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Shakespeare & Company Books
Category: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Bookstores Bookstores [Edit]
2499 Telegraph Avenue(between Dwight Way & Haste St)
Berkeley, CA 94704
Neighborhoods: Telegraph Ave, UC Campus Area
(510) 841-8916
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 10 am - 8 pm
Fri-Sat 10 am - 9 pm
Sun 11 am - 8 pm
- Price Range:
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$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
44 reviews for Shakespeare & Company Books
Review Highlights
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"...I dare say the literature/fiction section at Shakespeare is..." In 4 reviews -
"...goes for Berkeley Book Stores like Shakespeare & Company." In 7 reviews -
"...books, to explore around the wooden shelves, and to see if..." In 3 reviews
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44 reviews in English
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Review from SanDee K.
Roseville, CA
3/16/2012
This is my very favorite used bookstore. I started coming here in my early 20s, when I lived in the Bay Area. The place has not changed a bit (in oh so many years)! Still stacked with an innumerable variety of good quality stuff, I could spend hours there and not realize it. The prices are good, the employees knowledgeable and helpful...and that wonderful "used book smell" is totally free!
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Review from Bob K.
4/16/2012
Institutional veneration aside, what you have here is a pretty good used book store, with some quirky parts to it, such as the collection of old sci-fi paperbacks. There's a childrens' corner, which I appreciated, and many books very high up out of reach all over. One of the things which distinguish a bookstore is how much the layout is conducive to browsing, how eye-catching the assortment is, etc. I found this store to be about middle-of-the-road in that regard. The shelving is rather labyrinthine. Still, I found a couple of things there.
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Review from Eric B.
2/12/2011
My X told me once that a former owner of Shakespeare Books once owned my Albany house and died of a heart attack at the nearby Terrace Park Tennis Courts. Whether that's true or not, I definitely owe him thanks for some of the internal changes he made to my home that really makes it seem like a roomy place, and with plenty of natural light.
I'm been coming to that guy's store since the early 1980s, when visiting Berkeley Book Stores (staring on Telegraph) was a daylong adventure - rain or shine. Shakespeare Books has only changed marginally over those 30 years, even though this section of Telegraph has taken a turn for the worse. There are still used, remaindered, and rare books stacked everywhere in 3 dimensions, along with reasonable prices and a few bargains along the way. The selection remains strongest in the areas of fiction, art, the humanities, and literary knowledge by some of the folks who work here. And if you look deep (or high) enough it's always possible to find yet another treasure. It's also one of those places that seems disorganized, but has everything in it's proper (and owner searchable) place.
And just like Kinky Friedman's lyric that "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore", the same goes for Berkeley Book Stores like Shakespeare & Company. -
Review from Nick P.
Los Angeles, CA
6/22/2011
GREAT bookstore. You come to a place like this and realize how rare it is to find such amazing bookstores nowadays. Shame the big ones like Borders and Barnes & Noble took over :( Oh well, I guess Borders got what it deserved!
Diverse selection, nice layout. Not the most organized store (tried to find a Mapplethorpe book but gave up after 15 minutes because it seemed like none of the books were organized properly).
The women's studies section was slightly disappointing and I was also surprised that the store clerk didn't know who Judith Butler was when I asked for some help finding Antigone's Claim (which they didn't carry).
I walked away from my trip to Shakespeare & Co. with a $4 used compilation piece of Hemingway's short stories and poetry, which I'm really looking forward to diving in to. I wish the store had carried Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Ernest," which I've been trying to get my hands on for months now, but that's okay... I'll start a new summer romance with Mr. Hemingway *lovesexmagic* -
Review from Jay H.
2/5/2008
I used to be, what my friends and I lovingly called ourselves, a Sproul Rat. Sitting on the steps of Cal's administrative building (Sproul Hall) people watching, shooting the shit and having lunch between classes.
When I wanted to hide from my friends, however, I would walk right over to Shakespeare & Co right after class and spend an hour between classes flipping through books, reading Shakespeare sonnets and buying cheap used books to read.
It's small and crowded. It's dusty and old. The man behind the counter isn't Talky McTalkerson...90% of the time he's reading a book. He'll answer any questions and help you find a book...just ask politely. This bookstore has the charm that every rinky ass little bookstore can only dream of having.
