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Alias Books East
Category: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Bookstores Bookstores [Edit]
3163 Glendale BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 661-9000
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 10 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Dogs Allowed:
- Yes
Angel M. said: "This place should be a must for anyone visiting LA. The idea that those of us living here are void of culture is silly but this store being only 5 minutes away from the Getty, should put any ridiculous presumptions to rest. Find…" read more »
25 reviews for Alias Books East
Review Highlights
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"perfect bookstore, well curated and a pleasure to hang out..." In 3 reviews -
"The condition for all of their stock is impeccable." In 7 reviews -
"They have fun art shows and readings." In 7 reviews
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25 reviews in English
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Review from Debra C.
5/7/2012
Dropped in while waiting to brunch at Canele's and boy, am I glad I did. Alias Books is, as other Yelpers have pointed out, a real gem of a shop. The selection of books for sale are perfectly curated, the condition of everything is good, if not great, and the prices are totally reasonable.
Left with three books for my little one (there's a cute nook for book-lovin' munchkins). Love this place. -
Review from Justin D.
Los Angeles, CA
5/25/2012
What did our last President say, wrong? "Fool me once . . . ."
Alias is a delightfully small shop, immaculately curated, stocked with numerous titles of interest.
I have only purchased two items here. One for myself, one as a last minute gift.
The gift was quite expensive and was only a two-year old printing. I questioned the stockist, who informed me the book had gone out of print. He reduced the price, slightly. He then looked the book up on Amazon, where, the listing he showed me, was about the same price. Being in a hurry, I bought it, despite the price being triple the cover price, damaged on the cover and the inside. As a gift, it was a tremendous success.
Yesterday, I went on a little shopping spree, hitting both Skylight and Wacko. Both places had the "out of print" book in stock, at list price and in perfect condition. In fact, BOTH the "out of print" books I had purchased at Alias, were available, brand new, at Skylight, for the cheaper cover price.
Like W meant to say, "fool me twice, shame on me."
Alias is convenient and nice to shop in, but they seem to specialize in doubling or tripling list price on damaged copies of currently available tomes.
If that's the kind of thing you're looking for, this is the spot. I, on the other hand, am done being fooled.
I suggest the independent bookstores in Los Feliz or Stories in Echo Park. At least you can get a coffee there, as well. -
Review from Kait M.
Los Angeles, CA
12/30/2011
I know I've found a gem when I can't start grabbing books off the shelves. I'm very picky about book stores, but this one is aesthetically pleasing and there is something exciting in every section.
Seriously could have stayed here for hours. If I wasn't broke, I would have literally walked out with at least 5 books today. The prices are really not bad at all, and the books are in great condition.
Did they hire a curator to manage the interior? Seriously, it's laid out perfectly. Every shelf, everything in its perfect place. I could literally walk right through and not jump around from bookcase to bookcase.
It was exhilarating and relaxing at the same time, and that is why I will DEFINITELY be back. Soon. So soon. -
Review from Frederick C.
Glendale, CA
3/15/2012
I sold some books there last night. Buyer is very selective, but very polite and he pays a fair price. This is the first place to go if you want to reduce your library.
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Review from Andres V.
San Diego, CA
6/28/2011
I juuuuuuust fell in love. I have never been to a bookstore that has an inventory stocked with every single author that I like, used no less. Small store that holds a wide gamut of books; they keep it small by only keeping it with the best selection possible. Whoever maintains this place has absolute killer taste. The condition for all of their stock is impeccable. Called today to find a book by Raymond Caver and they found it and held it for me to pick up later. The clerk (Skip, I believe) was incredibly nice and showed me some of the rare first editions that a bibliophile like me could only dream of owning someday when finances permit.
Second day as an LA citizen and I think I found my go to used book store. -
Review from Christina S.
Costa Mesa, CA
5/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great little independent book store in Atwater with a great selection. We came here by happenstance and ended up staying a while. They have a good selection of art and architecture books here. Priced well too! I ended up getting a book on Rene Magritte for only $25. Service is helpful as I originally asked about a book by Francoise Sagan I didn't get any of that rude snobbery that some places have...
