Great little bookstore with lots of nooks and crannies to pore thru! Stopped by with my daughter to peruse the impressive selection of music CDs. Staff there were very friendly & helpful - spent quite a bit of time browsing up & down the aisles. As expected there were some bargains to be had - we'll definitely be back! read more

Wonder Book & Video - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

Great selection of used books at fair prices. I have had some great deals on some hard-to-find hardcovers from popular Sci-Fi series. Comic book section is a joke though. Few dozen boxes of beat-up, low-grade comics priced as though they were mint by someone who obviously knows little about comics. Seriously: there are modern-age, common, coverless comics with 3.99 marked on them. Even their "premium" back issue in the glass cabinets are largely low and mid-grade books priced as though they were mint. Laughable. Go for the used books - avoid the picked over comic section - it is a waste of time and makes me wince just looking at it. Friendly enough staff. read more

Huge book/record/dvd store. You can definitely get lost in this place. I mostly shop for vinyls so I stay in their record section, which is huge. It takes up one whole corner of the store. I've been able to find pretty rare records and comics for a decent price, they usually have different deals every month. The customer service here is just average, I've only been here twice but both times I never get checked on or asked if I need help... which is fine because I know what I'm looking for anyway. I'd recommend this location if you have time to dig around. read more

See all

This place is a mess and overpriced to boot, the selection here is less then stellar and the people working there far from personable

You can spend HOURS in this store and still not see it all! Wonder book has a ton of used books, movies, records, cds, etc and more. Any genre you can think of, they have. The organization of the store could use a little work, and the books themselves can be hit or miss. I think some of the books are a little overpriced for their used condition too. Despite walking around for over an hour I only found a few small items that I considered worth buying. But, it is a super fun store to walk around and browse. They had two whole bookcases just full of Harry Potter books! Browsing the store would be a cute date activity, I plan to bring my husband back here! read more

Wonder Book & Video - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

Whoever is deciding the pricing for DVDs/Blu rays/4ks here has genuinely lost their mind. They will, no exaggeration, have 10 copies of the same movie and still not get the hint that they need to lower their prices. Higher prices doesn't always mean more profit, duh. I have pictures of the price tags on some of their 4k movies and it's literally cheaper to buy it brand NEW online. The average price for dvds at goodwill around this area is 1.50$ and Blu rays 2.50$. I understand it's a speciality store so you'd expect it to be more but 9 dollars for a used Blu ray you can buy on Amazon new for 12 is crazy. Even the record exchange store in downtown Frederick has better prices (around 4 bucks per Blu ray), and they probably have a larger over head due to location. Seriously you'd think whoever runs this store is an obsessive collector who doesn't actually want to sell things. The only reason I'm giving two stars is because the staff was nice, it's an adorable store, they have a good deal on rentals, and I can only speak for the movies. I really hope they come to their senses someday because they have so much good stuff to sell, just no idea how to properly sell it. I'm uploading a picture of one of their movie prices vs buying new online as an example. This isn't just a fluke too, so many of their used 4ks are priced higher than new ones online. And while their Blu rays may be cheaper than buying new, it's only cheaper by 3-4 dollars so... not really a deal. Go to goodwill, the record exchange, a pawn shop, or literally anywhere else and it will be cheaper. read more

Wonder Book & Video - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

See all

Stopped here while I was on vacation and I can't stop thinking about it. Their selection is amazing, I left with almost a dozen DVDs, CDs, and some records. The prices were fantastic and the staff was very sweet. All I can think about is going back there to get more stuff read more

Wonder Book & Video - Sinatra record - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

See all

Wow! What a fun place to wander!...and it is a wonder how they get all the books in there!

