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Category: Bookstores [Edit]
Neighborhood: Central SquareCentral (Red)
Mon-Sat. 9:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
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This is a great used bookstore!
I decided to check this place out, since it is near my work. I was in search of some classic plays and books on theater theories/techniques, since I feel like there's a lot of popular plays and concepts in theater that I haven't been exposed to yet. Although I didn't find Augusto Boal's Theater of The Oppressed, which I am still in search of, I did find some plays by Chekhov, Oscar Wilde, John Guare and Tennessee Williams that were cheap and in good condition!
This place is pretty large, but organized and not too overwhelming. I see myself coming back here again if I'm ever in search for more books- new books are so expensive; used is the way to go!
Like many other reviewers, I find this place whispering my name seductively every time I'm in the Central Square area. Frequently I give in to the siren's call. And yet, it is large enough by local used books stores' standards that I don't think I've yet explored every nook and cranny of the place. The very first time I came in here, many years ago now, I discovered that they have a fascinating world regions section (focusing on historical issues, be they history, politics, biography, economics) with a lovely mix of recent books and older ones (sometimes quite old), and that tends to be my personal main stop. The prices for many of the specialty books are a bit more than what many are used to paying in an American used books store, but those books tend to be ones that are difficult to find, and in my opinion, they are priced accordingly.
Somehow, wherever I'm traveling, I get sucked in my a used bookstore. Wandering Mass Ave, I came across this place, which has plenty of handmade bookshelves for sale, which I'm assuming gave the store a nice musty scent. There was a grand poetry and fiction selection, but unfortunately I couldn't find anything I wanted at that moment. Seems like a great place to mull over texts and forget about time. I was impressed.
Oh Rodney's - all these years later and you're still a very solid favorite.
Rodney's is both a time suck and an enabler for me. I can get lost perusing the volumes of art books, flipping through the vintage children's titles, or, doing my favorite thing, hunting down vintage paperbacks. I recently discovered they've got a whole shelf of fairly cheap vintage paperbacks many in pristine condition. You have to hunt a bit to find the best titles, but if you're a collector it's worth it - oh and the last time I went in the staff gave me 20% off on each little treasure I purchased!
If I ever get to Heaven, it will probably be a lot like Rodney's, a huge used book store with a lot… Read more »
A testament to excellent service overcoming a potentially average review. Rodney's did not have the book I was looking for... but the awesome (and cute I must say) bearded guy behind the counter did his darndest to find it. I experienced a real human interaction, and, well, those are increasingly hard to find nowadays.
Located right in Central Square, Rodney's is where I'll check next time I need a book. Hopefully they'll have it, but if not, I'll still be glad I stopped in.
This place is fascinating to me, and not because of my bibliophilia. Well, partially.
The thing I really like about this book shop is that it is, by far, the best used book shop I have ever been in. I have been in most of the local used book shops because, well, no one's conducted a decent intervention yet. (My friends probably would care if I were to do shots of Liquid Plumber, but they act as enablers for my bibliophilia, because then they get to borrow things.)
The problem with used book shops as a class is that they lack balance. If you go into a used book shop where you can buy Guilty Pleasure type reading (science fiction, Agatha Christie, chick lit), you usually cannot find anything else there. If you go into a used book shop that cares about Quality, it tends to be lacking in pleasure reading. There's also a problem with the book shops that stock things that you'll read more than once -- you tend to have about 25% or so savings off the cover price at most.
Part of the point of a used book shop is the bazaar feeling, the feeling that you are discovering something that is under-priced and under-appreciated, and you will love and cherish it.
And Rodney's has all of these things. It has old libraries sold off in estate sales to them, so you can find books with publication dates in the 18th and 19th centuries. It has recent fiction that's still on the New York Times Bestseller Lists. It has old Sotheby's catalogues. It has a decent selection of books on every topic I have been able to think up. The selections are by no means complete -- that's part of the point. If you've been looking for a beloved book that's now out of print, or an antique school reader, or travel guides for East Germany, or an amazing art book, your chances are good. And the best part is that you never know what will come in and when you will find it.
