Analog Books

4.5 star rating
25 reviews Rating Details

Category: Bookstores  [Edit]

1816 Euclid Ave
(between Ridge Rd & Hearst Ave)
Berkeley, CA 94709
Neighborhood: UC Campus Area
(510) 843-1816
Hours:

Mon-Sat 10 am - 7 pm

Sun 10 am - 6 pm

Price Range:
$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Review Highlights   

  • user photo
    "...with their selection of graphic novels and picture books." In 4 reviews
  • user photo
    "Analog is definite worth a browse and a piece of your..." In 6 reviews
  • user photo
    "cool, quirky titles, some European hard-to-find books and..." In 3 reviews
  Loading...
Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Elites' | Facebook Friends'

25 reviews in English

  • Review from Yvonne K.

    Newark, CA

    5.0 star rating
    1/23/2012

    A wonderful little bookstore tucked away on the North Side of Berkeley. I only regret that most of my classes are located on South Side, so I have to make quite a trek up the hill to get to Analog Books, but boy, it's worth it.

    For being a small place, they have a good selection of books, newspapers, and magazines, and the workers are extremely nice and helpful. There are comfy chairs and benches around the place, so feel free to grab something and curl up for some down time.

  • Review from Eric B.

    Albany, CA

    4.0 star rating
    10/12/2010

    Analog is a cool North Side bookstore that is long and narrow in space and quirky, fun, and full in its selection. It's been around for years, and you can't help but admire how well it's managed to stay in the game.

    With Brewed Awakening across the street, you have your almost perfect book and coffee shop combination. They also have a good magazine selection, newspapers for sale, and a few comfy chairs in back. Analog is definite worth a browse and a piece of your independent bookstore budget.

  • Review from James W.

    • 38 friends
    • 35 reviews

    San Luis Obispo, CA

    5.0 star rating
    2/24/2011

    Such a good mix of books!!

    They're small and can't carry that many titles, but they make up for it by carrying an awesome mix of smart, quirky, and interesting books. The workers are smart too and can wax a little literature with you if you want!

  • Review from Gemma J.

    Manhattan, NY

    5.0 star rating
    9/29/2010

    THE APOGEE OF ALL BOOKSTORES.

    The collection is quirky and exciting (Moomin comic strips for a heart-warming childhood flashback!) and the store itself is comfortably snug, unassuming, and intimate... The combination makes for a whimsical experience and you'll easily lose track of time perusing these literary gems. Supporting the local was never so rewarding.

    A true book-lover's paradise tucked away in the charming Euclid Avenue!

  • Review from Stephanie W.

    • 289 friends
    • 512 reviews

    Arlington, VA

    4.0 star rating
    10/17/2008

    This is one of those perfect neighborhood bookshops. I stop by on my way home from time to time (as it is about half a block away from my house) whenever they change their window display. The magazine rack outside has a great selection of specialty and foreign publications (including Paris Match on a regular basis) and the people who work there are very friendly.

    The store is the size of a glorified hallway but it actually is quite "cozy". You never feel rushed or overcrowded inside...instead you are pleasantly surrounded by a surprisingly large amount of new and specialty publications. It's great for political publications and has a very nice selection of cooking and food politics based books.

    You're not going to find books for class or a lot of fiction. This isn't the sort of place you go to with anything in mind. Go there the next time you don't know what to read and you're sure to find something to please you from their great  non-fiction selection.

  • Review from Brian L.

    • 3 friends
    • 23 reviews

    Berkeley, CA

    5.0 star rating
    12/10/2008

    Analog is a wonderful, surprising little bookstore. Some have noted that it isn't the place to go if you're looking for a particular title; in my experience I've found that the opposite is true. The selection is highly eclectic but relatively hip, and I've been lucky enough on several occasions to find exactly the book I wanted. Also, as with the recent passing of David Foster Wallace, there have been times when Analog has been the only one to carry books that are otherwise sold out/out of stock at other shops.

    I realize that the chances of the store stocking any given title are slim, but that's neither Analog's mission nor their specialty. Just take a look at the books displayed in the window-- there's bound to be something of interest.

  • Review from Nicholas M.

    • 5 friends
    • 27 reviews

    Berkeley, CA

    4.0 star rating
    2/1/2011 1 Check-in Here

    Like pretty much everything on Northside, Analog reeks of a hip pretentiousness -- an air of nonchalant superiority that doesn't take itself too seriously. So I walked in and bought a comic penned by a local artist and photocopied in her bathroom.

    The end.

  • Review from Quyen T.

    • 76 friends
    • 262 reviews

    Berkeley, CA

    4.0 star rating
    4/23/2007

    Analog books won't have the book you are looking for.  But they'll have the book that you never thought of buying (and do end up buying and thorougly enjoy).

