I have received several suggestions to visit and review BookBuyers; its customers love it! I’m so glad my girlfriend, Frances McClellan, visited and reported back:
Entering the spacious store from Castro Street in down town Mountain View, California one can quickly get lost sifting through the first rack one encounters on the right which is full of music CD’s. Yes, music in an antiquarian bookstore.
BookBuyers Used Books and Media is not only an antiquarian bookseller and used bookstore, but also a deep catalogue music store as well. This is the place I travel too when I’m looking for a certain music title or paperback travel book at a reasonable price. The travel section not only has titles by recognized authors such as Bill Bryson and Tim Cahill, but also books written by the famous Jan Morris. I personally enjoy the full bookcase of travel guides where I can pick up a DK Guide to most any destination on Earth for a reasonable price.
Known for their broad Sci-fi and fantasy book collection, this store is frequented by many well-read and therefore well-entertained engineers in Silicon Valley. In addition to having readily available works by Douglas Adams of “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” fame they can always locate that hard to find title one may be desperate to reread.
On the antiquarian front, BookBuyers has carried a first edition, English printing of “Harry Potter and the Philosophers’ Stone“ as well as hard to find books on local Architecture, flora or fauna. A lingered glance behind the cash wrap which is on the left as you enter the store, will inevitably surprise, as it is in these hard to reach shelves where the true jewels of the store can be seen.
The atmosphere is one of quiet contemplation and yet this place is always full of browsers and shoppers. It is an especially good place to visit on a cold fall or winter day, as the collection draws you in for certain enjoyment.
The store is lined with floor to ceiling bookcases, which are filled tightly and logically with books. BookBuyers has done a splendid job in labeling the sections and providing enough human help for those of us too short to reach the tall shelves on our own. I often visit this store with my dog in tow as both the town and BookBuyers welcome well-behaved, good mannered pet dogs.
This corner store is nestled in the middle of the main strip, allowing for ample choices of coffee, tea or eateries to settle into after a long bout of browsing for books. Parking is ample inviting you to enjoy the outdoor sunshine with your books and dog in tow.
BookBuyers Used Books and Media
318 Castro Street
Mountain View, CA
Tel: 650.968.7323
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We were introduced to BookBuyers several years ago by friends who live in Sunnyvale and I really love it. Unfortunately, living in England our visits are rare, but I have always found good stuff there.
I tend to go on holiday with a long list of US titles that I am seeking out (packing at the end of a trip is always interesting!) and BookBuyers has always been a great place for filling my list. They are always really helpful trying to dig out the little gems I am seeking.
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