Bookshops

Posted July 10, 2018 by Ashley Jackson

It is toasty outside guys! I took a rare day off last week to go visit a few bookshops in the Boston area and cool down out of the heat as my apartment does not have air conditioning. Who needs an excuse to visit a bookshop anyway? A quick Google search for used books leads me to Brattle Book Shop in downtown Boston. It is one of America’s largest and oldest bookshops in America! Established in 1825 and in the same family since 1949. I was in for a surprise when I went because I was really looking for newish books that were on sale.  I didn’t think I would come across beautiful antique books.  I kept thinking, wow, this would be an excellent place for aspiring writers to find a book about an obscure topic who want to research the old fashion way.

I have a new interest in human anatomy books, and their section here was small and very old.  Rubber bands held the leather covers to the books, the paper was brittle and old (not a place for aspiring med students to research). I found a couple yoga books in the Occult section too (not sure if this was by accident or on purpose).  They have so many books and genres it’s worth it just to browse.  Upstairs on the third floor, they have their antique books, first editions and the like, and I believe you have to have an appointment to go up there.

Commonwealth Books is also in the area, so I walked the few blocks to visit it. It is a smaller version of Brattle and includes prints in their collection. I found a few photographs of the human body and they were going for a pretty penny.  I saw a few newer books in here, but plenty of older books that one could spend hours going through. If you have free time in your day-to-day, I would highly recommend visiting these shops! Boston Common is close by, and you can spend some time in the park to make a day of it!

Until Next Time!