I have lived near Unnameable Books for nearly as long as it has been open, recently began shopping there, and am now wondering how I ever got by without it. Adam, the owner & proprietor, is a nice guy to chat with, and while he's up for a brief conversation, you'll have to initiate--he's not about to barge into your browsing time. He's totally enthusiastic about the written word, which makes him a stand-up guy IMHO, and his is the first used bookshop that looks like the used bookshops of my imagination: a wonderful hodgepodge of bookstore styles that really does offer something for every type of shopper. In the front, people who prefer to own a brand-spanking-new, never-been-kissed copy of whatever they want to read can choose from among the neatly organized new stuff. Shoppers who don't mind if their book of choice has been around the block a few times can select reading material from the slightly less perfect but still very well organized used sections. Finally, everyone can head to the back of the store to admire the ever-climbing stacks of recent acquisitions (and to contribute, if your old reads truly are the right stuff). Adam has a great command of the inventory. I was looking for a few things, and he was able to tell me whether or not he had the titles, who wrote them, and whether his copies were new or used. Bravo. Me and a chunk of my paycheck will undoubtedly be seeing you again soon. read more

Sold a few books last time I went in and the service was good! If you are going in to sell, however, I would give them a call beforehand because apparently what you're supposed to do? The website is sparse and doesn't mention calling before going in to sell. read more

There is definitely something here for everyone. Great selection of new art books--recent releases and shows. You can waste a ton of time here looking through all the used books, several which I wanted to buy, but they were slightly more pricey than I wished for used. And I also love that the people who work here can barely be seen behind stacks of books in the back. read more

Is this the one that used to be located on Bergen St.? The stock is geared toward new books than the used ones. They are doing a good job nonetheless. On top of it, they stay open late. read more

Used Books = Me Happy. That being said, this place is awesome. It's fun, small, full of great books, organized, not too stuffy but cozy and quaint. I have been here a few times and always came away with a few books to read. I need to stay away so that I do not overwhelm my already overflowing bookshelves. The staff are nice, but not in your face. They let you roam and are knowledgeable about what they carry. I wanted to re-sell some books, but came at the wrong time day apparently, that was a bummer to carry 10 books back n forth. But it is ok, I'll go back, give them what I have and get some more. Great place, definitely check it out. read more

Recently, I've been into used and local bookstores. When I went, it was the summer and they didn't have AC which limited my time. I do like how crowded with books it is and that its in a fun neighborhood. Some of the books seemed overpriced and that's fine but if they could make it smell a little bit better as in not like B.O. I think it would really help sales. The selection is pretty diverse and fun to explore. Although, the signs that say not to steal bother me because they seem passive aggressive. read more

Went in to sell some books before moving. The guy at the counter asked if I called. I said no I checked their website and it said they buy books and their hours with no mention of select hours for buying. It also didn't say to call to see if they were buying that day. After lugging books 20 minutes walking needless to say I was annoying. read more

Beautifully cluttered, yet ordered, the way you want a place that takes books seriously to be. 5 stars cuz when I brought my purchase to the counter (a relatively obscure selection), the lady at the counter said "We have a used copy of this, in good shape." and it was HALF THE PRICE of the new one. I will be coming back read more

I'm in here every week. Really excellent selection of new books, especially if your taste runs to contemporary fiction and poetry. Rare is the store that carries a selection of new poetry chapbooks, but this place does. The used selection can be more hit or miss, but that's what you get with a store in an area heavily trafficked by culture vulture Brooklyn types. I've found the pricing to be fair and the staff reserved, but helpful when asked. I'm holding back a star only because I think the store is perhaps too weighted towards works of theory and poetry. I'm old fashioned -- I'd like a bit more history. read more

Every time I come here I tell myself I won't spend more than a single $20 bill. I always leave with three great books and that promise kept. One of my favorite places in New York, period. read more

I always said that if I found Zazen by Vanessa Veselka out in the wild, I'd buy it. Unnameable Books was the first shop that actually carried it on their shelves, along with a great selection of great small press books. The shop is small but well-curated. For the shop being as small as it is, I thought the prices on used books were really good; they were comparable to the Half Price Books in my town that probably has cheaper rent and definitely has a huge stock. To be able to pull off those prices with less stock and a smaller shop in a higher-rent area? Very fair. read more

