Bookstores in Northern North American Cities (rec.arts.books)
evelyn.c.leeper
Last change:
Mon Jun 14 08:59:21 EDT 1993
Additions:
Montreal QU
Anchorage AK
The Comic Shop (4th Ave, Vancouver)
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Cities (listed geographically west-to-east) include:
Montreal QU
Toronto ON
Winnipeg MAN
Edmonton AB
Vancouver BC
Victoria BC
Fairbanks AK
Anchorage AK
[Note 1: This list includes cities in Canada and Alaska, and would include
Greenland if anyone sent me any bookstores there. Iceland would go into
the European list if anyone sent me any from there. Lists for other
geographic areas are posted in separate messages at the same time as this
list.]
[Note 2: I collected these comments from a variety of people. I personally
have no knowledge of many of these places and take no responsibility if you
buy a book you don't enjoy. :-) Phone numbers and precise addresses can be
gotten by calling directory assistance for the appropriate city. Call ahead
for precise hours, as even when I list them they are subject to change.]
[Note 3: If you can add information for any of these, in particular
addresses when they are missing, please send it to me.]
[Note 4: I am cross-posting this to rec.arts.sf.written, but the bookstores
listed include *all* types of bookstores, so please don't tell me that a
particular store has a limited SF section unless I have specifically claimed
otherwise.]
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Montreal QU:
Since in Montreal both English and French are pretty well served in the book
department, this is divided up by language, though there are probably some
French books in some of the stores listed under "English" and vice versa.
Bookstores/Montreal, Quebec (area code 514)
English/New:
Canadian Centre for Architecture Bookshop (1920 Baile, 514-939-7028).
Le Dernier Mot (3968 St-Laurent, 514-847-0524). Not bad for books.
First-rate for periodicals and magazines and newspapers. Nicest
bookmarks in town.
Double Hook (1235A Greene, Westmount 514-932-5093). All and only Canadian
books. Owner and employees are steeped in info about Canadian
literature, publishing, etc.
McGill University Bookstore (McTavish above Sherbrooke, 514-398-7444).
Deadly: they've *all* the Penguin Classics on one wall! Also almost
the entire catalog of Dover books, plus standard textbooks galore.
Phone number's probably listed under McGill in the book.
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Bookshop (1379 Sherbrooke W). Recommended for
art and design books. Obviously pricey.
Nebula 91452 St-Mathieu, 514-932-3930). SF, fantasy and crime. Also
underground comics. Owner Claude Lalumiere is encyclopedic on these
genres.
Nicholas Hoare (1368 Greene, Westmount, 514-933-4201; also inside Ogilvy,
Ste-Catherine st Crescent, 514-499-2005). Probably the best
selection of new English books in town. Good sections on travel,
mystery, biography. Lots of British imports. Helpful staff.
Paragraph (2065 Mansfield, 514-845-5811). Decent all-purpose bookstore near
McGill University. Has a cafe.
English/Used:
Bibliomanie (4872 av du Parc, 514-278-6401). Has its moments--worth
checking out if you're on the Plateau, but not worth a special trip
to the neighborhood.
Cheap Thrills (1433 Bishop, 514-844-7604; 2044 Metcalfe, 514-844-8988).
Books, also records and CDs. Rated best second-hand bookshop in
recent local survey, but I think Welch's and the Word are better.
Not bad, though.
Russell Books (275 St-Antoine West, 514-866-0564). Big sprawling
disorganized bookshop, remainders, shelves of abandoned books. Not
for the five-minute sprint--takes an hour or so to be browsed
through--and not for those with allergies to dust.
S. Welch Bookseller (3878 St-Laurent, 514-848-9358). Located between a good
cafe and an excellent ice-cream store. Has a nice black-and-white
cat called Rosie. Books interesting, cheap, plentiful.
Westmount Phoenix (320 Victoria, 514-484-4428). A nice tiny bookshop up a
winding staircase, but has limited opening hours so best to phone.
The Word (469 Milton, 514-845-5640). In the McGill Ghetto. Adrian's been
running this tiny store for more than ten years. I never visit
without finding something I want. A landmark.
English/French:
L'Androgyne (3636 St-Laurent, 514-842-4765). Gay and lesbian books.