    Their selection is small, but it's a terrific place to browse for interesting books that you might not have picked up otherwise.  For instance, they have this small book comparing a piece by each Tilley Olsen and Leo Tolstoy.  Who would have thought that these two writers would have anything in common?  There's also a terrific magazine section in the back where you can read about architecture, fashion, or anything else.  It's one of those places where you can find an interesting book, sit down for two hours, and read to your heart's content.  No one will disturb you.  Total serenity.

  • Review from jenna p.

    • 110 friends
    • 152 reviews

    San Francisco, CA

    5.0 star rating
    1/7/2008

    GREAT BOOKSTORE!  Berkeley has not been the same without Cody's, and it is such a needed line of Oxygen to have the awesome and stylish Analog books right in my favorite little northside neighborhood. the owner is really nice (also hot in an indie kind of way), and you can find him, sipping on a  beer and re-organizing the books with a friend in the back room (ooh, is that what theyre calling it these days?? hee hee. i can only surmise what they were doing with those copies of lipstick jihad!)

    i was very sad not to get the new yorker there, though apparently the evil distributor was responsible for that one. GREAT selection of graphic novel/comic style stuff, and also some very good taste in the children's section too. (the first section i go to in a bookstore if they dont have a french lingerie section.)

    anyway, HURRAH for analog. it rocks.

  • Review from Gypsy J.

    • 1 friend
    • 76 reviews

    Berkeley, CA

    5.0 star rating
    5/18/2011

    My favorite bookstore ever; a quiet hole-in-the-wall to browse and then sit on the floor and read for an hour or two.  Pretend you are a Gender Studies scholar, or Political Science or Religion -- the selection is a window into the best of Berkeley's classes.  And I unexpectedly found some ancient out-of-print books here by a favorite author of mine hiding on a low shelf and just had to ask an employee, "How in the world did you get these?"  The staff at Analog are also pretty in-the-know about local goings-on and are fun to talk with.

  • Review from Suzanne F.

    Portland, OR

    5.0 star rating
    11/14/2007

    Exactly what I want in a book store..cool, quirky titles, some European hard-to-find books and magazines, and loads of interesting tomes I want to read...and sadly cannot get to them all.

    It's small, maze-like, and finding treasures is what I like in a book store. I do not like it all mapped out for me, nor do I like the big "presentation packaging" which seems to be running rampant this time of year. This shop also carries a few select items from Little Otsu, another favorite spot of mine.

    I have already spent my allowance here, and I still plan to go back this week!

  • Review from Zoe W.

    • 8 friends
    • 10 reviews

    Temescal, Oakland, CA

    5.0 star rating
    6/21/2008

    I used to work here until last February, and man, sometimes I miss it.  Instead of doing what plenty of small bookstores do - a scaled down version of Borders - Analog is one of those great bookstores where you know that someone with a specific eye and taste chose what the store would sell.  Nima makes a point of stocking the latest books of local authors and scholars, and has a personal thing for graphic novels.  He's very open to ordering books for you if he doesn't have them in stock....or you can spend a lazy afternoon in the big chair in the back, reading all the magazines, zines, or books that catch your eye.  Seriously one of the most relaxed bookstores around.  

    But also - local bookstores in Berkeley need your support!  Recommend to your professors that they order class books at local bookstores like Analog, buy your next lit volume at Analog, etc.

  • Review from Jonny d.

    • 5 friends
    • 52 reviews

    Sacramento, CA

    4.0 star rating
    8/19/2007

    Pros:
    -showcases all the cool, new and hip books... great for curiosity browsing

    Cons:
    -don't go here looking for a specific book: it's a tiny little shop oriented toward browsing

  • Review from Matt J.

    • 208 friends
    • 89 reviews

    San Francisco, CA

    4.0 star rating
    6/24/2008

    A really eclectic (and surprisingly large) collection of recent books and magazines. The employees are always friendly and down with you reading for hours in the bookstore.

    Definitely a great store for the neighborhood. I wish they had a nice big technical shelf (I would buy a book here every week if they had a shelf of o'reilly books), but, for casual reading, this place really can't be beat.

  • Review from Günter V.

    • 5 friends
    • 6 reviews

    Lincoln, NE

    4.0 star rating
    6/2/2011

    Great small store.  Found this place entirely by accident while exploring the neighborhood.  Walked out with several gems.

  • Review from Lauren S.

    • 28 friends
    • 12 reviews

    Brooklyn, NY

    5.0 star rating
    12/29/2007

    Analog Books is a shining example of an independent bookstore in which the owner truly cares and is very thoughtful about what he is selecting for the store.  While the store may be small, the breadth of selection is great.  There are a ton of children's books, graphic novels, classics, cook books, zines, magazines, international news papers, and much more.  They don't have everything  you could ever want (but will special order upon request), however Analog is the kind of place you go with no specific book in mind.  It is great to be able to browse and read the first few pages of a book to see if you will like it.  The employees are very helpful, and can usually make thoughtful recommendations if you give them an idea of what you are looking for.

