Alternately titled: Simply my favourite bookstores in Philly. Nothing beats the excitement of going on a treasure hunt through towering stacks or a good deal. I’ve gotten used to buying books for less than $5, and I get nervous when books start costing double digits.
Now that stores are starting to open up with limited hours, I thought it’d be the perfect time to show some appreciation to my favourite bookstores that happen to all be secondhand. And if it wasn’t the perfect time, I would have found some other excuse.
That said, we are still in the middle of a p*ndemic, so I wouldn’t recommend making a habit of visiting, but if you need an outing once every two or three weeks for your mental health, here are some local businesses you could support. (I keep a running list of books I want to find secondhand, alphabetised by author surname, to make my browsing process more streamlined so I don’t have to linger at the shop for too long.) Or, more likely, if you’re in need of some armchair travelling, here are some destinations for you.
Book Corner
Museum District / 311 N 20th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Located right next to the Parkway Central Library (my library!), Book Corner is my most frequented secondhand bookstore. It’s also the most affordable, with $3 hardcovers, $2 paperbacks, and $1 mass market paperbacks, unless otherwise marked up to $5. They also do seasonal book sales, with $2 hardcovers, $1 paperbacks, and $0.25 mass market paperbacks. A great place to find children’s books, contemporary books, and classics. I donate all my books here.
Some books I’ve bought here: Emma by Jane Austen ($0.25), Brave New World by Aldous Huxley ($0.25), Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng ($5), Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng ($3), One Day by David Nicholls ($1), The Secret History by Donna Tartt ($3), The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan ($1), The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien ($1), A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara ($3)
Bookhaven
Fairmount / 2202 Fairmount Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Across the street from the Eastern State Penitentiary is Bookhaven. I only recently learned that you can trade in your books for store credit or $1 per book (store credit is the better deal, if you plan to revisit). They’re very selective about the books they take; with the books they don’t take, you can decide to hold onto them or just leave them at the store for them to mass donate to thrift stores. By trading in three books, I ended up getting a copy of Crime and Punishment marked $6.50 for free with $1.50 store credit leftover! I think I’ll start bringing all my donations here and taking whatever they don’t accept over to Book Corner, as they’re only a 10 minute walk apart.
You won’t find any new books here (i.e. contemporary first edition hardcovers), but you can still find a selection of contemporary books, children’s books, and gorgeous classics. This is the shop to go to find unique editions of beloved classics for a steal—not the cheapest option amongst secondhand bookstores (unless you have books to trade in), but a treasure trove for casual collectors. The shopkeeper told me that he finds some of these vintage editions at estate sales.
Some books I’ve bought here: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez ($8), Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky ($0)
The Book Trader
Old City / 7 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Located in Old City, one of my favourite neighbourhoods to stroll through. A mix of contemporary books and classics. Not as curated as Bookhaven, not as cheap as Book Corner, but a good in between. This is a shop you’ll probably have to take your time to sift through and is the most unpredictable of the secondhand bookstores I frequent, which means the greatest surprises. I’m always sure to pop by when I’m in the neighbourhood, especially during their occasional sale. A charming shop in a charming neighbourhood for anyone who likes wandering through dim, musty aisles as much as I do. Cat not pictured.
Some books I’ve bought here: The Best of Roald Dahl by Roald Dahl ($3), Great Tales of Horror by Edgar Allan Poe ($2), The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien ($3)
Molly’s Used Books and Records
Italian Market / 1010 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
I’ve only visited this shop twice, but I’d visit much more often if it were easier to get to the neighbourhood from my apartment via public transportation. In front of the shop they have their $3 sale on mass market paperbacks. Inside is highly curated, with tons of first editions and book club editions in protective plastic sleeves. They also have a whole bookshelf for vintage Modern Library editions, a children’s section, and a vintage recipe book section. Can get pricey, besides the sale at the front. A shop for collectors. They also sell records.
Some books I’ve bought here: Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote ($14), A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway ($14), East of Eden by John Steinbeck ($3)
Philly AIDS Thrift
South Street / 710 S 5th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Not a bookstore, but a great place to find contemporary books for super cheap. I mostly buy vintage classics (though I mostly read contemporary lol rip), so I pass up a lot of amazing contemporary finds, but if you buy more contemporary, you could do some serious damage here. It’s a thrift store so it’s the most chaotic of the shops listed here; you’ll probably get an arm workout thumbing through piles and digging through bins.
Some books I’ve bought here: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ($0.29), The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan ($0.29), Dear Evan Hansen by Steven Levenson ($1.49), The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt ($2.99)
Some popular finds I didn’t buy: Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman ($1.49), The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah ($1.99), Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman ($1.49), The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ($1.49), Autumn by Ali Smith ($1.99)
Bonus
Brickbat Books, Queen Village / 709 S 4th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147: A more specialised selection and kind of expensive compared to other secondhand bookstores. Art books, pulp, children’s books, contemporary, classics. Just a block off Philly AIDS Thrift, so worth a browse if you’re in the area.
Some books I’ve bought here: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll ($10)
Mostly Books, Queen Village / 529 Bainbridge St, Philadelphia, PA 19147: A block off Philly AIDS Thrift in the opposite direction. This warehouse has the coolest atmosphere with an expansive exposed ceiling stretching over concrete walls and rickety wood shelves.
House of Our Own Books, University City / 3920 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA 19104: A Victorian house, former residence of famed architect Lin Huiyin whilst she was a student at UPenn. Now sitting in a row with UPenn’s frat houses. A good option if you find yourself on the west side of Philly, as the rest I’ve shared are central or east.
Some book I’ve bought here: Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote ($7), The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath ($3.50)