I sold a bag of used books and without even looking at it, the dude offered me $1 or $2 store credit. I took the store credit. I bought three records, all overpriced by a large margin, and two of which had no protective sleeves. I'm not even asking for an archive quality sleeve, even an old paper one would do. And once I got home, I realized one of the records was in a completely wrong sleeve. What the fuck is Trouble Funk Express? How did they price a record and then stock it without ever finding out they had the wrong record in the cover? read more

I absolutely love this store. Love to wander around, admiring old books? You'll love this place? Looking for a deal? Check their ongoing sidewalk sale. Need perfect order like you'd find at Barnes and Noble?? ...well, this isn't your place. This is where book nerds come - to find rare stuff that looks pretty on the bookshelf and is enjoyable to read. There's so much to see and this place oozes with character and history. You're either into these sort of stores or you're not. Personally, I wish there were more around. Chain bookstores aren't inviting to me and they're overpriced too. They have a great selection overall of old and new - but I'd envision book collector types frequenting this store. Their ridiculously priced books are typically the antique ones in superior shape. Good selection of used music/videos too. Bought a stack of CDs for a few bucks. They also give you coupons occasionally, so just ask when they're having the next promotion. I do agree that their prices are high, generally speaking. Other than that, I have no gripes and will continue to shop here, when I want to splurge. read more

Wonder Book & Video - Books in many languages and subject areas. - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

Wonder is a gem in the rough but as usual you have to know what you're looking for. The store is stacked full of books EVERYWHERE. Watch where you walk, as there are books frequently stacked on the floors! Walkways are narrow between the bookshelves that are well organized by subject. The books I tend to look for varied in terms of stock, many Graphic Novels and Naval books were in stock but Manga selection was hit or miss. Prices also varied, but I found deals. The rather large selection of old and rare books are kept behind glass in the middle of the store. What surprised me was the large Blu-ray and DVD rental selection. Yes, I said rental. They also have various new Blu-ray and DVD's for sale. The used Blu-ray and DVD's had a decent stock but was extremely variable in terms of selection (I found nothing that would add to my collection.) Mixing of the new and rental sections did make Blu-ray/DVD searching a little confusing compared to other stores I've seen. Overall, Wonder is far from perfect but I'll be stopping back again. If you enjoy searching there are potential opportunities. read more

Wonder Book & Video - Storefront. - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

OK Wonder, what's up with the key system for the restroom? I piss a lot, so retrieving the key from a staff member to use the tiny little toilet room is going a bit too far. Love the books in the glass cases, the collectibles, but I cannot SEE them due to the overhead lights. The glare washes out the spines so I cannot read the titles. Note to Employees: When you unlock the cases so I can access the materials, PLEASE have more patience. These are your moneymakers, so let me browse! Prices are steep - beware! Fours stars for the sheer amount of merchandise: Books and ephemera. Appreciate the cold drinks for sale - book shopping can be thirsty work. Fun time always at this place! read more

Big store with lots of options! On my latest visit I felt like most of the books were overpriced. Staff always offers to help find a book which is a huge relief in such a big store. read more

Incredible used book store, I don't think you'll find a better one. It's a huge place with shelf upon shelf of books; every style and subject you could imagine. Things are laid out decently well and easy enough to get to (ex. no books hidden behind other books). Stuff isn't totally alphabetical but it is at least by the first letter of the authors last name which is about the best I'd expect from a used book shop. You probably won't find exactly what you're looking for, but you will definitely find something you'll want to buy and will have a fun time searching through the store. They also have a HUGE section for movie rentals - yes RENTALS, in 2022. The rentals all look to be in really good condition, lots of new movies and a good variety overall. They also have a fair amount of DVDs, CDs, and some blu-rays for sale (which I didn't really care about so I didn't look into that thoroughly). In addition to that they've also got several glass cases with various trinkets and collectibles. I wouldn't come here specifically looking for movies or music, but I'd consider those things to be a bonus. The real focus here is the books and like I said, I don't think you'll find a place with a better selection that is as enjoyable to search through. I'd give it a 4 - 4.5 overall. Only negative thing I can say is that while they advertise that they buy books, they only buy BOXES of books/movies/cds and pay next to nothing for them, so unless you basically want to donate your stuff don't bother with trying to sell here. read more

