Bookstore-hopping #1: Philadelphia, USA

Reviewing the best independent bookstores in Philadelphia

“Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?” — Henry Ward Beecher

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Welcome back to Novel Curations, a publication that normally curates worthy reads, but today, it’s all about bookstores.

I was in Philadelphia last week, and I spent a lot of time shuffling around its many bookshops and trying (not very hard) to resist buying more books. This is a list of my favorites, along with a peek at what I bought at each one. I’ve grouped the bookstores by neighborhood, with notes on nearby attractions, so you can better structure your own bookstore-hopping experience.

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I’m beginning with University City, the area around UPenn and Drexel. This is where I spend most of my time when I’m in Philly, simply because my one friend in the city happens to live in the area. It is a lively area with lots of restaurants and shops. I would especially recommend a walk through the UPenn campus.

The Last Word Bookshop

If I was to recommend just one bookstore in Philly, it would probably be this one. Although not as flashy and visually interesting as some of the other shops on this list, it is the most enjoyable to browse and conducive to discovering new reads.

The shop opens at 10 am and closes at 10 pm every day. It is the latest closing bookstore on this list.

It’s not entirely clear to me how curated the shop is, but its massive selection is dominated by books that spark my interest. I found its shelves on literary criticism particularly excellent. The interior looks somewhat chaotic, but it’s surprisingly well organized and easy to navigate. Every time I walk in, I have to exercise an inordinate amount of effort to not walk out with all the books I can carry.

Last time I was there, I bought a couple books on Camus and Hemingway. This time around, I was looking specifically for books on opera, as I’m expanding my collection in that area. I was happily surprised to find that the shop has a dedicated opera section, which happened to be the most extensive I’ve seen outside of an academic library.

I bought three memoirs—two by prominent opera singers and one by a former director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. I also got a copy of Byron’s Don Juan, which is indirectly related to Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni.

The shop also has a very sweet resident cat, and the people at the desk are helpful and know the stock very well.

Bindlestiff Books

This small neighborhood bookshop has a cute exterior and seems to be focused on modern fiction, for both children and adults. It is rather cramped but quite well stocked. The owner seems to have an affinity for cover designs that are colorful and easy on the eyes.

Last time I was here, I bought two novels by Rachel Cusk after reading her memoir on motherhood, A Life’s Work. This time around, I bought another contemporary novel but one that I hadn’t heard of before. I’ve been trying to be more spontaneous about the books I buy, just to spice up my reading list.

I discovered after buying this book that it’s actually the third installment of a series…

Raxx Vintage

While not technically a bookstore, this vintage shop carries books as well. I went to the Walnut Street branch, which had one tall shelf full of vintage volumes.

The shop doesn’t look like much from the outside.

The shop is well curated and worth visiting even without the books. I enjoyed looking through their trinkets and their clothes.

I’m very happy with the two books I found here. The edges are a bit frayed, but they are otherwise in good condition. I must also admit that I’m not planning on collecting porcelain any time soon; I just love books on very niche topics.

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Now, let’s move onto Old City. This is where you can find major historical attractions, such as Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

The Book Trader

This is a massive bookstore with an unbelievable number of books crammed into its two floors. It also has a separate room dedicated to vinyl records. Its labyrinthian aisles are perfect for getting lost in, and there are numerous nooks and crannies and seats where you can situate yourself with a book.

This shop has a resident cat—a sweet, fat feline that is entirely unbothered by people.

I find this shop to be very attractive, although not the easiest to navigate because it is somewhat cramped with the sheer number of shelves. It is such a pleasure to browse; and the hours just slip away when I’m wandering in there. However, I think it would also be a good place for when you want to just stop in quickly and find what you want, as the enormous collections are well sorted and organized in alphabetical order.

The first floor is large on its own, and there is a full second floor.

The music section is quite extensive and divided into categories. Of course, I had to buy another book on opera. I was drawn to this book in particular because it contains a long essay on Beethoven and opera. Beethoven only composed one opera, Fidelio, which the Bavarian State Opera describes as “a musical cross-over between a light opera and a grandiose theatrical symphony”—intriguing.

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Center City runs from City Hall to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It covers the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which is where you can find most of Philly’s big museums.

Book Corner

Run by the Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Book Corner is the most affordable and relaxed bookstore on this list. It has a good selection of books, and its airy, spacious interior is very pleasant to browse in.

It looks very small from the outside, but it actually extends far into the back.

A key merit of Book Corner is the price of the books. The prices here are far lower than the other shops on this list. For example, this novel I bought was just over three dollars. It is in very good condition, with just a bit of creasing on the cover.

Right next to Book Corner is The Free Library of Philadelphia on Benjamin Franklin Parkway. This is a great library: it is architecturally impressive, has a grand interior, and is not too crowded. I had no trouble finding a desk to work on my paper.

I would suggest spending some time in the library, browsing Book Corner, and then checking out some of the museums. The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation are both excellent. If you have to choose between the two, I would probably recommend the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is the more comprehensive of the two. And if you haven’t watched Rocky yet, you should. It is so much fun to consume media about a place before you visit it, and Rocky is a genuinely good movie.

My sister doing the Rocky pose on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Photo taken with a Nikon Coolpix 3200.

However, if you’re a student on a budget, the Barnes Foundation is the more affordable option; you can show your ID to get a 2-day ticket to the Barnes Foundation for only five dollars. The Academy of Natural Sciences is also fun. I can imagine that one being especially good if you have kids.

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Queen Village is a very vibrant, artsy area of the city with lots of shops, bars, and restaurants. It’s a great area to just walk around in, popping in and out of different establishments.

Mostly Books

This place is not what it looks like on the outside. From the outside, it seems like a little shop that sells books and records. But once you step in, you find that the bookshelves continue far, far into the back. There is even a second floor. It is an interesting space and worth visiting for that alone.

Mostly Books also has an extensive collection of CDs and DVDs.

The shelves are organized but not extremely well. For example, a section on Irish culture and history could contain a couple books about Italy as well. I wouldn’t recommend this shop if you’re looking to quickly find something particular; it is better suited for when you are in the mood to just wander between the shelves and see what you find.

The view from one of the entrances to the second floor.

I did not find many books that caught my interest, but I did discover this lovely volume by Mario Vargas Llosa—one of my all-time favorite writers. Yes, I realize that the cover looks extremely suspicious; there is absolutely no way I can read it outside of my own home.

Side note: This shop offers a restroom for its customers.

Honorable mentions

Penn Bookstore is the university bookstore of UPenn. It is large, polished, and carries an extensive range of books across all genres, alongside UPenn merch. It is not particularly characterful, but it does have a section on books written by UPenn faculty.

Funnily enough, I did not get anything by a UPenn professor but ended up buying a novel written by a professor at my old university. I also bought two books by Camus for my younger sister.

This is written by the director of the MFA in Creative Writing and Literature at Stony Brook University, which is where I did my B.A. in philosophy.

Making Worlds Cooperative Bookstore & Social Center is located in University City. It is a nonprofit centered around BIPOC movements for liberation, and it carries books that support (American) leftist ideals. The space is well arranged, but it smelled odd, and I could not stay long because of the odor. It is a loudly political space, so you may feel uncomfortable walking in. I was not too perturbed, but I’m not a very political person, so I felt rather out of place.

The prices at this shop were quite high—notably higher than the other bookstores on this list. I did buy a book that harkens back to my days as a philosophy major.

The only thing I remember about Foucault is that he had some extreme disagreements with Derrida.

I’m currently in Baltimore and looking to browse more bookstores here. If you are familiar with the city, do let me know your recommendations!

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