Boule de Neige (4433 St-Denis, 514-849-0959). New Age, esoterica, magic,
Eastern religion.
Le Camelot Info (1191 Phillips Square, 514-861-5019). Computer books,
English and French. Pretty exhaustive.
French/New:
Champigny (4380 St-Denis, 514-844-2587). Huge sprawling beautiful bookshop,
divided in that curious French method into separate sections by
publisher. Also has magazines and CDs on ground floor--literature's
upstairs. Big section of bandes dessinees. Beware the bank machine!
Librairie Gallimard (3700 St-Laurent, 514-499-2012). Quiet, classy,
well-stocked. Offers a computer terminal so you can access their
database and see what's in stock by title or author.
Librairie du Square (3453 St-Denis, 514-845-7617). Nice little place in the
Quartier Latin. This is where you buy a copy of LES FLEURS DU MAL
before drinking aperitifs on a terrasse.
French/Used:
Caron Libraire (1246 St-Denis, 514-845-7307). A standard place to find
French classics.
Librairie Henri-Julien (4800 Henri-Julien, 514-844-7576). Tiny but
well-organized, run by one guy who knows where everything is. Not
easy to find.
"I haven't listed the big dull chain stores,which folks can find for
themselves on main drags and in malls. There are also many little corner
shops of no special interest - not worth sending people there to look."
(Most of this section contributed by Kate McDonnell,
c_m...@pavo.concorda.ca.)
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Toronto ON:
Bakka Books (Queen W near Spadina). The SF bookstore in Toronto.
Book City (501 Bloor W and 348 Danforth Ave). Good selection of small press
as well as everything else. Good newstand. No place to sit. Open
till midnight. Helpful staff. Cat free, but famous people wander
through: Barbara Gowdy, Sheilagh Rogers, Ralph Ben-Murgy, and more.
(Canuck alert: above named are Canadians, you might not have heard
of them.) Mentioned by posters as one of Canada's best bookstores.
Britnell's Bookstore (Yonge Street north of Bloor). One of the best and
most popular bookstore in Toronto and is a must for any book buyer!
Cole's (see World's Biggest Bookstore).
David Mirvish's Bookstore.
DEC. Radical bookstore.
Edward's Books on Art. Small chain.
Lichtman's. Small chain.
Monroe's. The highest ceilings in a bookstore in Canada.
Pages (Queen St E near John St).
This Ain't the Rosedale Library (Church St near Wellesley).
Unknown Worlds (Danforth just east of Pape; Pape subway stop). Small,
sometimes smoky. Good selection of SF, horror, magazines (back
issues especially) and comics.
World's Biggest Bookstore (WBB) (Edward Street between Yonge and Bay). Part
of the Cole's bookstore chain. Claims to be the largest bookstore
in the world (or did at one time). One poster qualifies this with,
"But it isn't a great bookstore. For one thing, it's really just a
Cole's on growth hormones. (What do I mean by that? I guess I mean
that the selection is wide, but not deep. For example, there are a
lot of books about the Napoleanic wars, but they seem to have been
chosen at random and with little thought. There might be several
biographies of Henry VIII and Cromwell but none of More.) I've
spent many a spare moment on the TTC pondering the question of
exactly how they select their books. I can't decide if they make a
list of every book which is currently on the shelves or in a box in
*any* Cole's in Canada and get a copy of it, or if the way Cole's
deals with its remainders is to have all the stores ship them to
this one (in which case, they augment the selection with a lot of
copies of "current" stuff)."
several used book stores along Queen St E between John and Bathurst, along
Bloor Street west of Spadina, and Harbord Street east of Spadina.
"My usual route is: From Queen's Park TTC (subway) station W along College
St to UT bookstore at College & St George (1/4 mile). W along College, N on
Spadina to Harbord St (1/2 mile); watch for Atticus Books and About Books.
S on Spadina to Queen St -- W on Queen to Abelard Books (about 1 mile from
Harbord). E on Queen to pick up the rest (about 3/4 mile to the Osgoode TTC
station). (Keep your eyes open along Queen; there are a number of used
bookstores on the second floor.)"
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Winnipeg, MAN:
McNally Robinson (Osborne Village).
