that I'd been scolded for that and instinctively I finished putting the book on that top shelf. (Side note: why were the shelves packed so tightly??) In response to my reaction the man sighed and glared at me. Then he instructed me to check my bag and make sure the order was correct, which I had done initially when I got my bag, before it had gotten stuck on another customers back. I had peeked into mine to be sure and had seen that my order was right. Still, after all of that, I was being perfectly pleasant. But I could not get out of there fast enough! Yikes. Finally, I got home with my books to see that the hardcover has a small tear along the back corner of the jacket. The book is perfect otherwise and entirely acceptable for me, especially as I am stressed and in need of new books to read. But I would need to return it were I planning to give it as a gift. After seeing their current in store setup I cannot say I'm surprised by the book's condition. Perhaps it fell from a top shelf somewhere. I think I would return to this store only to browse. Next month a book I've been eagerly awaiting (for a few months now) will come out and I'll just get it when I am downtown for a monthly Doctor's appointment. In conclusion: Distinct, large space with a very good selection. Unfortunately the staff could practice better customer service. read more

Beautiful store loved the large lgbt section in the store! Highly recommend even if not in the area

I live in Hyde Park, which has one of the most amazing concentrations of bookstores of any American neighborhood known to me, and still I get excited when I come up to Lakeview and have a chance to shop for books here. The thing that sets Unabridged apart is the amazing curation, of both non-fiction and especially fiction, with detailed, vivid, helpful staff recommendations that actually give me a decent sense about whether I would like a book, and a bunch of well-conceived collections in the front room. I always find new books that I want to read here -- and I always buy them on the spot, because it's places like this that make me incredibly grateful that we still have bookstores in this world. read more

Lovely store, friendly staff, huge selection of books, their sales sections has better deals than amazon and for the most part the books aren't much pricier than amazon has to offer. Huge selection of cookbooks, gay por...i mean lgbt photography albums, good comedy section, while I feel most of the time people would still go for the amazon prize digital shopping experience, we should make an effort to help a nice local store like this stay in the neighborhood so lakeview doesn't seem turn into just coffee shops and sushi restaurants. Maybe some design/ux books could help? read more

I was so glad to find this wonderful bookstore. The store is bigger than it looks from the outside and they have a large selection of all kinds of books. I went for travel books and they have the best travel book selection I have seen - they have all the standards (Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, Fodors, Eyewitness and more) as well as some less well-known brands and a number of specialty books. And they have a full selection of travelers' language books. I found exactly what I wanted. The staff was very friendly and helpful. A great place for books! read more

Found some great books for $5 in their overstock section! They had a whole two shelves dedicated to Penguin Classics at 10% off and some great recommendations on new authors as well. If you're enamored with Maltese Falcon for Yelp Book Club, they have a slough of other Hammet books and Raymond Chandler. I wish I lived closer, I really miss living near this place! read more

Great independent bookshop! Seriously, I love a well curated, well laid out book shop and this is it. They have gift-y items, interesting series, wacky selections, and standards. The store is spacious but cozy (yes I know that's a contradiction but that's how it feels). The staff was friendly and helpful but not intrusive. Definitely a great place to checkout for personalized service and interesting selections. read more

I ran across this well-stocked bookstore in Lakeview by accident. They had just what I was looking for. I will return to make more discoveries. The staff was knowledgeable and helpful. Great location with metered street parking near the diner Eggspirence. read more

This has been my favorite bookstore in Chicago since I walked into it in 2012. I don't get over to it much anymore because East Lakeview is a pain to get to, but it is great. They have a perfect layout. They have a great selection. They have an inspiring travel section in the basement. They also have a large sale section, which I love. Their handwritten notes on recommended books and rankings of most important novels is fantastic. Support your local bookstore! read more

My favorite bookstore in the city! What a gem! So happy it's in Lakeview. They even have a sale section with some great finds! I always spend at least an hour in here. Friendly, helpful staff. I hope this place sticks around! read more