Best store fever for kid and teens and some adults their everything that u can learn need or want for home and family

When I was younger and lived in Frederick, I used to frequent Wonder Book on a regular basis. I mean, I was there every single week, sometimes more than once a week. I wasn't there for video rentals or used books (most of the time anyway, though i have bought a few books over the years). I used to go for their used records. Back when I used to go frequently, they had a HUGE selection of great vinyl that was changing all the time. Their prices, as someone else said, were all over the map ($20 for a trashed Elvis lp? give me a break), so I stuck to the cheaper stuff and usually found something good. If I had only one thing to say about this store, it would be that I owe this place for introducing me to the music of The Ames Brothers and local Baltimore legend Ronnie Dove through the used 45's they used to have tons of (but in recent years have had an extremely thin selection of 45's, choosing to focus on LP's instead, which I am not very fond of). The Ames Brothers 45 was one i bought there based on the song, You Are My Sunshine, which I loved, causing me to seek out more by the group, and the Ronnie Dove 45 I picked up just because it had a metal adapter in it, which I had never seen before, that record being Hello Pretty Girl, which also caused me to seek out more by him and turned me into a huge fan of his music. These days if I stop in there, I don't often leave with anything anymore. It's almost like the good stuff has been picked over before it had a chance to make it to the shelves. And their selection of 45s is incredibly thin. I remember when they had a huge plastic tub full of them, I never even made it through all of them before they ended up tossing them out. Stupid, stupid. Apparently some guy went dumpster diving and pulled them all out and was selling them at an antique store a week after that.... Anyway, I do still stop in here every time I am staying in the Frederick area, sometimes I come out with some LP's but not being a big fan of them, I later find myself wondering why I bought them.... I think it's just to bring back childhood memories, but I'm glad the place is still around for me to be able to do that, as so much that I loved about Frederick when I was a child is now long gone. read more

I recently bought a math book (one book in the International Series in Pure and Applied Mathematics) on AbeBooks.com from Wonder Book and could not be happier. AbeBooks.com does not give customer the option of leaving a feedback for the seller, that's why I am leaving it here. The book is in excellent condition and with a dust jacket, much better than expected, and with good packaging and fast shipping. I will definitely buy again from Wonder Book. Thank you! read more

This review is about selling books to them. Do not take your used books here. They visit you in the parking lot, appear to look through your boxes (I had over 10 boxes of nearly new, old hardbacks, classic books, SciFi, and art books), and then....they offered me $30. Really?? With over 200 books they could only imagine them worth $30??? Of course I could have had $50 store credit but I don't live near Frederick. I am a senior and not able to return these heavy books to my DC home. I was VERY disappointed. The woman could not tell me which books she needed to fill gaps in her inventory. Did they want cookbooks? or children's books? or maybe local history? Maybe she didn't know. It was just such a waste. Of course, if they send my classic books (all 1000 of the Arabian Nights for example) to a school then I am happy to give them to them. Unfortunately, what I believe now is that our wonderful books will be going to scrap. It is very sad to give such excellent books to the landfill or "recycle". Find another place to donate your wonderful used and old books - not "Wonder". What they write is: "As booklovers, Wonder Book believes that books are not made to be disposed of--they are made to be read, collected, shared, and displayed. We strive to find a home for every book". Ha. It sure didn't look like that to us. read more

Yesterday I had that moment of boredom, easily filled by a trip to Wonder Book and Video. Not only do they have untold thousands of used books (not giveaways, mind you), but a pretty extensive collection of vinyl. It's your choice to go through albums stocked in the store, or to wade through the 94 cent bins outside ( and there are lots of them). I am an oldies fan, and tend to go for 60's groups - yesterday I found a Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 Greatest Hits, and Johnny Rivers at the Whiskey-a-Go-Go. Some of these records may have a skip or two, but for a dollar, I'll walk over to my turntable and "unskip it"... all part of the pitfalls and fun of analog! I've done better at some Friends of the Library county bookstores as far as price is concerned, but not in the sheer number of items available. In Montgomery County, one might check out Second Story Books in comparison. I do not work for Second Story but am just making this suggestion as a consumer. read more