This is a tiny space stuffed floor to ceiling with new & used volumes. Unless you have 20/20 vision, you might miss the equally tiny Catagory labels underneath the shelves, as well as titles above your head. The $1 books are only outside, on a rack, to lure you in. Prices are about 50% off cover price on used books in good condition. Nothing appears organized other than by the most basic groupings; (art, crafts, & photography all mashed together.) The curaing seems to lean towards , with nods to currently trendy subjects. Lots of poetry, hardly any sci-fi, for example. The random & chaotic jumble of dozens of titles to scan, per shelf, can become exhausting. read more

Only browsed the ground level at this relocation, but found the place inviting and the staff helpful. A "please do not steal the books" sign...really?? http://www.brownstoner.com/brooklyn-life/brooklyn-news-masonry-falls-off-crown-heights-building/ read more

Been here too many times and spent too much money- which is to say that this place is everything you need. Great selection of new and used books with perfect music to browse their stacks as long as your pals will let you. Staff is always friendly and chatty, often lost in their own conversation. It's a slice of local glory on a terrific street. read more

I always feel at HOME in this bookshop and I have never walked out with empty hands nor have I ever felt like I paid too much. A good Used Bookstore is hard to come by as they are all too often a combination of clutter, disorganization and random oddities. In stark contrast, this store is well organized and carries a wide array of both used and new books. As for the used books, I'D BE SURPRISED IF I EVER FOUND BETTER PRICES. My most recent purchase was a very lightly USED copy of Henry Miller's "Tropic of Capricorn" for $6.00. If you think about it, the prices are even better then online prices because at Amazon you may only pay $2.99 for the "Tropic of Capricorn" but then you have to pay an additional $3.50 for shipping & handling (I'll do my own handling thank you) and then you wait by your mailbox for a week. This shop provides instant gratification (no waiting by the mailbox) and is equally as affordable. That is tough to beat. I would argue that Unnameable is the BEST USED BOOKSTORE in BROOKLYN. Period! read more

The selection of used books here is incredible. I stopped in while visiting from Chicago and had an armful of gems in about 20 minutes. If I stayed any longer, I would have had to check a bag on my flight home. read more

This is a bookstore which truly understands the concept of being an INDEPENDENT book store.

Adam as created the perfect bookshop....his flow of well selected used books always makes you want to go back to explore, and you ALWAYS find a gem. The new book selection is impeccably curated but not alienating or overly snooty. Prices are fair as well... PLEASE shop here and support local bookstores, this is perfect example of why they are so great.. read more

They don't buy books by local writers or as some people say ghetto books. Don't go to them let alone they bought 4 books for less than $10. I really don't need the money but seriously. ..they're the worst read more

It's a rather cold place. Cold setup, cold owners (at times mean), cold signs ("please do not steal books"?). Tried to sell a couple of used books there. The lady took a look and said no. Perfectly fine. I then asked whether I could put down the books temporarily on the counter and browse through their collections on the shelf. She frowned and very reluctantly said yes. Every couple of minutes the lady would stroll from the back to the front of the shop, apparently policing the customers. If you really care so much about book thieves, install a security camera. Not my type of bookstore. read more

Fun, unusual,connoisseur-level,yet down to earth. Going to a reading there tonight of Lucy Corin... trust them to break out great new talent early! NYC needs more of this sort of thing, it's why we're here. read more

I used to love Unnameable, but recently they started shelving all the mystery and sci-fi/fantasy books together under "genre fiction." This is a store that meticulously separates the religion section into Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, etc. and the history section by region and era, and they can't even be bothered to separate out the mystery from the sci-fi? Come on. When I politely mentioned this to the guy behind the counter, he was defensive and clearly didn't care. It's only two small shelves, and dumping it all under the loaded moniker "genre fiction" tells me everything I need to know. If Unnameable can't be bothered to separate the Agatha Christie from the Tolkien, I can't be bothered to shop there. read more