I love this bookstore.Listed in: Butterfly in the sky, I can go…
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Review from Emily D.
San Francisco, CA
5/8/2007
I am hesitant to completely dog local businesses -- bookstores in particular -- but Shakespeare & Company deserves all the mud that can possibly be slung at it. Why? To make a long story short, they are run by a heinous reverse Robin Hood that is stealing from both a local non-profit organization and the destitute. I admit that the following is pure speculation, but I think it is well founded...
When I first moved to Berkeley I made it a point to visit every shop along Telegraph Avenue. I absolutely love bookstores and Shakespeare & Company is close to my apartment, so it was one of the first places I visited. I bought a shoddy copy of Alice Walker's The Color Purple for $6 just to 'support the local economy,' and an incredibly unfriendly, foul-smelling person rang me up. He had dense black dirt under his long fingernails, stringy, greasy hair, and he was wearing a shirt that had a lot of stains on it. He didn't say a single word to me during the entire transaction. I was very put off by this -- especially since it was one of my first encounters with a local merchant in Berkeley -- but I was willing to write it off as an isolated experience.
I subsequently saw the unsavory clerk walking down Telegraph and opening or closing the store on several occasions, and I eventually came to the determination that he was either a manager or the owner.
Fast forward a couple of months to about the middle of March...one day while I was checking out the free book selection at the Friends of the Library Bookstore (please read my review of it!!) I saw the clerk from Shakespeare & Company checking out the racks. He took A LOT of books from the free rack, and was obviously going for quantity over quality. I found this odd but didn't think too much of it.
Fast forward again to last month: a close to homeless man puts out a large assortment of books each day on the grounds of the former Cody's Bookstore and sells them for a quarter each. I saw Mr. Stinky Shakespeare & Co buy as many books as he could carry and immediately brought them back into his store. While I have no proof, I am 99% sure that the books he is either acquiring for free from the non-profit or putting down his pocket change for on the corner are turning into $6 copies of The Color Purple or $8 copies of Lolita in his nasty little store.
If you really care about 'going local' to beef up your library, avoid Shakespeare and Company and go to Friends of the Library. The prices are unbelievable, the volunteers(!) that staff the place are friendly (and smell better) and all of the proceeds will go back to the community. -
Review from Sierra S.
Oakland, CA
9/7/2007
Sometimes choice is not a good thing. Sometimes choice leaves your palms clammy, your throat gulping loudly, butterflies twittering in your stomach. Sometimes choice just means it takes 5 hours to find a book, when you really only have about 20 minutes.
Moe's is choice. I love Moe's, but sometimes I just don't have the patience. I'm a serious book lover so for me to go browsing, means for me to go through every section, look at 95% of the titles, and peruse at least 50% of the back covers, inside flaps and/or first few lines. So when I don't feel I have time to devote to Moe's, I stop in for a quick jaunt across the street at Shakespeare & Co.
Any used bookstore this close to Cal is going to have enough of a selection for you to turn up something you never knew you actually wanted to read about. That's the great thing about this place. They have commercial books, student text books, esoteric 1973 non-fiction that is neither accurate nor entertaining but still you can't help but graze the cover lovingly with a few dusty fingers (or that could just be a personal thing...). They have calendars for cheap at the beginning of the year. They don't have trashy romance novels, but I mean what Cal student is going to admit to reading them in the first place?
All in all, it's not the best used book store, or the worst. It's a decent place to find a decent book that you may read halfway through and decide to skip the rest. None the less, when I make my book store rounds, it's always on my list. -
Review from Ramon E.
Berkeley, CA
1/5/2009
This place is a treasure. The dimly-lit, crowded interior, the musty smell, the creaky wooden shelves propped up on cinderblocks... Good selection! The foreign language section has a lot of books that Moe's doesn't...not to say that it's better, but they complement each other well. Ditto for world history and religion.
A great way to spend part of an afternoon!
Oh! I was already giving them 5 stars, but I have to add this little anecdote: today, at check out, i noticed that they were giving $1 back to everyone who made a purchase. They called it their 'economic stimulus package--100% NOT government funded,' to entice us to come back. I thought that was pretty cute. -
Review from Mari C.
San Francisco, CA
3/7/2008
This is the kind of bookstore that you can spend hours in. This may be a good thing or a bad one, depending on your disposition. I say this because Shakespeare and Co. is a tiny, slightly dingy used bookstore that has shelves and shelves of antique or unusual books.
