Print’s Not Dead: The Most Iconic Indie Bookstores

CITY LIGHTS BOOKS, SAN FRANCISCO: It's no accident that City Lights is one of the best-regarded indie bookstores in the U.S. It was founded by iconic poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and was at the center of the Beat movement, after all. While there isn't any chance of running into Jack Kerouac or Allen Ginsberg here these days, you can pick up copies of their freewheeling works, or attend the prose and poetry readings the shop hosts each week.

Image courtesy of City Lights Books

POLITICS AND PROSE, WASHINGTON D.C.: Looking to join a loyal community of bibliophiles? Few bookstores are as beloved as Politics and Prose, which has been a quintessential part of D.C.'s literary landscape since its founding in the early '80s. The shop stocks fiction as well as "books about the nation and the world, about people's lives and their ideas." If you want to get even better acquainted with said people and ideas, check the events calendar. In the past, Politics and Prose has hosted luminaries ranging from J.K. Rowling to Salman Rushdie.

Image courtesy of Politics and Prose

POWELL'S, PORTLAND: Powell's City of Books in Portland is so large—it's the biggest independent bookstore in the world, occupying a full city block—that it has a department store-style map to help you navigate the shelves. Rather than being intimidated by the bounty, see it as your own personal treasure hunt. Just don't try to scout through all million-plus books in a day. That'd be a bit ambitious.

Image courtesy of Powell's

MCNALLY JACKSON, NEW YORK: Some people go to indie bookstores to, you know, buy books. And McNally Jackson, with its prime SoHo location and wide-ranging selection of art books, literary fiction, poetry, and beyond, is perfect for that. But others go to bookstores to make books...and with McNally Jackson's Espresso Book Machine, you can have a bound copy of your own self-published masterpiece in hand within a week. Once you've got that, celebrate with a real espresso at the book's in-store café (and peep the flying book ceiling décor).

Image courtesy of Yvonne Brooks

THE LAST BOOKSTORE, LA: Don't worry about that name. Los Angeles's Last Bookstore was dubbed ironically, according to owner Josh Spencer, and shows no signs of being the last of a dying breed. In fact, since its founding in 2005, it's grown so exponentially that it's now housed in a 22,000 square foot loft, complete with an upstairs book labyrinth. (That's not a metaphor: it literally has an illuminated tunnel made of books.) It also has audiophiles' needs covered, with an inventory of many thousands of vinyl records. (Hey, songs have words, too.)

Image courtesy of James Martinez

BRATTLE BOOK SHOP, BOSTON: One of the best things about physical books? You can donate them to new readers when you're finished...or, if you're on a budget, pick up a stack of low-cost used reads to take home yourself. One of our favorite places to scope out used books is Brattle Book Shop in Boston. Not only does this sprawling store feature 250,000 books inside, it also has a fair-weather outdoor sales area. Come for the low prices, stay for that old book smell.

Image courtesy of Brattle Book Shop

BEN MCNALLY BOOKS, TORONTO: Ben McNally Books—of no relation to Jackson—bills itself as "Toronto's most beautiful bookstore," and who are we to argue? After all, the shop is decked out with antique chandeliers, ceiling murals, and handsome wooden shelves. Previously, owner McNally was a long-time manager at Nicholas Hoare Books (R.I.P.), and he's brought that expertise (and his ability to recommend the perfect tome to readers seeking something special—no algorithms here) to this cozy destination.

Image courtesy of Ben McNally Books