Rudely asking a customer if they will sit on the only chair instead of the floor is a sure way to never get their business again. They loved this bookstore and found sanctuary in it in times of fright. Worth what? read more

Not often do I run into a book store on a1 hour break and return within the same day before heading home because I couldn't stop thinking about it. I have a library of about 600+ books mixed with books dating back to 1902 all the way to New York Times best 2014 sellers. I use to spend massive amounts of money on books at Barnes and Noble, but with Unnameable Books around theres no need for that. Why the 5 stars? Customer service, book selection, atmosphere, fit/out location is simply perfect. It's a small tight space which does get an insane amount of books piling over and sometimes someone might just bump into a pile and there goes 30 books tipped over. When this occurs, the staff simple brush it off like its apart of the daily routine to see how many times it happens in a day by a reader who hasn't visited the shop before. (I learned pretty quickly). Also if this place was bigger it wouldn't be the same. I read some of the views about the customer service being rubbish and supercilious? Only someone with deep self esteem and ego issues would say this. Theres a young generation that seems to be running this business and running a business that requires you to buy and resale books for double, or sometimes only a couple more dollars than what they bought them takes a huge mental toll. So when the buyer has told over 49 callers that they can't send a list of books via email to get a buy price because they need to physically see books you'll start to notice quicker and shorter answers for two key reasons. 1 is that there's normally only 1 person working this small location that gets pretty packed sometimes, so while you're worried about your book probably worth 0.01, the buyer is trying to watch the shop, ring up sales, interact with customers all while get through some peoples thick skulls that you can't get a price over the phone or email. ALSO - those complaining about receiving "attitude" or "bluntness" while requesting a price quote, you're honestly ridiculous. This place is popular enough were their receiving phone calls from close to finish and people coming in asking to sell their books to them. You're better off with Amazon if you can't comprehend why they must see the books in person. Imagine biding on something you can't physically see then noticing the description you got was incorrect. I'll finish my rant here - I also feel that maybe people don't understand that just because their a bookstore, it doesn't mean they have to follow some bookstore code. - They play all kinds of music, not just Ludwig and you might hear a sh!t here and there. ~'~ Why is the customer service great? When you ask a question you don't just get a simple yes or no but someone just in love with education as you. You can also put books on hold which is amazing because their selection is changing daily and you can never be sure if you'll see that one in a kind book again. Don't let it be an antiquarian book on psychology or zoology because I'm sure I'll buy it if I haven't yet. (This book store has both brand new titles and all the way back to Charles darwin era and probably further. I enjoy reading these kinds of books and Adam was a huge help. Tips? Try not to make your first visit around 3pm because it seems to be the time the kids get out and then the place is filled with moms and kids which isn't the best combo. Come soon as they open or, maybe 11pm because they stay open until 12am some nights! Prices vary but I noticed a lot of used books are between $5-$6-$8. Visa & MasterCard only - No AMEX accepted I bet you noticed the "Please don't steal the books" sign.. read more

I discovered this bookstore on one of our Brooklyn discovery trips. To shake away the Christmas nostalgia we decided to cheer up with some book purchases, it always works!!!! In the middle of not well known for us Prospect Heights, we found this gem of a store. I am a big fan of used, collectible books, which I can sense have a real soul. This place was a real heaven for me. I found a lot of books from different Scandinavian novelists that I have been looking for years and three amazing fashion related books, we spent at least an hour there and we are so going to be back. read more

I ended up passing by this little nook of a bookstore while walking up Vanderbilt Ave. on a Tuesday evening. The selection of used (and new) books is carefully selected and well-organized, and the prices are reasonable (but not bargain-basement). I think the quality of a used bookstore is predicated on two criteria: 1) how long you spend perusing their selection; and 2) whether you end up buying something when you visit. After looking through their their cooking section for 30 minutes, I ended up buying a used copy of "If You Can't Stand the Heat." If you ever get the urge to buy a bunch of used books after a couple martinis, they're conveniently open till 11pm, seven days a week. read more

