It's a true vintage place. It's so amazing to see people so dedicated to keeping old books and VHS and movies and CDs and stuff from ending up in a landfill. I loved shopping here and ended up leaving with like $100 worth of stuff and I barely made it through all the sections. It's definitely worth a day trip. Bring your headphones and listen to some music and lock in on those shelves because there are some true treats hidden in there. read more

Wonder Book - Bookstores Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I've been here plenty of times and I absolutely love this store. The selection will not disappoint you. The workers are friendly and helpful. 5 for $5 is awesome. The books that I look for aren't that much so I wouldn't really know if the other items are priced. One of the best second hand book stores in Rockville read more

Had fun checking this store out today. Lots of books, dvds, and cds to look through, as well as art. It is tucked behind the shopping center. read more

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The service at Wonder Book is very good. I dropped off books that were no longer wanted. They had at least 3 trucks at the business for drop offs. read more

Amazing book and vinyl collection. Books felt like it went on for miles, whatever book you are looking for I'm sure you'd find it. I came for the vinyls and I felt like a kid in a candy store. As pictured below, I found a great selection with an unbeatable price. They also had specials going on for the vinyls which is rare to see. The Frank Sinatra vinyl I ended up finding was a first edition going on eBay for $70+, I only ended up paying $14 for... so they are definitely rare finds if you're willing to look. Highly recommend this place. read more

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A hidden gem of books galore. You feel like you stepped into the history of life with endless books! Used, new, in everything in between. My new fave place to get lost in! And the service was very friendly :) read more

I usually find interesting books and other stuff at a fair price. I really think they have a lot of books and DVDs to choose from. For example, I found "The Black Dahlia" by James Ellroy when I looked for it there. I found "Ask the Dust" directed by Robert Towne when I was looking for it. I found them both at Wonder Book. The service is usually very good as well. They have parking, a bathroom, and are near a Metro and lots of businesses. I liked there selection of books. read more

The vibe is super relaxed and quiet, with comfortable chairs tucked in the corners for reading. Staff were friendly but not pushy--happy to help when I had questions, but also let me browse in peace., I left with two books I wasn't even planning to buy and zero regrets. If you're a reader., this is definitely the kind of place you'll want to come back to., read more

This is a quirky (and hard to find) used bookstore with an upbeat vibe and lots of unique items for sale besides books...I love the interesting sodas (with cane sugar), local fudge (at the counter), postcards, T-shirts, and vintage prints...the selection of used books and movies seems carefully curated as I have found early editions of novels I could not find elsewhere and favorite old movies I have been surprised to come across. The store layout is maze-like with lots of nooks and crannies. The staff at the counter are friendly and easy going...I like that they have punch cards (but I usually forget mine.) I wouldn't say they have the lowest prices for a used bookstore but their books and movies are in good condition and they have a great collection. So this store is a little difficult to find as it is hidden behind a self storage facility and strip mall along Shady Grove Road. It is easy to miss the narrow driveway that leads to the back of these buildings. But it's also cool that it's not right by a busy street (and there is plenty of parking.) read more

Wonder Book - Bookstores Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

10/29/22 Books, music, games, movies, portraits and more movies. This place has many things one could hope to buy. One person's trash is another one's treasure. I say many things and took pictures of several things I liked. I ended up buying the movie Equilibrium. A movie I never finished long ago. A movie that now costs $5.90 and worth the price of admission. Some people might disagree with me on this, but its okay. The staff members I talked to were cool. The person I spoke to when I bought the movie reminded me of someone I have known. I like the portraits I came across and hope one of them becomes the main picture for this review. I will definitely be coming back here with my wife and let her see what I have seen. The music section reminded me of the movie High Fidelity. The tv series also looks really good, but haven't seen a single episode. I kept seeing Jack Black singing "The Night Laura's Daddy Died. Brother What A Night It Really Was...Angina Tough...Glory Beeeeeee" Digressing again. I had a great time here and know I can add more great movies. To my collection should I come across them. I look forward to doing so. If The 5th Die Hard movie is still there next week, I will buy it...maybe. read more

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I typically don't sell a lot of books, so I'm usually content with the small amount of cash or slightly higher amount of store credit that I receive here. I always find books of interest and sometimes DVDs. For what I buy, the prices aren't bad, and occasionally I find books that are fairly new at a reasonable price. The cons are two: The store credit doesn't appear on the receipt. And you can't enter the store with books to sell: You have to place your books near their truck parked outside, then enter the store and tell them you have books to sell. Don't go there if the weather is not nice enough to be outside and you are selling books, DVDs, or recordings read more

