Is there any better place to hide out for an afternoon than a used bookstore? Any better place to take shelter from a rainstorm? Because they’re so small, dark, and tightly packed, they’re better for browsing than the new bookstores, with their fluorescent lights and the smell of shiny paper. All the books in a used bookstore have been read before, so you can’t do any damage by reading them a little more. And the owners are famously laissez-faire (The Onion once ran the headline “Used-Bookstore Owner Rises From Chair”) so nobody will hassle you with a “Can I help you?,” no matter how much time you spend in the stacks. As a book fiend, and a cheapskate, I buy most of my books used. Here are my favorite places to shop around the city.
The Armadillo’s Pillow, 6753 N. Sheridan Rd.
One of the oldest used bookstores in Chicago, this store that’s going on 30 has outgrown its three rooms, so much so that books are piled on the floor, giving it the look of the lair of a compulsive collector. The Armadillo’s Pillow also sells jewelry and incense. They used to burn incense there, giving books from the store a distinctive odor, but they’ve cut that out. It has an outstanding selection of pulp fiction, with science fiction books running as low as $1.95. These are the pocket books no one publishes anymore, small enough to slip into your jacket and read on the train.
Easy to find books? Not really. They’re all over the floor.
Book(s) I bought there: Goldilocks, by Ed McBain; Hard Eight, by Janet Evanovich
Jarvis Square Books, 1522 W. Jarvis Ave.
The smallest used bookstore in Chicago, Jarvis Square Books occupies a space the size of a cramped studio apartment. It opened last year in a not-very-promising site: across the street from the Jarvis L, the least traveled stop on the Red Line. Has a good selection of fiction, including by international Nobel Prize winners, such as Mo Yan and Halldor Laxness, and an even better selection of poetry, both new and used.
Easy to find books? Yes. The place is so small you can see everything.
Books(s) I bought there: For the Union Dead, by Robert Lowell; Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen; The Sunlight Dialogues, by John Gardner
Open Books, 905 W. 19th St.
Open Books, a massive used bookstore, proudly declares itself “Profit Free Since 2006.” Open Books’ business model guarantees it won’t turn a profit. All the books are labeled with prices, but those are just suggestions, says executive director Jennifer Steele. Customers are free to pay as much or as little as they want. Open Books has three locations, but only Pilsen is pay what you wish, since it’s an underserved neighborhood. The children’s and young adult books? They’re all free. The store also has locations in Logan Square and the West Loop.
Easy to find books? It takes work. The Pilsen shop is the size of a small warehouse.
Book(s) I bought there: Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout; Niagara, by Pierre Berton
Tangible Books, 3326 S. Halsted St.
Tangible Books occupies a not-very-busy block in Bridgeport, where its only competition in the literary trade is the Richard J. Daley branch of the Chicago Public Library. It’s a true neighborhood institution, holding a poetry show on the first Saturday of every month. This coming Saturday, at 2 p.m., the store is holding a South Side Zine Fest panel. Liz Mason and Keidra Chaney will discuss “Fandom and Zines.” There’s a special section for signed books, not common in used bookstores, and another section for Lincolniana, one of my favorite topics.
Easy to find books? Yes. This is a well organized, well labeled shop.
Book(s) I bought there: The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway; The Blade Itself, by Marcus Sakey (a signed copy)
Powell’s Books, 1501 E. 57th St.
The most professionally run used bookstore in the city — just what you’d expect in the book-mad neighborhood of Hyde Park. Saul Bellow was a regular; a photo of him browsing in the fiction section is on the cover of the Penguin Editions cover of It All Adds Up. As a competitor to Seminary Co-op Books, it’s full of sections with academic headings: Theology, Medieval Studies, Greek and Latin texts, Literary Criticism. “Looking for Ancient or Medieval History?” directs one sign. “Aisle 5 (in the front room.)” If you buy a Powell’s t-shirt and wear it on the first of the month, you’ll get a 20 percent discount.
Easy to find books? Completely
Book(s) I bought there: None (Sorry)
Ravenswood Used Books, 2005 W. Montrose Ave.
Smelling of incense, this crammed Ravenswood book nook has section signs sticking out from the bookcases like flags: History, Asian history, Espionage, the Kennedys, Union Protest and Radicals. I found my all-time favorite book here, but I had to make an inquiry at the counter first. “Do you have any Steinbeck?” I asked the clerk. “Steinbeck? Right there,” she said, pointing near the door, where a shelf of Steinbeck rested above a shelf of Hemingway. Other authors who occupy this favored location include Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, and Allen Ginsberg. There’s also a section of vintage YA books, including Tournament of Champions by Clair Bee (resting on an old typewriter) and ’Twixt Twelve and Twenty: Pat Boone Talks to Teenagers. This place is just too hip.
Easy to find books? Not exactly.
Book(s) I bought there: Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck
Myopic Books, 1564 N. Milwaukee Ave.
One of Chicago’s classic used book stores, this Wicker Park institution is a multi-level warren of 60,000 books. It’s one of the last remaining businesses from the days when Wicker Park was the center of the city’s alternative scene, and it’s owned by two former employees, Matt Revers and J.R. Nelson. You’ll do a lot of stair climbing here, to the fiction at the highest levels all the way down to the basement. I found a John Steinbeck book I’d never read before, which I was stoked about, since I’ve read almost his entire catalog. Myopic has the best Chicago section of any bookstore in town, used or new. If you’re looking to read about the city’s ancient history, from the Fire to the days of the first Mayor Daley, this is the place to shop.
Easy to find books? No, but you’ll probably discover something more interesting than what you were looking for.
Book(s) I bought there: The Log from the Sea of Cortez, by John Steinbeck
Uncharted Books, 3632 N. Western Ave.
“Save Books, Burn Fascists” declares a sign at the counter of Uncharted Books, which is less than a block north of Lane Tech High School. This place has an excellent Chicago section, including multiple copies of Chicago’s Haymarket Affair and Chicago Marching: A History of Protest, Authority and Violence. And it specializes in pocket-sized pulps, with vintage sci-fi books wrapped in transparent plastic sleeves. A lot of Star Trek books here as well. The walls are covered in paintings, including Picasso’s Guernica (not the original), and the hidden Adventurer’s Club is a rare book room which just may be available for your next book club or writer’s group.
Easy to find books? Very
Book(s) I bought there: The Seed of Earth, by Robert Silverberg; Fuzz, by Ed McBain