  • Review from La M.

    • 11 friends
    • 52 reviews

    San Francisco, CA

    4.0 star rating
    3/25/2008

    Somehow both tiny and awesome! If I go in, I buy something. Nice people work there, and the books in the front are laid out appealingly, lots of well-designed covers that remind me why it's better to hold beautiful objects in your hand and soak them in, rather than squinting at a screen for another 5 hours (yet here I am). Their selection is somehow on my wavelength - there's always a book I have been meaning to check out and a couple more that look right up my alley. They have a great zine selection too.

    I take one star off because the place seems to run out of steam (and love) a bit as you get to the back where the science fiction is. I love me some sci-fi and although they usually have a bit of good stuff, it's just wedged in there and there could be more. Doesn't quite display the love of the books that the rest of the sections show. But that doesn't stop me from scooping something up every time.

  • Review from Kat C.

    • 386 friends
    • 873 reviews

    Boulder, CO

    4.0 star rating
    2/17/2006

    This bookstore is too cute and way too nice. They always always have great, new, and interesting books in the front window calling out to me "please buy me and read me you know you want to". Lord, this store costs me so much money, not because it's particularly expensive, but because I just accrue an incredible amount of half-read books. I have stacks of them on my bedside table. I really must learn to finish a book before buying another.

  • Review from Elissa D.

    • 51 friends
    • 245 reviews

    Berkeley, CA

    5.0 star rating
    6/26/2007

    This is a truly terrific bookstore. They have all the things you had no idea you were looking for, and that you absolutely have to read. I love how it's organized, they have your traditional sections, fiction and non, but all the books surrounding the one I was looking for also looked like must reads. It's a great place for discovery and perusing the shelves. I met the owner, who seemed very knowledgeable and nice. I'd recommend this place over any other bookstore I've come across in the East Bay.

  • Review from Jan Michael K.

    • 83 friends
    • 122 reviews

    San Francisco, CA

    5.0 star rating
    5/15/2008

    Great little bookshop to peruse on the northside of campus. The owner is knowledgeable and usually has an interesting selection of books on display. If not, he's always willing to help you find and order it for you. Between classes or during your lunch break, it's a great place to visit.

  • Review from Karin S.

    • 4 friends
    • 7 reviews

    Berkeley, CA

    5.0 star rating
    6/5/2007

    Exactly what I want from a neighborhood bookstore.  Its a small place, but it is stocked with really interesting books.  Its a great place to stop for a bit and browse.

  • Review from M B.

    • 0 friends
    • 5 reviews

    Berkeley, CA

    4.0 star rating
    10/23/2010

    A small and rewarding bookstore, eclectic enough to be interesting,
    yet often surprising one with a copy of a book just recently released, that it had struck one's mind to acquire. It does not stray from what is worthwhile, and all in all, its educated choices mean you browse this store longer and with far more pleasure than one could reasonably expect for its size.

    Essential to its neighborhood - I hope they realise the fact.

  • Review from M.C. H.

    • 17 friends
    • 107 reviews

    Berkeley, CA

    5.0 star rating
    2/27/2008

    Analog is the smallest bookstore that I shop at in Berkeley, but it's the one with the biggest heart. My department orders nearly all their books through Analog, so I have reason to come in at least once a semester, though I wish I had the funds to visit more frequently. The narrow layout forces the shelves to almost embrace you upon entrance, so every time I visit I am confronted with yet another beautifully-designed title that I haven't seen before. I am especially impressed with their selection of graphic novels and picture books. Yum. And they have zines.

  • Review from Liz L.

    • 8 friends
    • 41 reviews

    London

    UK
    4.0 star rating
    1/25/2008

    I lived a block from Analog (which used to be Signal Books) and everyday I'd walk to class down Euclid Ave and check out the latest titles in their window (usually non-mainstream humor and personal interest titles with some mainstream political ones, though only a handful of classic literature and philosophy). On the weekends whenever I'd take my morning stroll I'd walk in and thumb through some books and/or their assortment of international newspapers, and over the years I've added to my shelves the 'Giraffes? Giraffes!' book and another on artsy designs made entirely of ocean animals. Quirkiest mini collection of reading material near campus. A real gem.

  • Review from David R.

    • 1 friend
    • 7 reviews

    San Jose, CA

    4.0 star rating
    8/30/2009

    Cool selection of magazines, including several from the Sceptic movement. Some interesting and scarce graphic novels and other graphic design / art / design books. A small but well-curated collection and I ended up spending $100+ on a few books, each of which will make a perfect gift for a well-chosen friend. They were using cover prices, so nothing to complain about there.

    The girl who was staffing the register was nice and offered to make an origami flower of the receipt. It was a nice gesture, I thought!

    There is something about this store that seems so familiar... Can't put my finger on it.

Deals Nearby

More »

People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...

People Viewed This After Searching For...