This store has a wide selection of books, DVDs, vinyls, games, postcards, etc. that fill up the extensive lines of shelves. Personally, I came for the books, and I was stunned by the wide variety, especially classics! However, they have books in many genres (sci-fi, horror, fantasy, general fiction, poetry, history, art, etc.). I was lost in a trance while walking through the shelves and gazing at all of the books. I could've easily spent all day browsing through the vast collection of books because the shelves seemed to go on forever. I definitely need to come back to this store to look at and purchase more books! read more

Wonder Book - Interior. - Bookstores Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

This is a wonderful and magical store. There are so many books and other things everywhere! I hope to go back soon! They even have manga and comic books as well! I was really excited to find a lot of variety because I love books of all kinds from all over the world! You never know what you'll find in a place like this! read more

Wonderbook is everything that I wanted from a used bookstore - tons of inventory, semi-chaotic ambiance, great prices. Although you can go into Wonderbook with a list, I've found it a lot more fun (and rewarding) to wander through sections of interest and let ~the books guide me~. In all seriousness though, this place is really, really cool. The books are pretty organized (by genre, then by author alphabetically), but it is a little bit tricky to find what you are looking for if you have something super specific in mind. I've particularly enjoyed browsing the science fiction and art aisles, but my favorite area of the store is a classics section. You can definitely find treasures (think, really old editions of classics) if you take the time to look. This store is not for the impatient, but if you're someone like me who enjoys daydreaming in a labyrinth of books, it's a real gem. read more

I think this might be my new favorite book store! Love that you could search for your books on the computer. Love that the newer books are easy to find. Also, I have to take advantage of the punch card which seems like a great idea. A great selection of my favorite genres: modern romance and books by celebrities. Only thing I didn't love is that they gave me a low price for the book I wanted to sell. read more

Insulting offers. Do not sell or buy here. You will be offered $2 for AN ENTIRE BOX of books, or $4 store credit. The average book price here is $4.95, even if there are multiple copies of a book. So basically, steal my books for the cost of $0.16 a piece (12 books in a box) and resell them for a revenue of $4.95, leaving your bookstore with a net profit margin of 96.77% PER BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!! And they seem to flaunt this "trade policy" with pride. A sign outside the store reads: If you do not like our offer, do not sell to us. I witnessed a man unload a LARGE U-Haul moving box FULL of books and receive the same amount of money for it. How much? $2!!!!!!! This place deserves our longest, strongest fingers. Heck no, I will not give you my money. Disgusting. read more

I'm an atheist. I don't believe in Heaven, but this place has got to be the closest thing to it.

I am ecstatic that book stores still exist. Finding a secondhand one is a true gem. I've lived in the area of this bookstore for years and never knew it existed...perhaps because there is a Barnes and Noble across the street from me, which has a Starbucks. And I've been to the complex where this store is located, but I never saw it. That's because it's hidden in the back of a little strip mall or office complex set up. For the first time, I went down a little alley way behind the area that has the Subway, 7-Eleven and the bank, and there it was. When I first walked in, I was greeted at the door and found a stack of T-shirts to my left. I thought this was odd for a bookstore, but then I saw the person on the T-shirt was Edgar Allen Poe...or Alexander Hamilton...or one of those people that would make sense to be on a T-shirt in a bookstore. As I walked down the aisle past the cashiers, I was pleasantly surprised to see used Wii games. They also had PlayStation games and Xbox ones too, but I don't have those consoles so I didn't pay them much mind. The selection was nice. I almost bought a Guitar Hero game and a Just Dance game until I remembered that I don't play the ones I already have. Oh well. The store is huge and is set up kind of like a maze. Places where I thought would be a wall would actually be a walkway into a whole other room. It was great. I got lost a few times, but it was easy to get your bearings. My favorite sections of any book store are the writing or reference section, business, and humor, and this store had great selections in all three. I was thrilled...and saddened that I hadn't published a book that I could find in the store. Their pricing was awesome. I don't think I saw any books that were over $4.95. They also had sections that allowed you to buy 2 books and get 1 free, which was great. Unlike some other stores, their pricing was consistent on books of the same title, which was good to know. Besides rows and rows of books on every topic imaginable, they had a huge selection of DVDs, CDs, and even a record room. Some things just jumped off the shelf and caught my attention like the waist trainer I saw in the Yoga/Exercise section. If you're still a CD person, you could probably find some great music there. If you liked the movie "Love Actually," they had 2 copies that were both $0.96. Absolutely amazing. This was a great find. I could spend days there walking through the rows of various languages or the rows of classics. I even saw a sign that had both Trump's and Obama's name on it, which gave me a cackle to see their sections so close together. If you get tired, they have a few chairs scattered throughout...oh, and there was a restroom for customers too if you asked for a key. If secondhand books that are well priced and in great shape are your thing, you'll love this one. read more

