k: Any personal favorites that you'd add to the list? (49 cmts)

Seminary Coop Bookstore in Chicago. Must be visited to experience properly. A basement maze of only books books books, no magazines, no toys, no crap with a front table of only the most egghead academic books. Unfortunately, no used books either. Harvard Bookstore is also great and Powells and the Tattered Cover are true American National Treasures. » by jen

Seminary Co-Op in Chicago. An absolute subterranean joy. » by Chris

For selection, Powell's in Portland - recognize! For atmosphere, Elliott Bay Books in Seattle. » by Timothy McClanahan

The Elliot Bay Booksop at Pioneer Square in Seattle (http://www.elliottbaybook.com/) which is a hangout on visits to Seattle... we bring an empty suitcase! Great staff recommendations yay Leah and Paul and great coffee shop. » by Steve

ebbco gets a few more mentions but the most-mentioned seems to be Powells...

Powell's absolutely should be on there. I don't know the facts, but they pretty much pioneered putting the very same used books right next to the new ones on the same shelf, when most other stores were sending you off to the not-so-well-lit and dusty "Used Books" section at the back of the store. As a college student, this was life-saving. And as others have said, Powell's is also hard to match from a selection standpoint, especially for more unusual titles. Wonderful laid-back atmosphere. » by Courtney

Powell's .... Also, no snobbiness. Huge sections for fantasy, sf, thrillers, rpgs, comics, you-name-it » by Slickdpdx

I 5th or 6th or what ever powells in Portland. » by justin

no mention at all of Politics&Prose - huh.

new to me:

The Book Mill in Montague, MA, is great. So pretty. » by Sathya