Unnameable ticked all the things that I like to see in a bookstore: some $1 books outside to lure me in, a healthy selection of used books in well-organized shelves, intriguing stacks of used books on the floor, and some new books to tempt me. It took an inordinate amount of restraint to walk away with just one book. (It helped that the one book was a nice, used copy of The Sun Also Rises.) read more

Ok, if you like to read books, maybe quality fiction by people like Stanley Elkin, or Barry Hannah, or the Brothers Bartheleme, or Faulkner, or Melville, people like that--well, then you might like this place. Spot is teeming with vital texts waiting to be devoured. Kind of place you can go in and come away with stuff you've never heard of, and you know it'll be a good read by virtue of being on the shelves. Or maybe you can get down with some philosophy, or political theory, or can wrap your head around some music or film crit. I've spotted books on the history of ESP Records, Coltrane biographies, the Will Oldham interview Omnibus. Quality stuff, but maybe not for everybody. Everything's in good shape, and the prices tend to be on the low side. Sci-fi, they've got. Hard-boiled crime stuff, too. The section categories are all spelled out in English. If you have trouble with finding stuff, you can always ask the staff (I did). Who wouldn't like this place? Semi-literate, cranky trolls who hate the written word almost as much as they despise life. read more

This is my favorite bookstore. Super kid-friendly. Great children's book section and they don't seem to mind at all when my 7-year-old hogs the chair for an hour. read more

Really great bookshop with a good selection of used books. Prices were reasonable for the condition of the books. This would be a five star review except for two minuses: it's a really tight space, which made it hard to look for titles when other shoppers were in the area, and there is no computerized inventory, so I had to hunt for things on my rather long shopping list, and I'm sure I missed quite a few. However, I left with two full bags of hardback books for $98, so I will definitely be back. read more

Very unpleasant experience. Asked if they had a book I was searching for in their overcrowded and mismanaged shelves, and the guy who was working there looked at me and sort of smirked and said "we don't have that book." I asked him why, and he said because the owner did not approve of the its political tone. He then said "it's a book store" therefore I should look somewhere else like a library. Don't really know what to make out of that encounter, just know I will not be returning anytime soon. read more

Great used selection! New selection too. Small store that seriously packs a punch. Highly recommended neighborhood bookstore.

Really, this place is sheer perfection - a perfectly curated selection of new and used fiction, and, much to my delight, a smart selection of critical theory. The folks who work here are wildly smart (go ahead, ask them their opinion on ANY book - I guarantee they have an opinion), and they have great taste in music (there are ALWAYS good tunes playing in Unnameable). Love this spot. read more

Great neighborhood book store! The store is a little disorganized, as others have said, but I personally like it, as it gives me an excuse to explore all of the shelves. Just don't go here expecting to easily find a specific title. They have very cheap ($1 - $3) used books out the front, and moderately priced used books in the store. The two used books I bought were in great condition, in fact one of them seems brand new, which is probably why it cost $12. They have a great selection of classics (I picked up a copy of Great Expectations for $6), and new books. I spent $37 for a new book and two used ones. One final point: don't expect to go in here and find a space to sit down and read, there was only one chair when I went the other day. read more

What a great bookstore. They have a great selection and host a lot of local events. Every time I go in the people working are friendly and don't mind if you just stopped in to browse. I also enjoy the super cheap book racks outside. read more

One of my favorite used book stores in Brooklyn. Huge selection of every genre imaginable! Love this place!

Its a great little bookstore. You walk in and are immediately enveloped in the comforting smell of old books. Staff is great. Everytime I'm in Brooklyn I go here to pick up my next read! read more

top-notch books store: well organized, both new and used books, reasonable prices, and a seriously awesome selection. love it! read more

This is one of the dopest bookstores around. They have curated an awesome selection of books-from Lenin's last memoir to urban art in the 70's. The space is awesome and I just found out they have a basement and garden for performances which is great for an event. This is one of those tried and true bluechip bookstores that informed a generation of poets-and has sadly been lost to the faceless world of online communication. I'm a huge fan of this spot. Great prices too! read more

My go-to book store in the area. Really like the mix of used/new books and I always check out the discount book cart.