Harvard Square Bookstores

Just because you didn’t attend the illustrious Harvard University doesn’t mean you can’t reap the benefits of this intellect-rich college town. Boasting 25 bookstores within walking distance of the famous campus, Harvard Square in Cambridge is a virtual utopia for readers of any age and all walks of life. The popular area offers a wide range of specialty shops whose inventory runs the gamut from out-of-print literature to new age meditation manuals.

The list of bookstores found in Harvard Square (see below) can be quite overwhelming; we recommend that you select a few at random unless, of course, you have a specific interest in a certain type of writing. Although the specialized nature of some booksellers may not suit the average reader’s tastes, consider your visit to some of the smaller shops a cultural experience.

On a recent tour through Harvard Square, we decided to stop first at the Grolier Poetry Book Shop, 6 Plympton Street, where we had the fortuitous timing to run into another reporter who was researching a story on poetry. Scooped by Channel 5! Louisa Solano, who has run the store since the mid-70s, graciously briefed us on what Grolier has to offer as her interviewer patiently looked on.

Grolier can be aptly described as a "hole in the wall" -- one that’s filled near to capacity by over 14,000 poetry titles. It has been a Harvard Square institution since 1927 and welcomes both loyal patrons and interested passers-by. In addition to Grolier’s claim to fame as the only all-poetry in-print shop in the country, the store sponsors poetry readings and contests and hosts book signings. The Channel 5 reporter added his comments as a consumer, explaining that "if you’re looking for poetry titles out of the mainstream, this is the only place to go."

Our next stop was Pandemonium Books and Games at 36 JFK Street. This dark store on the upper level of "The Garage," a Harvard Square mini-mall, carries science fiction, fantasy and horror books. Though the store itself can seem somewhat foreboding at first, we found the store’s owner to be friendly and helpful. Included in his description of the store was a list of regular customers -- among them a Greek Orthodox priest. Pandemonium just celebrated its seventh anniversary, and if you’re interested in finding obscure titles in this literary genre, we advise you to stop by and say congratulations.

And the List Goes On...
Following is a list of Harvard Square bookstores not mentioned above:

1. Ahab Rare Books. 5 JFK St. #401. Antiquarian, literature, Americana, autographs.
2. Robin Bledsoe, Bookseller. 1640 Mass. Ave. Out-of-print art history, archaeology, graphic design; new, used and imported horse books.
3. Bryn Mawr Book Store. 373 Huron Ave. Used and rare books.
4. Cambridge Scholarly Books. 52 JFK St. History, philosophy, art, architecture, science, advanced math and physics.
5. Buck a Book. 30 JFK St. Discount books.
6. Canterbury’s Book Shop. 1675 Mass. Ave. Antiquarian and new scholarly books.
7. Curious George Goes to Wordsworth. 1 JFK St. Childrens' books.
8. Globe Corner Bookstore. 90 Mt. Auburn St. Travel books and maps.
9. Global Village Books. 111 Mt. Auburn Street. Social and personal change, self-help, psychology.
10. James & Devon Gray Booksellers. 12 Arrow St. Pre-1700 books in English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin and Spanish.
11. Harvard Bookstore. 1256 Massachusetts Avenue. General bookstore which offers generous discounts on their "featured fifty."
12. The Harvard Coop. 1400 Mass. Ave. The official "college bookstore" of Harvard.
13. Harvard University Art Museums Shop. Fogg Art Museum, 32 Quincy St. Publications from Harvard’s Art Museums.
14. Harvard University Press Display Room. 1354 Mass. Ave. (Shops by Harvard Yard). Complete selection of Harvard University Press Books in print.
15. Mandrake Book Store. 8 Story St. "Carefully selected" books; specializes in psychotherapy.
16. McIntyre & Moore Booksellers. 8 Mt. Auburn St. Used books, mostly academic.
17. H.L Medelsohn, Fine European Books. 1640 Mass. Ave. Out-of-print architecture, etc.
18. The Million Year Picnic. 99 Mount Auburn St. New England’s oldest comic bookstore.
19. Revolution Books. 1156 Mass. Ave. Revolutionary Marxism and Maoism, Black studies, Africa and the Caribbean, etc.
20. Savanna Books. 1132 Mass. Ave. Specializing in books about people of color.
21. Schoenhof’s Foreign Books, Inc. 76A Mount Auburn St. Multilingual literature, nonfiction and reference.
22. Seven Stars. 58 JFK St. New Age books and merchandise.
23. Starr Bookshop, Inc. 29 Plympton St. Used and out-of-print.

How to Get There
The simplest way to get to Harvard Square is the MBTA Red line; there are a number of local buses that also pick up and drop off at the station. On a day with pleasant weather, we recommend that you consider taking the Red line an extra stop to Porter Square when coming from Boston. The walk down Massachusetts Avenue to Harvard is about 15 minutes and brings you right into the thick of things.

We Also Recommend
While you bask in the academia of Harvard Square, don’t feel guilty about pursuing some non-academic endeavors. There are fabulous ethnic eateries throughout the area and funky clothing shops for the daring. And as you decide whether or not to venture from Boston to the other side of the river, just remember: books or not, a day in Harvard Square is never dull!

by Allyson Krieger

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