The upstairs section (not sure if it's wheelchair accessible or not) is open shorter hours than the main floor, but is a wonderful area that doesn't have the same treasure hunt feel -- instead, it's largely remaindered books. But the shop buyers have a good eye and I've bought truly beautiful books up there, with a heavy eye to the quirky and under-appreciated. It's also very good for people who are looking for things like current travel guides, rather than Baedekers, for example.
Oh, right. Guilty pleasure. That's handled throughout the store. Trade paper and hardcovers are stocked throughout the main fiction section, and there's a little area in the back next to Linguistics that stocks the small paperback books that you feel guilty for reading -- Stephen King, sex and shopping novels, things like that.
I would compare it, for someone who's familiar with one shop but not the other, to the Harvard Book Store used books section, except it is an entirely different beast. Harvard Book Store prioritises recent publications (within the last 25 years or so), stocks largely non-fiction (whereas Rodney's is probably 1/3d novels, 1/3d reference non-fiction and 1/3d art, music, architecture and poetry books), and would never, ever sell a textbook from thirty years ago.
I do not know who is charge of buying Rodney's stock, but they have an amazing eye to what could fascinate anyone. Friends studying history of science have been particularly delighted, as finding a physics reference text from the 1920s is not the easiest thing ... except at Rodney's. People who enjoy architecture and photography love browsing the remaindered section and the used section, both to find new artists to love and find old artists they thought no one had ever known existed. People who love books, period -- and that would be me -- can easily spend an hour (or three!) just browsing the stacks and gathering books on topics that catch their eye, and for the price, they may as well come home with you.
Thankfully, Rodney's is also wise enough to sell bookshelves. Less usefully, my husband refused to replace our bedroom set with bookshelves. Que sera, sera.
Ohhh Rodney's. Taunting me every time I walk down Mass Ave, just calling me in to lose four hours browsing the stacks. I have to forcibly stop myself from going in most days because my paycheck really hates this store.
The selection of genres is mind-blowing, though some are smaller than others. You can teach yourself a lot if you want, or just pick up some good beach reading for cheap (though it's really easy for all those books to add up). The few times I have wandered in here looking for specific titles I was disappointed, so I come here with no expectations and walk out with a new collection to put on my already full bookshelves.
Always a stop on my bookworming tour. They also sell posters and frames.
Okay, this bookstore really appealed to me. It has that sprawling used bookstore feel I like, and they have all the special sections I love--public policy, Massachusetts history, political theory, etc. Got an old map of the Boston area and a book about post-Soviet Islam in central Asia, will be back if I happen to be strolling down Mass Ave again.
So. Many. Books.
It's...beautiful...
I was looking for a good play to read but I didn't have enough time to get through all of the art and travel books that distracted me. It was nice and quiet, relaxed, and I didn't feel like I was being annoying by standing there flipping pages.
I won't lie, I was disoriented when I first walked in and saw all those shelves spilling over with books. But I just dove on in. And I'll be back to find that damn play.
This places calls my name every time I go to Cambridge and I always have a hard time not buying anything. Used bookstores always have a way of attracting some of the shadiest crowds, and I have to say the fact that Rodney's has so many normal people kindo f takes the fun out of it.
If you're tired of putting up with the usual shit that Borders and Barnes and Noble offer, this place is a breath of fresh air. I started to collect postcards that they sell here, because they always have really unusual ones that I don't think I'd be able to find anywhere else. They have a fucking phenomenal art history section and their literary criticism section isn't bad either. I always want to pick up books in here that I would never pick up in any other store. Maybe it's the fact that I'm always feeling a little inquisitive when I go here, or maybe it's just cool knowing that someone else has already read and owned the books in the store.