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Edmonton AB:
Aspen Books (10624 Whyte Ave). Another independent bookstore. "A bit
smaller than the other two (Audrey's and Greenwoods')." A good one
to hit on a Whyte Avenue sweep (see below).
Audrey's Books (10702 Jasper Ave). One of the best independent bookstores
in Edmonton. Two floors, friendly staff, and lots of selection.
Their SF section is a bit small, and in the basement.
Bjarne's Books (10533 82 Ave). Was the other second-floor store, though it
says "New expanded location" in the phone book, so this may be out
of date. In any case, it's probably the best for Antiquarian books
(is a member of Antiquarian Booksellers of Canada). Apparently now
also buys antiques.
Coles (Bonnie Doon Mall). Surplus store.
Edmonton Computer Books (10265-107 St, 429-1077, fax 429-1964). A couple
of blocks down the street from Audrey's. "I *love* this" store, and
want everyone to support it so I don't have to go to Calgary to get
these kind of books like I used to."
Flights of Fantasy Books (7508 103 St; Best Route--take Calgary Trail North
or South, turn left on 76th or 75th Ave. Don't turn too early.
403-433-0693). Right next to the Greyhound station. Edmonton's SF
bookstore, with a good selection of Canadian SF as well as all other
kinds. Prominent authors get their own shelves. Also features
horror, mysteries, and thrillers. Martin, the manager, is
incredibly knowledgeable and has a great memory.
Greenwoods' Bookshoppe (10355 Whyte Ave). Another great independent
bookstore. Has a large SF section than Audrey's, and stocks more
Canadian SF. Also has a friendly staff. Two subsidiaries,
Greenwood's Small World (children's books and novelties) and
Greenwoods' Calendars Etc. (as the title says...) are just around
the corner on 104 St.
Old Penny Bookshop (9112 112 St; really in HUB Mall at the University of
Alberta). A small second-hand store, but treasures can be found
there. Prices are a bit higher than many second-hand stores.
Varscona Books (2 Floor, 10824a 82 Ave). One of two small upstairs
secondhand bookstores on Whyte Avenue. Has a good selection--more
of the literary and nonfiction hardcover than Wee Book Inn, and is
particularly good for language dictionaries.
Volume II Bookshop (12433 102 Ave). A small place, and its SF is together
with its mainstream. Its best selection is in children's books.
Wee Book Inn (10310 Whyte Ave, 10428 Jasper Ave, 8216 118 Ave, and 15103A
Stony Plain Rd). The premiere used bookstore chain in Edmonton.
The Whyte Avenue location is the largest, and as of this writing
recently renovated, but there's good selection here. Normal price
is 1/2 cover price, trade-ins accepted. Peeve: the books are only
vaguely alphabetized. Also, most stores feature semi-resident cats,
are in the seedier parts of town, and are open till midnight.
82 (Whyte) Avenue is by far the best place for a bookhunter to go wandering.
The biggest cluster is around 103 and 104 St. (Calgary Trail North and
South), where you have Greenwoods' and the main Wee Book Inn. In addition,
on 81 Avenue there's also Warp 1 Comics & Games, which has a few SF books in
addition to the comics and games. South on the Calgary Trails you get to
Flights of Fantasy and The Curious Mind, a children's bookstore a block or
so north. Heading west, you hit Bjarne's at 105th on the south side of the
street, and Aspen a block later on the north side. (Athabasca Books, a good
place to look for used romances and some other second-hand stuff, is half a
block north on 105th Street.) Then Varscona books upstairs by 109th Street,
on the north side of the street--if you're not watching, you may miss it.
Across the street from that is Tumbleweed Books, which is really more of a
comic store these days. You can also continue up 109th Street to the
Edmonton Book Store on 85 Ave., a second-hand store that, due to its
proximity to the University, has a thriving business in textbooks. On 88
Ave., there's Second Fiddle books, another upstairs second-hand store I know
little about. If you're still feeling energetic, you could go over to HUB
Mall and check out the Old Penny, but I'd be more inclined to stop and have
nachos at one of the restaurants in that area.... (Aaron Humphrey,
aa...@atlantis.uucp)
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Vancouver, BC:
A B C Book & Comic Emporium (1247 Granville Street, 604-682-3019). It's a
used book store, with all kinds of books, but has a section at least
twenty metres long with floor to ceiling SF, including some rarities
like the first paperback edition of Piper's LORD KALVAN OF
OTHERWHEN.