It's a small book store but well organized and neat! They have a great system as to finding books you are looking for and nothing is hard to find. -
Review from Heather F.
Austin, TX
2/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a small used bookstore (sister location is on the West Side near where the Nuart theater is located) but the selection they have is great.
In particular they have a great photography, poetry and music section. Though the books are used they are in very good condition. I bought a book of essays by one of my favorite authors (J M Coetzee) for $7.
Lots of cute stores on the same strip so you can walk and see cool stuff too. Plenty of metered parking as long as it isn't a busy time of day or night. They are open until 10PM yea!!
You can sell your books certain times and days of the week for either cash or store credit too so that's awesome. -
Review from Debbie V.
Los Angeles, CA
1/21/2011
Love Love Love Alias Books East! 9 out of 10 times I walk in and find exactly what I'm looking for, granted it's usually a classic (Cats Cradle, Old Man and the Sea, 1984, etc) or best seller (Interpreter of Maladies) but still--Wow! For a little used bookstore it has a great selection and reasonable prices, $6 for paperback fiction. Oh also love that it's open until 10pm and walking distance from my place!
I really hope the business does well especially since independent (used) bookstores sometimes struggle to compete with big chains like Barnes and Noble and Borders. Well I'm all about the small independently owned businesses. Vive independent bookstores! -
Review from Siobhan D.
Los Angeles, CA
10/30/2010 1 Check-in Here
Freaking. Good. Bookstore.
I never have a bad recommendation from the shop clerk. I always find something I want. Prices are cheap because they are mint condition used books. You can sell them something you don't want anymore. They have fun art shows and readings. Hand picked quality books in a cute, warm store. LOVE that they are in my neighborhood now!Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from Ginger F.
Pasadena, CA
8/21/2011
Fantastic bookstore. Clean, organized, great collection. It's not enormous, but what's there is quality. The books are in superb condition (possibly the used bookstore with the nicest lookin' books I've ever seen). The guy who helped me was also super cool and helped me pick out a book from the various ones they had by a very prolific author. Definitely a place I'll hit up regularly.
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Review from Oliver H.
Los Angeles, CA
10/15/2011
when patio-wine-sipping couples are chatting & laughing with alley folk, you know you've found a slice of heaven.
the books are ridiculously cool, and I've never been made to feel stupid when I ask for help or a recommendation. They didn't try to lure me into buying expensive books, they just helped me find what I like. I bought some of the cheapest, most beautiful books i've ever owned, and even splurged for the thirty dollar tome of American Animals that's over 100 years old...! (sidenote: they were, at the time, still bewildered by manatees) -
Review from Andy K.
Seabrook, TX
10/2/2011
This is one of my favorite bookstores ever. It's very small, but they have an amazing collection of books, all in great shape and at a reasonable price. Their books tend toward the academic/scholarly/literary/artsy side of things, which I love. History, religion, psychology, art and architecture, etc. Not where you should head if you're looking for romance novels or beat-up old copies of bestsellers.
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Review from Kelly K.
Los Angeles, CA
5/14/2010
My family and I have been long time customers of Alias West. We were delighted to find out that they opened a second location in Atwater Village. We trekked on over there yesterday. We could have spent all day in the store. The selection is PRIME. We each walked out with a few books and scoped out several more that we were interested in. Definitely one of our favorite new used bookstores! It's a small, well packed store at fabulous prices. Unbelievable selection of tempting books. We'll be adding this store to our regular book hunting grounds!
I almost feel like writing, we have found a secret top notch bookstore which we will reveal more about AFTER we go buy all of the books that we saw that we wanted. ;) I can't wait to go back! -
Review from Drea K.
4/11/2011
this bookstore is super small but packs quite a mix of books into their tiny space.
the fiction/literature selection filled about 5 bookcases and was obviously curated by someone with great taste- i found many titles that i would love to have in my personal library. there is also a large variety of other books (philosophy, art, science, popular culture) that are well organized and in great condition.
the prices run a little higher that other used bookstores (such as the last bookstore and the iliad), but are still a good value with most books starting at 6-7 dollars and a lot of the books that i looked at appeared to be brand new or almost so.Listed in: books! books! books!