They sell an Elvis Costello shirt behind the register that I keep telling myself I'll buy, but I haven't yet.
It's a really quiet place and I can easily spend an entire afternoon here. One of my favorite places in Cambridge, so don't go here if you're an asshole because you might ruin it for me.
This is the best bookstore in the area......by far. Between posters, and childrens books, and post cards, helpful friendly staff, and random chairs thrown here and there this is sure to be a few hour adventure as soon as you walk in. I browsed books about dogs...about photography...about Hannah Montana (yeah, I like her...), and many other random things that caught my eye. I found a poster and a few days later they had it printed for me in the store for something like $12. It's great to spend a long time in here just wandering, but most things are quite cheap as well, so pick out a thing or two, cos they might be snatched off the shelf tomorrow.
If the thought of how many people had touched the books in here didn't send shivers down my spine, or make my stomach upset I would be in here all the time. As it is, I ask to go with my friends who frequent this store just so I can browse with my eyes and not my hands.
The people who work here are really friendly, and the selection is great! I suggest people go often, for me - germaphobia will win out, for now...
Great used bookstore - excellent selection, well-curated with interesting sections and all very well organized. Fair prices too - spent more than an hour there - highly recommended
Me: "Hi, I'd like to buy these four crappy fantasy paperbacks I found in that paperback closet you've got out back."
Nice Lady: "Oh well lucky you! They're on sale, that'll be $4.56"
Me: "Are you serious? But...but... but you have hideous posters in your window on sale for $125!" *shiver, quake*
Nice Lady: "This is Cambridge, dear."
Me: "Oh yeah."
I just wanted something to read, and was able to buy a cheap series in there that turned out to be very fun. I've done this a couple times now. I think it's good for presents for others (in front) or yourself (in the back) but it's a pretty neat store.
Fuck those posters though.
I'm mainly a fiction reader, yet shockingly, I always walk out of Rodney's with an overflowing armful of NONFICTION titles; there is so much great stuff.
The place is nicely organized but also neatly cluttered--the perfect used bookstore combination.
I agree that this place is hit-or-miss. I think they have trouble keeping good stock because it leaves so quickly: only mediocre books are left.
I certainly enjoy walking around looking for something interesting on their shelves.
Note: Don't sell your books here. They will take you for a ride and will only give you store credit. My books are the only thing I own that are worth anything; during hard times they are the first thing I sell. If I am selling my kids I want to get a good price for them!
Dear Rodney's bookstore,
I just spent my saturday night inside of you... and it was all the pleasure I needed. If only you also gave free acess to beds with in your store... I could have just finished up, rolled over to smoke a cigarette and gone to sleep. Not only did I pick up a signed first edition copy of TC Boyle's The Inner Circle-- (in amazing condition for only $14.95) I also discussed the animation of Disneys Pete The Dragon Vs Puff The Magic Dragon with one of your quirky employees.
I love you Rodneys Bookstore, you make the brainies of central go mental for your sweet sweet lovin'.
LOVE IT!
One of my favorite spots to sit and kill time, or spend a sunday afternoon browsing. They have an incredible range of used (and some new) books. A very large selection of art books. They have a good turnover on the fiction stuff and have a decent T-book selection (paperbacks that are a real easy and non-challenging read). The staff are always very friendly and helpful. When my father was here, he was looking for a book on silk-painting. We visited many a store, large and small, and Rodneys was the only place a book on it. Incredible.
Rodney's doesn't carry a ton of titles in the things I'm interested but there are some real nice finds in there. The recent arrivals table usually has some gems. The rack of cheap books upstairs is actually cheap and I don't know how they place stuff, but there's been some awesome stuff for pennies to be grabbed.
Other stuff: the staff is reasonably friendly and it's a nice space to browse downstairs. I wish you could sell stuff there.
Following my review of Borders, I feel I have to prove that I do actually support the little booksellers of the Boston area, of which there are MANY (MANY MANY MANY, holy cow, MANY).