Wonder Book is a wonderful, relaxing place where you can find great books, movies, and music the "old" way. If you're into books, there's no better place for discovery, I prefer it over the library. I've heard a couple of folks who are overwhelmed by the amount of stuff here, but I think that's the great part. I don't usually go there to find something specific, but rather treat it like a treasure hunt, and I've found some great books, CDs and movies that felt much more special than just searching and buying on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. If you're into vinyl, they have a giant collection of LPs and 45s. Also, they still rent movies and games, and I'm pretty sure they're the only game in town left that still bothers to serve that need here in Frederick. I've been a Wonder Book customer since my family moved here in 1985. read more

Wonder Book and Video is great. I just picked up two great books: Brave New World and The Grapes of Wrath. I got both books and spent less than 5 dollars. I will divide Wonder Book and video into three sections: The movies, The videogames and the books. 1. The movies= A great selection for both rental and purchasing. In comparing the local blockbuster with Wonder Book and Video, Wonder Book has a wider selection of new releases, however they a limited to only two or three copies of each movie(unlike Blockbuster which has 89 copies of Sex in the City). They are great about ordering movies that they dont have and in addition to the movies, they have various t.v series: The sopranos, 24, The Wire , Family Guy. 2. The Videogames= I was impressed to find Soul Calibar IV for rent. This game just came out. A growing number of ps3 games and a wider selection of Xbox and Wii games grace the shelves at Wonder Book and Video (O.K I am growing tired of typing out Wonder Book and Video everytime, from now on I am calling it W.B.V). 3. The Books= This is where W.B.V stands out. If you are about to go to Border's Book to spend $30 on the latest Deepak Chopra book, visit W.B.V first, they might have it for $9.99. W.B.V is trying to move the books as quick as they can, so they will even barter with the price. Civil War books,History Books, Self-Help books are scattered throughout the store and are often sold at 75-80% off the retail price. I love W.B.V and can spend an hour just searching thru all the DVD/VHS(often on sale for 99 cents)/Blue-Ray selections. Hours are 10-10 and it would be nice if the hours where extended to midnight on Friday and Saturday, but that is my only complaint. read more

This is one of my favorite places in Frederick (the Hagerstown location is awesome as well!) I have found a ton of great books here. My only complaint is that you really NEED to know what you are looking for before you walk in the door. Write it down if you have to, because once you walk in you will be completely overwhelmed by it's magnificence. Though browsing is fun too. read more

I was so excited to read about this place on Yelp because I absolutely love used book stores --- especially ones where you can buy a huge stack of books for about $10-15. Unfortunately, this was not the case at Wonder Book. I imagined a "Second Story Books" Frederick-style, but instead got a mediocre (though large) store with kind of atrocious prices. Call me crazy, but if I'm buying used books that aren't in very good condition (e.g. falling apart?), I expect the price tag to reflect that (1 or 2 bucks??). Instead, it seemed like every book I was semi-interested in had a corresponding $7 or $10 tag. I could get a new book on Amazon for that price. Guess I'll be heading to down to Rockville when I need more used books. read more

Huge collection of used books, CDs, DVDs and vinyl -- all at dirt cheap prices. I was here for a solid 45 minutes, and barely scratched the surface of their massive inventory. (It took me a half hour just to get inside, since they had thousands of $1 CDs and DVDs out on the sidewalk.) I wish I'd had more time to browse; I could see myself getting lost in here for hours. One word of warning: I noticed a few CD cases that contained the wrong disc (i.e., a different album by the same band) and box sets that were missing a disc. Most of these were labeled as such, and given the size of their inventory, it's hard to fault them for missing a few. But still, you'd be wise to double-check your purchases before checking out. read more

