Brattle Bookshop Boston

Antique and bargain books

Zac from Boston

""Brattle Bookshop" in Boston is a magnet for all kinds of bookish people looking for their next read, or looking to divest themselves of an old read."

Want a bound copy of all of 1917's issues of Punch? A Maine seafood cookbook? To browse through dozens of carts of old books priced at $ 1, $ 3, or $ 5, that you didn't know you needed but can't leave without? Stop at Brattle, Boston's best second-hand bookshop, on the scene since 1825.

Though its core business is in antiquarian books (their experts appear on Antique's Roadshow), Brattle is a magnet for all kinds of bookish people looking for their next read, or looking to divest themselves of an old read. In fact, so many local book reviewers get rid of unwanted advance copies at Brattle that there are shelves that hold nothing but reviewers' copies, many with the press releases still tucked inside the front cover.

For my money, though, the best browsing is on the carts, in dry weather, even in winter, positioned outside in the parking lot adjacent to the building. Because the books are classified only by price - I've found art books next to literary biographies next to forgotten nonfiction - budget some time to look around. If this is too overwhelming, inside the shelves are organized by topic, and there's an especially strong local history section - I'm slowly building up a collection of books on Cambridge sourced mainly at the Brattle. Good selection of fiction and art as well.

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Boston Spotter Zac

About me Raised in the friendly expanse of Texas, I moved to Boston from Austin at the end of architecture school. I didn’t think that I’d still be here over 10 years later, but like so many people who come to Boston for what they anticipate will be a temporary stay (it’s a bit of a college town), I found a great group of people, an invigorating urban fabric, and more good food, drink, entertainment, and seriously impassioned sports fans than you can shake a Fenway Frank at. When I’m not at work, you can usually find me wandering about on foot looking for the next interesting art show, l...

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9 West St

US$

no-price

Website

6175420210

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Dec 9, 2025

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