Could spend hours in this place just browsing, perfectly content. I enjoyed that they have signed copies, and owner/staff handwritten recommendations here and there (although they can be hard to read). Overall, I felt like this independent, neighborhood bookstore had both quality and character. Although I did not go in looking for any book in particular, I noticed a few who did and it seemed hit or miss. I ended up with two books and will definitely be back for more. The prices were not great, but on par with what to expect for a locally owned store. I was also a bit skeptical of the "renowned" travel section in the basement, but once I got used to the way it was organized, I found it had a lot to offer. There were series I had never even heard of before, and amusingly, some off-the-wall guides. Interesting little bookshop indeed, and fully recommended. read more

The BEST travel book section of any book store ANYWHERE. Better than the now defunct big box book stores, bigger than the biggest independent book shops I've seen (Powell's in Portland etc.). Arguably better than Amazon's selection even. The drawback? Everything in it is list price. It's hard to reconcile paying literally double what I'd pay online, especially when I can have it shipped to my door for free and it'll arrive tomorrow or the day after. But I guess that's the story of the independent book shop. I like to go and browse, and if I browse enough I'll buy. Other categories are well stocked as well. The store may look small on the outside, but it's fairly sizable and you'll find pretty much anything you're looking for here. There is often a decent clearance selection that has something interesting in it, too. They often have signed copies of some of the best sellers, something that's a nice gift perhaps and hard to find elsewhere now. read more

Great sale section and service from staff; the basement with travel section is a must check out

This indie bookstore, like most, is great in some ways and lackluster in others. They certainly clean up nice. The store is super clean and while cramped their selection is very neatly organized, including their specialized basement section of travel books. Depending on what you're looking for, they either have more titles than you could ever get through, or surprisingly little to nothing. They are big on esoteric current events books, activism-of-the-day material, independent fiction and poetry, cooking titles, art titles, business, psychology, a massive collection of LGBTQ titles, and children's books. They will not have anything on tech or computer use, little on nutrition outside of their understandably small sport and fitness section, or books on writing outside of basic stuff like style and theory. Still, I've found myself browsing forever on the subjects they do have, and there's a lot of value here. The price of books has gotten rather high these days, and it's clear why Amazon and Kindle have cut into bookstores' market share. Unabridged does have a sizable collection of discount books for $6-8ish, though as usual a look at those titles will show you why they were relegated to the discount section. A typical book will run you $20-25, and that's quite a bit for anyone with a book habit and anything less than a lucrative middle class career. I try to buy something at least every 3-4 times I go in, as the price means my expectations for something worth buying are unfortunately pretty high. If you're looking to browse, and your interests match the topics that I mentioned they have in healthy supply, they're absolutely worth a visit. read more

Unabridged Books is my favorite bookstore. The staff are friendly and helpful. I have walked around the store for hours, and I always find more than I need. They always have the best new books. And, you can find the classics, cook books, and travel books. They give wonderful recommendations, and the sales section is fantastic. read more

Unabridged fills a niche in my book-buying habits. I don't buy many new books, but when I do, I typically use Amazon for their cheap prices and credit card points. Shopping in a large store such as Barnes and Noble makes me depressed--too many books that I want and not enough money and time to buy and read them. They sell mostly at list price, which is pretty steep for a casual purchase. I mostly love used bookstores for their prices and atmosphere; some are better for browsing, some for finding a specific title, but in either case the selection is not the greatest. Enter Unabridged, a medium-sized, independent shop which sells new books (recent fiction and nonfiction plus "classics"). Thus, I can find a few things that strike my fancy but not be tempted to buy a dozen. And their overstock/remainder prices are great--there are many gems to find here. A few months ago, I spent thirty mintues combing through this section, ending up with three reasonably priced books, plus a few to add to my library list. Perfect. read more

I am mad about book stores and this one is a new fav. Quite a selection and everything is laid out in an easy to navigate fashion. The employee pick selection was helpful as many of the recs were my favs too, so I used their favs as a reference to try two new reads. read more