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Review from Josh N.
Los Angeles, CA
7/28/2011
Incredible selection of books, which are in great shape. Fair prices too! Stop in!
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Review from ZZ T.
Los Angeles, CA
4/10/2011
A really well edited store, not your run of the mill used selection that you could spend hours thumbing through and find nothing. A great photography collection -- art, poetry, literature and even an oddball section of stuff that'll peak your interest on subjects you could care less about! Always a pleasure to stop in -- the prices are fair, the condition is there and you won't leave empty handed!
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Review from Scott W.
Los Angeles, CA
10/31/2011
Best kept secret in Los Angeles. Top-notch selection of rare and out-of-print art and photography books, as well nice batch of more affordably priced books. Very knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful proprietor. A must-visit if you are a fan or collector of art and photo books.
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Review from andrew g.
9/18/2011
perfect bookstore, well curated and a pleasure to hang out in. i'll be back.
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Review from Fergella B.
Los Angeles, CA
1/30/2011
Wow. Fantastic, eclectic selection of books. I love the serene, minimalist decor of the store - the polished concrete floor and long bench in the back. There's even a cute kids alcove. The books offered are in stellar condition and very reasonably priced.
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Review from Isabelle A.
Los Angeles, CA
1/19/2011
This is the best bookstore I have ever been to.
Beautifully curated selection of books.
Its hard to leave this place uninspired. -
Review from Agnes V.
Los Angeles, CA
7/18/2010
This is really as GOOD as it gets, for anyone who loves good perfect books. Amazing selection, picked one by one. Literature, theory, poetry, anything... Thanks Alias for opening in the east side... What a perfect gift to this community... Bibliophiles's heaven.
We are totally in love with you. -
Review from Justin M.
Los Angeles, CA
5/13/2010
Alias Books East is one of those small bookstores that doesn't have everything under the sun (like Iliad Books), but is exceptionally well-curated and very reasonably priced. There's a very good literature section, an exceptional film section, and various sections featuring philosophy books, oversized art books, music books...yeah, they have a lot here. It's a good example of quality over quantity, unlike many dust mite-infested death traps filled with battered mass market paperbacks of L. Ron Hubbard science fiction novels or Danielle Steele potboilers.
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Review from Zeke S.
Los Angeles, CA
8/8/2010
The book selection at Alias is meticulously hand-picked and of high quality, and the staff is friendly. A welcome addition to Atwater Village.
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Review from kim c.
Los Angeles, CA
7/2/2010
This is an amazing bookstore--there's a philosophy section, a political science section, and a cultural criticism section. Theory heaven, and the books are priced between 7-9 dollars. I got Gramsci, a Verso history of Western Marxism, Debord, and a collected poems I've been looking for under $40. Fiction section is bangin too. Cool first editions, as if all that weren't enough. Whoever's stocking these shelves knows their stuff. A great reason not to buy all your books on the internet.
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Review from Jack C.
Los Angeles, CA
8/6/2010
This is the best used bookstore I've come across in LA thus far. It's particularly strong in philosophy, where you'll find a good selection of Wittgenstein, commentaries on Heidegger, Derrida, Lyotard, and much more. It's not a huge store, mind, but what there is is clearly well-chosen by a discerning buyer. My thought after browsing there a while was the the selection was well-curated. Prices are very good, particularly for its academic titles. I found John of Salisbury's Policraticus for something like $7, and a copy of the recent Getty exhibition book China on Paper for $25. I also got myself a bunch of Hellboy graphic novels. (On that note, they have almost the entire run of Fables there, plus some Grant Morrison and Neil Gaiman. Much better and quirkier selection than you'll find at most used bookstores.) Oh, and if anyone is looking for a copy of Arthur Wright's Studies in Chinese Buddhism (a rarer book than the very common Buddhism in Chinese History), it's there for $15, fine with dustjacket and everything. My personal copy, bought for $20 some years ago does not have a jacket.