For the slow meanderers like myself, the mottled semi-organization and dusty atmosphere provide a forum for discovery and exploration. Every isle is enticing and filled with treasures unknown, perfect for pursuing budding interests and scouting unique gifts for those who can appreciate them.
For the between-classes-student-in-a-rush, this perhaps is a very frustrating arrangement. Going into the store with a precise notion of what you want is your first folly; this is a USED bookstore and not every book you desire will be there. Nor will there be updated editions. If that's what you want and you want it quick, go across the street to Moe's. I'm sure you'll find a new copy there.
On a side note: there is a Shakespeare and Co. in Paris that has a similar atmosphere with couch-beds dispersed throughout the store. Many a young writer has found a temporary sanctuary there in exchange for a few hours of book shelving; this little factoid gives me a warm feeling for our less-hospitable Telegraph version.Listed in: The Clearance Rack, Inedible, Places my dad would hate, Hipster Dipster
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Review from Jia J.
7/21/2010
In an era where print has been devalued by society to the extent that Cody's on Telegraph and Black Oak Books in North Berkeley have both shut their doors since I graduated from Cal in 2004... I am beyond relieved to see Shakespeare & Co. still standing.
I'm not surprised that this place is still standing, either. This tiny, slightly dusty, but dignified store is a treasure trove of priceless print ranging from the pedestrian to the esoteric. This is a place where you can walk in as a local Bay Area high schooler, a college freshman, a college senior, a visitor, an alum, a professor, or an elderly eccentric and find something dear to your heart every time for prices cheaper than what you see at some yard sales nowadays.
Whoever is working at the front at any given time is like a benevolent guard of literacy itself, and knows when to chat with you if searching for something abstract, or to give practical help if you are looking for something specific. After so many afternoons here straining my neck looking down at sheet music and up at classics, I get an ache to go back whenever I am near the Bay.
This is more than a bookstore; it's a real place that is as tangible as the books held within. Given this, who honestly cares if the shelves aren't as anally organized as a Borders franchise. -
Review from Lee R.
Oakland, CA
3/31/2008 1 Check-in Here
If you like old, musty and dusty bookstores, this is your place. I was here today after grabbing a coffee at the Peet's across the street.
It is not my favorite bookstore but I saw a book in the window about China and I wanted to check it out.
The place really is musty and it does remind me of an old bookstore I like to visit when I'm in Paris. I guess it is organized but it was not completely obvious. There are definitely treasures on these shelves if you have the time to hunt for them.
The store was empty the entire time I was there. Maybe it was early for the local crowd.
Funny, Pete's had a line out the door. -
Review from Stephanie W.
Arlington, VA
7/6/2008
There's something special about the smell of a used bookstore. It's like the library of alexandria to a certain extent. The musty smell of yellowed pages and old glue is something spectacular that so many book stores don't seem to have. They try to look pristine, organized, etc.
I come to Shakespeare when I can't find what I'm looking for at Moes. The layout is poor and there does not appear to be an organizational structure (though I'm sure there is, somehow). They seem to carry a vast collection of cheap/tawdry romance, mystery, sci fi and pocket paperbacks while moes prides itself on being "above" those things. Sometimes I want a good romance or a dog eared pocket paperback for a friend. On those occasions, I go to shakespeare.
It's an okay place, but the staff are not exactly helpful, it's difficult to find things, and the selection isn't spectacular. But it has the smell, it has the dark corners, and it has so many memories.Listed in: Bibliophiles Unite!
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Review from ben s.
Oakland, CA
3/7/2011
i used to kinda like this place but the old ex-hippie that i assume owns the place is a rude prick who makes the people at moe's look like gods of customer service.
recently i tried to sell some good books, not pulp crap, and he wouldn't give me shit and he was a bossy jerk about it, "just put them on the blue spot," whatever gramps, smoke some weed and chill out. "i'll give you $2.50 for the murakami." how bout you fuck off and i give it away you grumpy geezer.
basically the place is dark, dusty, dank, small, crammed with books and while you may be able to find some good stuff for cheap here there are way better indy bookstore's in the bay area than this place... -
Review from Jared L.