This place is so close to me and I love it so much, oo, oo. If there is one thing that makes me never want to leave the Boystown area, its this store. I've always been able to find what I need when I'm here and there hasn't been a single section of the store that I've walked into that I haven't desired to buy a book with my whole heart. The other day, I went in looking for a book as a gift for a neighbor. I walked with nothing for my neighbor and three books for me, one being a large anthology of Latin American poetry. I mean, I probably should have felt bad--but I was really busy thinking about what a great price I got for all those books and how much reading I was about to do. I was pumped. I've made many return trips, but have been smart enough not to impulse buy (and I did successfully buy gifts here without walking out with anything for myself, too). I've found that this store is great for both browsing and picking out something in particular, although I usually need to employ the help of an employee for those excursions. See you Saturday, Unabridged! read more

Unabridged Bookstore - So many great sales! - Bookstores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This independent bookstore on Broadway is still holding out amongst the major chain bookstores. Browse around if you have some time. read more

Unabridged Bookstore - Unabridged Books - Bookstores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I used to go here a loooooot, back in the day. I saw Sandra Bernhard here for a book signing before she was drawing megacrowds. This place had some awesome author signings. Recently discovered it once again, encouraging my young friend in here for some "discovering the awesomeness of reading" time. Their children's book selection is GREAT. I found myself making suggestions for a woman looking for young adult books (remembering my own obsession with reading as a child). There's an Egon Schiele (my dog's namesake) book in here that I'm drooling over. *swoon* So sexy, and well designed. (hint). Love this place, love independent booksellers. And the people who own it/work here are exceptional. read more

I discovered Unabridged Books while scoping out the Gregory Maguire book tour. Unabridged was one of the few stopping points on the Out of Oz tour. While I missed the event, I was able to purchase a signed copy as the bookstore had plenty of extra. The staff was friendly and helpful. Parking sketchy but I was able to snag a metered spot. read more

A very comprehensive independent bookstore. The front desk is super helpful and they truly know about the literature and what books to recommend. And I got several books that I was looking for. read more

Unabridged Bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Super cute little book store with some really great options. Also a great sales section where you can get books for around 6$ that you actually want to read. Good vegan cookbook section too! read more

I love randomly stopping by Unabridged Books whenever I'm in the mood for a new book. They have a nice selection of discounted books that range from newer releases to older releases. Every time I stop by here I always seem to find at least one really cool book that is less than $10. I brought my friend here and they loved the bookstore as well. I rarely purchase a book at full price from Unabridged Books but I love checking out all of the new releases. read more

Not too much to add that hasn't been said already. Great local independent bookstore. The store itself is well stocked and organized, and an added bonus is the "staff selections" and quick-read handwritten reviews posted on the shelves. These come in super handy if you're just browsing! In addition, the staff is always very friendly and knowledgeable. read more

I love love love this bookstore. The staff is super helpful even when I walk in and say, "I don't know what I'm in the mood to read but I've enjoyed XYZ in the past so what do you suggest?". Bless their hearts. It is a small, independent bookstore but they have everything you are looking for. And huge sections of things you didn't know you were looking for. I always find deals in the sale section. It's also the perfect gift shop for your bookish friend or expectant mom. The children's section is plentiful! My most recent purchases included a tote bag for my librarian/writer/editor bestie, a feminist book for myself, and an Urban Baby picture book for my NYC new mom friend. Tell your friends and support this shop. It's a gem! read more

Great book store, lousy customer relations. A long-time customer, I stopped going there when I was denied use of their restroom. Any shop that cannot extend to me this most basic of human courtesies does not deserve my business. read more

Full-disclosure: I'm a tourist. However, I live near an area that has an abundance of good bookstores. With that said, Unabridged is among the best I've visited. I adore bookstores with handwritten recommendations, and there was quite a few scattered throughout the shop - each of them thoughtful and a nice encapsulation of that particular employee's taste. I often find that the robustness of a store's film books section is a strong metric for how good it is; stores that find little use in stocking anything more than Hitchcock/Truffaut and the Disaster Artist probably don't have a wide berth of books on particular interests. Unabridged had a large self dedicated to books about the cinema. It also features a delightful LGBTQ corner with everything from gay fiction to erotic. There's also a discount books section too. The only downside is that the horror section was relatively paltry - one shelf that was a comprised mostly of Stephen King novels (although I found a great short story collection by Brian Evenson, who's definitely an acquired taste). Great bookstore. Highly recommended. read more