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We went looking for Manga, business, and government books on a Saturday afternoon. We didn't find anything we liked but the staff was very nice and the vibe was good. They had more recent books in stock than another nearby used book store. I wish they had a directory by the front door. It is in a lower rent area just as you would expect and a little hard to find but worth it. read more

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Occasion: ran into the store at closing time hoping to buy a specific book for a book club Was in town for business and thought this would be a perfect opportunity to read my book club book in my spare time and on the plane home. (The Alchemist, by Paul Cohello - didn't love it, but this isn't a book review so enough about that) Screamed into the parking lot about two minutes before closing and ran up to the door (yes, I'm that guy this time.) Locked - managed to get one of the workers attention and motion to them that I had two minutes left before they closed. I know how this seems but I'm revealing myself as an ass here to make their business look good so give me a little credit for that. The young lady let me in and told me that if I was looking for a specific book she would see if they had it but that I could not just come in and browse. Fair enough. I was, so I told her the name and one of her coworkers checked their inventory while I waited. Unfortunately, they did not have my book so I was on my way in just a few minutes. Observations: 1. LOTS of books here, but they know what they have. 2. If you know what you want, just ask; if you don't, plan to spend a lot of time browsing because they have tons of books to look at. I can't speak to the organization because I'm not a shopper who browses. 3. Their service is fantastic! Even though I was being pushy, the lady let me in and provided friendly service. Would I return/recommend: Yes! read more

Wonder Books in Rockville, MD has a solid selection of books from nearly every genre you can imagine. Each time I have gone (and I've gone lots lol) the staff has been super friendly and helpful. The store is small and it is packed to the gills with books, music, postcards, movies, games, etc. The books are organized into genres, and the employees seem to try their best to keep the books in alphabetical order by authors' names. Prices are decent. You can expect to pay about half the price of retail, which is fine if you are in a crunch. If you can afford to wait I would suggest you try www.thriftbooks.com or www.abebooks.com. What I dislike about the store is the aesthetics. It's quite dusty (even dirty in areas). It has an odd smell... not old book but more like musk or dampness. The sections are very tight. It would be almost impossible for a wheelchair or glider to navigate the aisles. These things keep me from spending as much time in the store as I would like lol. But hey, I'm going there to buy books not to hang out, right? :) Give it a try. Book lovers will enjoy their finds. read more

Love this place and the Gaithersburg location is very convenient for us. The ambience is what I like in a used bookstore -- piles of books, unexpected crannies, stools for reading, and unexpected treasures. I really like that I can use the online system to search for a book and hopefully find it in their extensive inventory of all locations. Easy to use paypal and they give a 50¢ discount (per book) if you'd prefer to pick it up in the store. The staff is knowledgeable. Granddaughter wanted manga and they helped me find a lot of it. If you're into older paperbacks, they have a large inventory, generally sorted by author's name within genre. It may be difficult to find first time you visit. Even though they have a sign on Shady Grove Road, it's behind the strip of stores facing Shady Grove Road. Parking is close and easy to find. read more

I hope you don't have any specific titles in mind when you visit Wonder Book. Advertisements boasting: "Thousands of books!". While, yes, there are definitely thousands of books, good luck finding anything. The lack of organization and filing makes it nearly impossible to do anything more than lazily scan the crowded shelves. It quickly becomes too much to even handle, and claustrophobia sets in before you can get down a full aisle. The same rules apply to their extensive selection of CDs. Yes, you may find a gem or two, but good luck scanning the shelves before you give up out of sheer boredom. The above also applies to the Vinyl selection. Horribly "organized". I can't believe a store owner could look at the shelves of any form of media sold at this location and think it is any form of quality. Also, if you're selling a record for $7.99, maybe take the original $2.99 price tag off before placing the item for sale. From afar, it may appear that there is a movie-lover's dream of a DVD section. Wrong. More than half of their movie section is composed of "rentals". First, in a post-Blockbuster world, who is taking the time to rent a DVD from something other than a streaming site? Second, the sad half of the "for sale" DVDs are mostly duplicates and average Goodwill finds, while the "good movies" are kept locked away in the "rental" section. Third, many DVDs have a label on the front warning you that disc(s) are missing. How embarrassing to even consider putting these on your shelves for sale. These incomplete items are best left behind the counter, or in the wastebasket. As an avid DVD collector, I'm always keeping an eye out for a shelf of Criterion Collection DVDs. Well, as expected the only option is to RENT Criterion films. How many people are actually looking to rent these films, that are designed and marketed to PURCHASE and COLLECT. Long story short: No organization. Mostly underwhelming selection. Not worth returning to. Very disappointed. Ps. Don't trip over the unorganized overstock, sporadically placed all over the floor. read more

This place has everything! DVDs, Blu Rays, Mangas and all that. Definitely recommended for anyone who hasn't been to a bookstore like this.