San Francisco, CA
9/13/2008
Shakespheare's is small and weird and does nearly everything wrong. Still, I like it. Maybe I just like it because it does everything wrong. Or maybe I like it because one can find a car or motorcycle shop manual under a secret table in there.
You can pick up old Phil Dick paperbacks and a giant mouldy Bible and a Clymer manual for an XS650 in the same store; that's fuckin' rad.
I'm only telling y'all this because I've decided to avoid Berkeley and eX'specially (sic) Telegraph so I don't plan to be back often. -
Review from Stephanie P.
Berkeley, CA
10/4/2008
These five stars speak for Shakespeare & Co. as a treasure trove, a musty dusty magic place with the capability of reviving my love for the world and the humans in it (as if THAT isn't a feat, with Telegraph being the way it is now). Your grandma's closet has a lot in common with this store: similar sizes; overstuffed wooden shelves half-hidden by heavy cardboard boxes; light filtering through partially-blocked windows; the smell of aged paper; the opportunity to rifle through, pore over, caress the overwhelming bounty of lifetimes of knowledge and experience surrounding you; the joy of surfacing for air only on discovering the literary grail you never expected to lay eyes on, let alone find here -- teasing from you a gasp of delight.
Do I wax too poetical for this unassuming space? Not at all: go see for yourself. When you there find the portal to the Land of Narnia, however, do not be surprised.Listed in: Charming local holdouts…
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Review from Jonny d.
Sacramento, CA
8/19/2007
Pros:
-good lit. selection (?)
-I've been to the one in Paris... interestingly, this one is not THAT much worse
Cons:
-like its other sister stores, Shakespeare & Co. seems somewhat organizationally challenged
-books are packed into a tiny space, and the selection is limited -
Review from Rachel W.
Mountain View, CA
7/1/2010
I'm going to give this bookstore 5 stars because of their huge collection of dusty old books on philosophy, metaphysics, yoga, new age spirituality, Eastern mysticism and religions (Buddhism - Zen, Tibetan, Chinese; Hinduism, Taoism), Gnosticism, shamanism, alternative medicine and healing, etc. Lots of Alan Watts and Ken Wilber and really old theosophy books; couldn't find any Huston Smith though... Dunno why. Will return again & check with the owner.
And I will never buy brand new cookbooks again. Jeremiah Tower, Alice Waters, The Joy of Cooking vintage version... they are all here, a quarter of its original price. Used, but that's the charm isn't it?
They have it all - ranging from anthropology to political science to Manga to children's illustrative books... Like all used book stores, the selection is a bit disordered, so you will have to find your way around and spend some time browsing. It is messy by Border's standard, but as far as I'm concerned, everything is marked and fairly well-organized. I'm not complaining... I've found some gems here.
Yes it is dimly-lit, dusty, crowded, filled with musty smell, and there are stacks and stacks of old used books in just every corner you turn. Yes pages might be yellowed with time, and crinkled like old skin... But these, to me, are precisely their appeal and charm. I'm definitely coming back to this labyrinth again to soak in the aroma of dusty vintage books, to explore around the wooden shelves, and to see if I can dig out any more treasures here. -
Review from Erin Y.
Oakland, CA
11/16/2009
You know that super cheesy line from Twilight where Edward turns to Bella and says "you're like my own personal brand of heroin"? Well, despite the fact that Twilight's most definitely not the type of book here, it's how I feel about Shakespeare and Co.
I try to resist sinking my teeth into all their juicy books, but it just happens. And as I pass their windows on my way to Peet's, I can't help but be dragged in, to the welcoming scent of old books, and grumpy teddy bears of old men, hunched over their books and sort of grunting as you squeeze by them to get to the fiction section. I could spend all day here, delving into the racks of literature. In fact, I think I have.
And on the rare occasion that something does not jump off the shelf and scream "BUY ME," the friendly bibliophiles who work there always have a great suggestion. Goodness me, I think Wm Shakespeare himself would be proud of this place. -
Review from Liza P.
San Francisco, CA
10/11/2005
Another awesome Telegraph bookstore.
This one is great for finding used copies of recent books, and really random editions of obscure authors [ex: Milorad Pavic "Dictionary of the Khazars"].Listed in: Read good
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Review from Danielle J.