Cherish this paradise. This is the most interesting bookstore in America. This is, I think, the greatest single store in America. I can barely express the positive impact this place has had on my life. I discovered it when I was around 12 or so, growing up in Baltimore County. It immediately became my favorite place in the world (with the wonderful Second Story Books in rockville taking a very respectable second-place). I looked forward all week long to my family's weekend-trips to Wonder Book. Just the smell of the place made me get butterflies in my stomach. Now I'm in my late twenties, living up in Massachusetts, and I still go to Wonder Book every time I come back to Maryland to visit my family. Pulling into the parking lot still gives me butterflies in my stomach. The fiction selection is unparalleled and stunningly sophisticated: fans of, for example, latin american literature in translation will find what is certainly the best selection in the country here (how did it get here!?). Other sections are equally strong: Civil War historians will fall in love at first sight; their collection of "mass market" paperbacks (classics, romance novels, popular novels, etc) is the best of any bookstore I've ever seen. (The selection for anthropology/world history/"academic" books is a little weaker, but a man would be crazy to complain amidst such bounty.) Above all, it's a treasure-hunt. Don't come with particular books in mind (though they're likely to have them, especially if it's literature you're after). Just paw through the aisles for hours. You'll have a blast and leave with treasures you'd never heard of, almost always priced fairly. I love you so much, Wonder Book!!!! read more

I love big bookstores that have nooks and crannies, but not when I'm looking for something specific. They layout didn't make much sense to me and their map didn't help much. It might be nicer if they put a list of categories and tell you where on the map they are instead of trying to fit a map with writing all on one side. The print was tiny, even for my good eyes. I found books by the author I was looking for in 2 sections, but not the book I was looking for. Not the most cohesive place to go if you're in a hurry or have a toddler with grabby hands. read more

My favorite store in the whole world. I can easily spend hours here. Tons of old, out-of-print books; interesting bric-a-brac on the walls and a good DVD/Video section. It's also nice to come in and pick up a bag full of trashy romance novels for less than $20.00. You can also order books through their website and have it delivered to the store if it's not in stock at the Frederick location. Wonder Book also does books by the foot, which is a great way to start a personal library fast. read more

I'm a book hoarder, I admit it. I still have stacks on unread books that I bought when Borders was going out of business. So obviously, I adore Wonder Book! The store is aisle after aisle of books from floor to ceiling. Because of the amount of books to browse through, make sure you come with time on your hands. It's easy to say you'll pop in for a quick look and next thing you know, you've been inside for an hour! Like other reviewers, I compare everything (not just books) with the Amazon price before buying and I've found some good deals, most notably an out of print Hemingway biography for $5 that was selling on Amazon for almost $50. I haven't bought any DVDs myself but the bf got a used Blu-Ray of This Is the End when it was a new release for $6-7 and it worked just fine. I think they also offer a BOGO on DVDs when you check in on Yelp. They also sell books through their website and eBay. Definitely come here if you love books! read more

I believe they only have one location now, Justin P. In Hagerstown. Or maybe Rte. 40. At any rate, they closed the one on Prospect. You can find anything, everything, and more, and despite the fact that the prices aren't as cheap as Goodwill, the selection is much more thoughtful. Plus you can rent a movie. Wonder they don't call it, Wonder Book and DVD, nowadays. read more

If you are of a certain age, you might recall Yellow Pages (!) ads for used book stores (!) advertising "Highest Prices Paid!" "We Pay Cash," "No Collection Too Large or Too Small," "We Come to You," etc. Well folks, those days are decidedly over. Case in point: Wonder Books. They still do buy books but the payout is typically low, and you are more likely to end up with store credit. That's been my experience; hopefully yours may differ. On the book buying side, it's a fun store to browse, with books overflowing the shelves. In-store promotions can help stretch your store credit. Prices are good (although one wonders why they are not a little lower considering the acquisition cost). Yes, the good old days of used book stores are over, but Wonder Books remains as a reminder. read more