Albion Books (523 Richards). Used books. Mostly literature and history,
some music books.
Ashley Books (3754 W 10th). Used books. Philosophy, history, art history.
Blackberry Books (Granville Island: 1663 Duranleau; Kitslano: 2206 W 4th).
New books. Nice selection. Knowledgeable staff.
Book Warehouse (635 W Broadway, 1150 Robson, 2388 W 4th, also in the
Metrotown mall in Burnaby). Remainders, special deals, off-prints.
Not a reliable selection, but there are usually good bargains here.
The Comic Shop (4th Ave). A reasonable selection of new and used SF.
Duthie's (downtown: 919 Robson; university: 4444 W 10th; Arbutus Village).
Good all-purpose bookstore; new books. University branch has more
esoteric selection, but the downtown branch is bigger. Mentioned by
posters as one of Canada's best bookstores.
Granville Book Company (850 Granville St, 687-2213). A cooperative
ownership. Good stock of mystery and science fiction. Usually
excellent on new younger writers. Top notch computer book section.
Always willing to take orders.
Lawrence Books (3591 W 41st at Dunbar). Used books. Excellent selection
of history and literature. Knows the value of what he has, so there
are very few great bargains.
MacLeod's Books (455 W Pender). Used books. Excellent history and art
selections. Some of the staff are extremely knowledgeable, but some
of the younger staff are not, and can mislead the customer.
Michael Thompson Bookseller 9311 W Cordova). Used bookstore, with extensive
horror and okay SF collections. (Recently had a complete Weird
Tales set, most of which has since been sold.)
Mystery Merchant Bookstore (1952 W 4th). Mystery and suspense books, spy
thrillers. Lots of Canadian authors.
Neville Books (7793 Royal Oak, Burnaby). Used books. Specializes in
military history, but has a good selection of other stuff. Carries
new books by local authors. Extremely knowledgeable bookseller.
Siliconnections (3727 W 10th). Technical bookstore for computer
professionals. Smallish (and if they don't have it, you can get it
faster by calling the 800-number for Powell's technical books in
Portland, OR), but worth checking if you need something.
Spartacus Books (311 West Hastings, upstairs, 604-688-6138). A wide
selection of new books on anarchism, lesbian/gay/bisexual issues,
socialism, labour, environment, postmodernism, Asian studies,
Canadian studies, etc., as well as an excellent selection of current
periodicals. Cooperative-owned, volunteer-run, bargains on a small
selection of used books, open evenings, and there's a couch for
browsing.
White Dwarf Books (4374 West 10th Avenue, 604-228-8223). Fantasy and SF.
"I completed my H. Beam Piper collection there, and they had all but
two of them in stock, and ordered those." "A description of White
Dwarf is incomplete without a mention of the dog. (I'll have to
send a description later.)"
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Victoria, BC:
Bolen Books (Hillside Mall) Don't let the location put you off, it's not
your typical mall bookstore. Decent computer section, good SF and
mystery sections.
Munro's Books (Government St. between Fort and View) Carries a bit
of everything. Largest bookstore in Victoria. Mentioned by
posters as one of Canada's best bookstores.
Wimsey Books (Market Square) Specializes in mystery/crime. Carries both
new and used books. Knowledgeable staff.
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Fairbanks AK:
Baker and Baker Booksellers ([old address and phone number] North Gate
Square, 330 Old Steese Hwy, 907-456-2278). "Everything!!
SF/fantasy, mystery, classics, mainstream, nonfiction, childrens
(very good). Hardbacks on discount; mass market and trade
paperbacks. Autograph parties sometimes. Very helpful staff!
They know everything about books, and they obviously care very much
about what they're doing."
Gulliver's Used Books (corner of College Road and University Ave).
Paperbacks mostly, some hardbacks, lots of SF/fantasy. fiction and
non-fiction. "Near university. Great hangout for intellectuals,
liberals, students, backpackers.
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Anchorage AK:
There are Book Cache stores in Anchorage; also some B. Daltons and other
major west coast chains.
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Evelyn C. Leeper | +1 908 957 2070 | e...@mtgpfs1.att.com / Evelyn...@att.com