Stopped by this place on a Sunday afternoon for a browse. Wonder Books is a tucked in the backside of a strip mall so it's not visible if you're driving down Shady Grove. The place is deceptively large. As you enter, the narrow aisles wind around in labyrinth fashion. Just a warning, there is no such thing as a "10 minute browse" if you visit. There is no general monolithic non-fiction...every obscure topic has a speciality section, so come prepared to browse. The history section is pretty impressive! There is an extensive array of books, dedicated to different wars. However, I will say that I was a little underwhelmed with the social science sections...not much variety there and it seems to be mainly dominated by self-help and relationship-themed books. There's a smattering of general social science but not much. However, the prices are great: average book seems to be $5-10! read more

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This is where all old books go to heaven. I absolutely love this store. The old dusty book smell makes me feel like I'm at my great grandmas house; even though it makes me sneeze. I didn't realize how large the store was until I lost my husband and had to call to find him. Before we knew it, we were there for an hour. I will be returning to get a store credit for the books I purchased to get a few more. read more

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Their vinyl selection is way overpriced. I saw three of the same vinyl records all in different conditions (one of them was really bad condition) they were all the same price. I recommend you go to Second Story Books on Parklawn Drive in Rockville Maryland if you want reasonably priced vinyl records. Would have given them two and a half Stars if I could. Also they try to rip you off when you sell them your books, CDs or records. Doesn't matter what you bring them they will give you about $0.10 per item and sell it at a huge markup. read more

At 7am today my daughter told me she needed to show her Ellis Island books to her teacher tomorrow for her report. I went to another book store first with no luck. I decided to give Wonder Books a shot and mission accomplished! From the second I walked in I was greeted with a smile and the clerks showed me where to look. I was thrilled to find 3 books on the subject as well as a few craft and cookbooks for myself. Prices are great, very organized. Extremely knowledgable staff. Very friendly. I could have spent hours in there. Can't wait to go back. read more

Wonder Book - Mission accomplished. - Bookstores Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

Came here last year and it's the best book store we have ever been in. Friendly staff and incredible selection. I felt like I was in a magical shop crammed with every book imaginable. They take donations which keeps this cool store well stocked. read more

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I have been ordering books online from Wonder Book for years. Each order has been a delight. They are organized and super professional. Thank you for all of the fun books, Wonder Book! Best book store in the world! read more

Found many great comedy albums for very cheap. there is so much to find here and so reasonably priced!

Fantastic place to pick up children's books. They have so many nearly new books at great prices!

I'm the only kid I know who used to get grounded for reading. Sounds strange, I know. But you have to understand. From the time I was six years old, I read all the time. I read at the dinner table. I read on the toilet. I read when all the other kids were outside playing. I read with a flashlight under the covers after lights out. I just couldn't get enough. Other kids wanted toys for their birthday; I was happiest unwrapping piles of books. Eventually school and work and adulthood caught up with me. I no longer have the time to spend every moment of my day lost in a novel. But, as evidenced by the hundreds of books lining the bookshelves of my condo, I haven't lost the passion for it. Book Alcove allows me to indulge my literary cravings without breaking the bank. It's a little used book store that's bigger than it looks from the outside. It's hidden behind a beat up Gaithersburg strip mall, smells like old, dusty books, and is run by two guys who've yet to be asked about an author they haven't heard of. I could spend hours there (and I have... no one ever wants to go with me anymore) digging through classics and modern literature and even newer novels that someone had decided to get rid of. I picked up my copy of Kite Runner there for $5, and the collected works of Jack London for $4. Sure, they won't have the selection Barnes & Noble has, but the things they do have are treasures at a very reasonable price. My favorite part to browse is the antique books section. You MUST check it out. It is absolutely awesome to open a book printed in the 17th century and think about who might have read the same pages before you. P.S. They also buy books (I believe until 3 PM.) read more

Went to Wonder Book for the first time to sell some books, since the website says they buy books. When I got there, the buyer barely glanced at the books. He informed me that they pay for books by weight (!!) and offered me an exceedingly small payment. Shock and dismay etc. anyway long story short. The buyer agreed to give a very reasonable store credit, which I used to plug some gaps in my library. If you are just here to browse, you should find some good deals. The staff were perfectly pleasant. read more