Rodney's is a great little (but not tiny) sole proprietorship, dealing largely in used books. I'm pretty sure it was Rodney himself who helped me with my purchase. If you're looking for art books, Rodney's has an incredible selection, all at very reasonable prices. I'm not that into Art books and got completely sucked in by the sheer awesomeness of the section - I bought several that day.
Be sure to check out the selection of vintage posters, as well. There are some beautiful prints that you can order in a variety of sizes & framings, all for generally less than $100.
The one star is for this bookstore's buyer. Not the rest of their staff, etc.
So, don't sell your books to Rodney's. Sure they seem cool when you're browsing. Sure they have a good selection and their staff is friendly. But their buyer is an asshole and if you try to sell your books to him you will get the short end of the stick. And that's on top of them only giving store credit.
I don't think I'd mind living here, actually. I'm here often enough that I feel I should be paying rent.
Yes, the art books are amazing, and there's plenty of eye-catching, jaw-dropping coffee table lit here, but what really struck me was the linguistics section: there is a whole shelf, yes, a shelf of grammars and language guides and pretentious treatises! Perhaps I'm blown away in part because places like Borders or B&N don't have such a section to begin with, other than the obligatory "Eats, Shoots & Leaves." Here, though, I bought a dissertation on sociolinguistic variables in rural Southern communities (particularly dealing with variants of the past "be" and copula absence, natch), completely on a whim. I never knew I needed such a thing, but it was obvious that I just HAD to spend $8 on this.
The old postcards are also lovely -- this is where I go to do all my birthday card shopping. The whole experience is incredibly relaxing, something of a Sunday afternoon ritual.
An excellent used bookstore, one of the best I have ever been too. It's organized, clean, and the books are not crappy and falling apart though yes they are used so some are a little worn around the edges.
The selection is impressive. There was a surprisingly large amount of recent fiction books which usually you never see in used bookstores. Usually you just get the crappy castoffs that no one ever wants to read but here they have books that I actually wanted. There was also a large assortment of non-fiction books in great condition. All those fancy coffee table books you see at Barnes&Noble can be found here for at least 50% off and a lot of them don't look used at all.
I ended up wandering around there for over an hour just browsing and I wanted to stay even longer since there is so much to go through. I ended up buying three books and only paying $3 for them which is probably something like 75% off retail. I will certainly be going back.
I love Rodney's. They have a great variety of books for great prices, and the people who work there are both friendly and helpful! I love the atmosphere, always full of book-lovers.
I went in looking for a book about horses as a present, and was unsure of what I would find (used bookstores are always an adventure). The helpful man behind the counter led me right over to the Horse category (I was amazed such a thing existed), and the first book he picked out was EXACTLY the kind of thing I was looking for! I happily snapped it up. If I hadn't been in a rush, I would have spent hours and hours browsing.
I really love that they have a Fungi category.
My only complaint is that it can be hard to find specific books. I've checked there a number of times for a certain children's book ("The Maggie B") that's been out of print who knows how long, and I haven't been able to sort through all the children's books. For all I know, the Maggie B is hidden somewhere in that wealth of books! But when it comes down to it, I am a loyal fan of Rodney's, and recommend it highly to anyone who loves books.
Mediocre bookstore by any legitimate standard other than "Wow, this place has books!"
The fiction/literature sections are a complete joke. (No Borges?!) There is abundant science, nature, art, and other, much more specifically classified texts. Unfortunately, much of the selection is what I'd call "older"--section after section filled with slightly- to massively out-of-date books.
Three stars for the huge selection of used photography and art books.