If I could give the store a 0 star I would. I called the store and asked them to come outside and meet me because I am dropping off DVDs for sale. The young guy comes out meets me makes a small offer then he says he'll come right back out and give me the $10. I waited in the car for 15 minutes then decide to go inside. They are extremely unprofessional and rude. Never shopping there again. By the way the employees look run down and dirt balls. Take a shower once in a while.... read more

They got everything and more. They have a great selection of all types books, music, and movies. While there, take your time since you find some great stuff. read more

Wonder Book & Video - Everything and more. - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

Fun & interesting to visit and browse. This location has a lot of unique items and even rare books, which was cool to see. The staff I talked to seemed condescending and "too cool" for the job. I felt talked down at points. While I did enjoy browsing the store, I have to say I definitely prefer the gaithersburg location and have had more luck finding really amazing things there! read more

Wonderbook is my magical special place. I love it so much. I'm a pretty big sf nerd, and the treasures I've found here are incredible: out-of-print or rare sf classics, stuff like Fred Pohl's "The Way the Future Was" or Bradbury's "I Sing the Body Electric". Every time I visit MD, I try to make it up here. And every time I make it up here, I end up spending $40-$50 and coming out with a tower of old, great books. I also need to give them mad props for selling me - when I was once in a craze of Trekness - an old VHS of the 1979 Star Trek: The Motion Picture for like $2. That movie... so bizarre and so sf. And watching it on a scratchy VHS, like it was my own special, hidden discovery, was just perfect. I can't recommend this place highly enough. read more

Not for the weak-hearted 'reader' just looking for the latest bestseller, but for the real book nerds who want to get lost for hours and leave with a stack of books they likely didn't even come looking for. This place is more of an adventure than a store. For that, I love Wonder Book! Their hours are great too, why not get lost in books every night? read more

See all

Um, why have I not been in Wonder Book 500 times already?! People kept telling me how great it was but apparently I'm an idiot and didn't get the message. Had my first experience a few days ago and MAN that place is overwhelming. Totally in a good way though. You could spend hours in there and not see everything, I think. It would probably be far more productive if you were looking for something specific as they do have a computer to search for stuff yourself or super nice employees to help you out. Wandering the aisles is cool, too. While I haven't tried it personally, you can of course sell/trade-in your own books and such. My husband has done it a few times and apparently feels like it is a fair deal. Also, you can rent movies from them! Like entire series for insanely low prices. They have new stuff, old stuff, blu-ray and even VHS if you for some reason still own a VCR. Winter would have been so much more bearable had I embraced the wonder that is Wonder Book. read more

A huge selection to choose from. Books, CDs, DVDs, Blue ray, posters, candy, the list goes on, and on, and on, and on........

I ordered four books from them some weeks ago. They arrived promptly (I live in Canada) and in Very Good condition as described. The packaging was good and using their website was easy. If they have more books that I need in the future I will definitely consider re-ordering. read more

I recently ordered like 20 books on gardening and rock hounding for less than $50 (and YES that included shipping). What a deal, all books were in EXCELLENT shape and I have absolutely no problem, as for shipping, they charge you $3.99 for the first book and the rest is free, which is why I just ordered all the books that I needed at one time. ONE of the books retail price was $50, and I paid 1.99! The ONLY drawback I have is that 2 of the books I wanted and ordered were not in stock so they charged me for them and then sent me an email later saying they didn't have them...I wasn't very happy...also I had a coupon that said buy one get one free on all gardening books, but I didn't get the discount, when I emailed them to ask WHY, they said it only counted in store, but that wasn't written on the coupon I had!!!!! At any rate, bottom line, $1.99 per book with basically free shipping is still a pretty good deal! I live in Arizona so I have not seen the actual store, but the delivery came to me within a few days and overall, VERY happy with the transaction. read more

As a GoldenOldie who once owned an SF/Comics store in G'Burg, and collected rare SF and historical books, Wonder is absolute Heaven! The staff is knowledgeable and great fun too ! I try to always use them when ordering books, videos, and anything imaginable. They also buy books at good prices, if you have a valuable item. Recommend absolutely! read more