I've been to Wonder Book a couple of times. Let me just start with the fact that I love reading and I positively love used book stores. They're great places to find books you never would have imagined buying before and the prices are great. Wonder Book fails this in many places. The store is cramped and many of the books you will find there are old, out of date, some tattered beyond belief and priced outrageously despite of this fact. Maybe I've been spoiled by McKay's down in Manassas, but when you compare a store with poor stock and high prices, to a store with better stock and LOWER prices you start to feel a little salty. I've brought in bags of high-quality books in near pristine condition and received $2 in cash with an offer of $5 in store credit. It's a joke. I'm not talking Dean Koontz hardbacks or romance novels; I'm talking scholarly texts, books on mysticism in pristine condition, books on the latest programming languages etc. Here's what I think happens; Wonder Book purchases your books and, if they're good enough, sends them elsewhere to be sold online. By giving you little to nothing for the books you "sell" to them (you're essentially giving them books for free for the most part) they're able to turn around and make a profit off of sites like Thrift Books and/or Amazon. How else do you explain the fact that, upon returning again a couple of weeks later, NONE of the books I sold were on the shelves. They're not selling that fast in the store, they're being sold over the internet. From now on I will be taking my books down to Manassas and saving my used-bookstore-cravings for McKays. Better space, cleaner, more fair in prices both buying and selling. I would only recommend Wonder Book if you're trying to get rid of tatty dime a dozen romance novels or Bibles. read more

2 stars for selling/3 stars for buying So I came in this afternoon to sell two huge boxes filled with books (mostly great condition ones) that I've gradually collected throughout my life. They offered me $5 for both boxes or $10 store credit. Which is kinda sad. Oh well. But they do have a very large selection of random, miscellaneous books neatly organized all throughout the store. It was fun browsing through it. You'd be surprised at the number of various paths to take throughout this tiny store. Books are decently priced. Classics ranging from $2.95 and best sellers to $12.95, etc. read more

I stopped by Wonder Book to sell 200-250 used books. Their buyer took less than 2 minutes to examine all my books and offered me $8 for them all. Many of these books world sell for more than that alone on amazon.com. I actually sold one last night for $8.50 on Amazon U.S. shipping. I have dealt with other book buyers who have paid me hundreds of dollars for similar collections of used books. The cursory examination and absurd offer in in themselves were bad enough, but the rudeness of the buyer was actually offensive. I have seldom had such a negative exerience dealing with a business. Do not waste your time trying to sell anything to these people. read more

I first discovered Book Alcove when I was in sophmore in high school. I was desperately in love with a guy who worked here, and I would go out of my way (I lived in Kensington at the time), to find ways to come up here. Unfortunately (for me), the guy was gay, so my little sophmore heart was quite broken. But my love affair with the Book Alcove never lessened. Ever watch that movie Labrynth? That's how the Book Alcove is laid out. You start off in the kids section, two turns later you're in Sci-Fi, but when you turn around, you're in the Romance room, which turns into Horror past the little doorway (that you thought would take you to the bathroom), and somehow you end up staring at the most amazing gilded, leather bound, parchment collection of classic fairy tales - in German. The honeycomb of rooms is a treasure trove of gems. I'm never quite sure what I love best about Book Alcove - the fun of wandering through the various rooms, or the great staff. They are all so funnily knowledgeable about random topics and never hesitate to offer their own (great) suggestions of what other books you may like. If I could, I would move in! But since I can't, I'm hoping that my book collection can expand and expand and expand until my house resembles the Book Alcove. read more

I'd completely forgotten about the Book Alcove! Thank you Irena for finding it again for me. The Book Alcove is located on the back side of a small strip mall, you definitely would never stumble across it unless you were looking for it in the first place. The storefront itself is a collection of smaller spaces, almost like wandering through a very old home that has had generations of additions added in random and haphazard ways. That all combines to create a wonderful browsing experience as the aisles twist every which way in a catacomb of old books. I too spend hours just flipping through books and taking in the dusty smell of old books that only a bibliophile could love. When I was a kid I used to pray that I would find a corner of that dusty old store that led to Narnia, it's that kind of place. read more

Interesting used book store - I was looking for a philosphy book by Marcuse titled One Dimensional Man. Their limited system showed that they did carry the book so the lady sent me to the section but the book was not there. She then checked the online stock told me there was one available for $3.99 I asked if she could just order it and I pay her there but she couldnt. She did mention they could have the book ship to the store for free. I went home and search for the title, it was priced for $79.99 used! And the shipping was $3.99. Boy I found a copy on Amazon for $13. read more