Rodney's specializes in used Art, Architecture, and Photography books. They have the largest selection of used architecture books I have seen anywhere. Amazing resource.
http://www.rodneysbook.../
I'm pretty spoiled by having lived in Portland and worked for Powells books, the largest independent used/new bookstore in the US. And Rodney's is no Powells.....still, I like it. It's a pleasant space, well organized. They have lots of academic titles, a good history section. They have some pretty cool out of print kid's books and a lot of great art books upstairs. I love the cards and the book displays. The employees are nice. They don't have as large of a selection of fiction as I would like. Still, I'm sure I'll come back a lot--it's a perfect place for browsing.
Rodney's is dangerous....so dangerous for me. The children' s section/the art books/plays/ cook books/ non fiction/travel writing/ notebook/ note cards....so so so dangerous....so much stuff..looking into the inside of the cover for the $$price$ is like opening a day on an advent calendar. So exciting! There's always something new that's old but just what you wanted to buy at Rodney's. Put aside some time for yourself to really peruse.
Rodney's makes me nervous because places this good never last, and yet they've been there for years now. A huge selection, well organized, with friendly staff. The upstairs is the seventh circle of hell, in that it ensures I will stay there and never accomplish anything again. SO many books. Their calendar selection, and their exquisitely-printed and unfathomably cheap old ad poster reproductions are unrivaled.
I love, I love, I love. Makes any errands in Central Sq. difficult. Rodney's has the best selection of used mint condition general stuff and nearly perfect art books in the area. Better organized and less full of random crap than other used bookstores around. Prices most often match quality. Go spend an hour or four.
This is a fantastic place. They have books on all kinds of things, but the upstairs is truly treasure trove of great art books. There are about a million things I'd like to buy here.
This place is packed with all kinds of used books. The floors are carpeted and everything is really quiet. You can browse for hours.
How freaking awesome is Rodney's? It's this total hole in the wall but an awesome place to browse on any afternoon. They books are interesting, the gifts are really cute, and the zillion postcards are clever and awesome. I need to come here more often!
Rodney's is freakin beast. I used to hang there all the time when I first moved to Cambridge. If I had the spare time or the money, I would be all up in Rodney's buying books like crazy. There's one book in there I want really bad and I'm NOT going to tell y'all what it is because if you buy it I will be really pissed.
This seems like a great bookstore. They have a big selection and friendly staff. It's in a good location, and they have cute posters and postcards. But for some reason it just doesn't excite me. I'd rather go to Raven, or Lorem Ipsum, or the Bryn Mawr bookstore. But, out of deference to the fact that that's probably just crazy me, they still get four stars.
Refreshing to still find an independent , used bookstore. The art and "coffee table" books are definitely their specialty. However, I have found some great out-of-print novels and non-fiction and the children's selection isn't bad, although they are quick to point out they don't buy alot of kids' books. I'd definitely recommend coming in for some kids' series books which can be out at the library.
One of my favorite places in Central Square. I could just spend hours and paychecks in there. You'll never leave empty-handed. The prices at other used book stores sometimes make me think, hey, why don't I just buy a brand new copy?! But Rodney's is damn reasonable if not... cheap. The staff is awesome, friendly and oh-so helpful. And surprisingly for a place in Cambridge, even most of the patrons are pretty polite.
Top-rated used book store! It has a huge selection of good books in decent condition and it's organized in an easily decipherable manner, which is no small thing for used book stores. It also has an amusing side buisness of selling unfinnished bookshelves and vintage prints. Don't miss out on the upstairs, which has a few of the larger non-fiction categories (i.e. biographies) and great coffeetable books (new, probably from regular bookstores' overstook). You have a 90% chance of finding something you want in any given casual browse. :)
Rodney's bookstore is the best! I spent a few hours just browsing books and sitting down and reading in one of their chairs and no one minded. They have great prices for books that seem new and a great selection of fiction, non-fiction, plays.... definitely check them out.
Neighborhood: Huron Village
Category: Bookstores
Boston, MA
Category: Bookstores
Neighborhood: Harvard Square
Category: Bookstores
Neighborhood: Harvard Square
Category: Bookstores
Boston, MA
Category: Bookstores
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