Seattle, WA
8/4/2009
Cute little bookstore with a ton of fiction books, which I like. Pretty reasonable prices, not dirt cheap, but the quality of books is better than a lot of bookstores that house tattered and torn copies. I would rather spend a buck or two more and get a nice copy of a book.
The music playing was nice and the girl behind the counter was sweet. -
Review from Winifred X.
Santa Clara, CA
7/27/2008
I went strolling around Berkeley/Telegraph Ave. area yesterday. The last time I was here was back in the summer of 2007. I went to both Moe's and Shakespear Co.
-- this place is much smaller, dustier and less bright and cheerful as Moe's. But I bet there are more Used books here, or maybe pricing is probably be cheaper here??
a great place to just wander into, and if I ever have anything specific in mind, I will drop by here.. =) -
Review from Andrew B.
Fairbanks, AK
1/6/2006
Whenever I'm in Berkeley I try to think about making an effort to come here. My Uncle used to live really close by and in those days I would go alot and most trips were a great success. Now I dont get to go as much and I'm in a bit of a book draught right now.
The shop has a very extensive selection of books.
I scored great titles there by Bowles, DeLillo, & Dick and a bunch of good Political Science and Economics related books. As usual, there is an overabundant amount of outdated Political Science texts, but pick through them carefully because some are timeless classics. -
Review from Andrea D.
Oakland, CA
12/2/2009
I come here to buy used copies of The New Yorker magazine, they are 3 for $1, which is enough to make me a happy camper!
The guys at the front desk are cheerful, friendly and helpful.
I didn't check out the rest of the store yet...but I am going to return soon, and, yes, the smell of that store is enticing! -
Review from Louis L.
Los Gatos, CA
8/19/2010
cramped, dusty with shelves to the sky, i wish there were more places like this.
not the kind of place that you go to looking for the newest john grisham book but the selection of *good* books is diverse and intriguing.Listed in: i am a book geek!
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Review from John L.
Palo Alto, CA
3/15/2010
As others have said here, a bit of a ramshackle affair. Do I dare say the literature/fiction section at Shakespeare is as good as Moe's? Yes, I do. For that reason alone a solid recommend.
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Review from Brendan M.
New York, NY
11/25/2005
I have spent many an hour trawling through the original Shakespeare's &co (in Paris) which I consider the best bookshop I've ever seen anywhere (and I've seen a few), so I was quite excited when I first visited the Berkeley affiliate. Unfortunately, it really didn't live up to expectations. Firstly the shop itself is nowhere as cool, but mostly the book selection is just too, well, Berkeleyesque. I know it's all part of the local flavour, but there are only so many books I can read on Lesbian Anti-Capitalist Critiques of the role of Veganism in Oriental Religion. If you want a used book in Berkeley, go to Moe's. If you want a new one, go to Cody's. This place just feels superfluous.
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Review from Greg H.
Davis, CA
9/30/2010
Not as big as Moe's across the street, but with a personality all its own. Books to the sky, new sections hiding around each corner. Get lost, find a book, and find your way out.
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Review from Andrew P.
Oakland, CA
2/7/2007
My dad used to come here and now I do. The staffs are really friendly and though smaller independent book stores don't have the vast inventory and selection of larger chain stores, you will still manage to find something you like here.
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Review from Pat T.
Berkeley, CA
1/21/2006
I like wandering around in this store, but I don't think I've ever bought anything here. With Moe's huge selection just a short walk away, it's not worth it to hit Shakespeare's unless I've got nothing else to do.
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Review from Norma O.
Oakland, CA
9/14/2010 1 Check-in Here
One of my favorite used bookstores in this area... The selection there is diverse and extensive. Some of my most treasured finds have come from that bookstore... The selection they choose on their tables always hold the possiblilty of a new literary discovery, not just some books that they want to push out. I get assistance when i need it and my space when I want it. Saddens me but they loose a star because i stood in front of the counter for a good minute and a half waiting for the gentlemen to realize that i was ready to be rung up. In any other occassion, I would have said something 35 seconds after waiting but that place gives me such a high, there's no way I could ever feel anything other then happy there!
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Review from Lisa S.
9/9/2006
I used to come here all the time to find used books. It's a small store, but I always found lots of great items. Some people find it dark and strange, but I love the vibe.
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Review from Chris E.
Albany, CA
6/20/2010
An awesome long-tail-of-books place. We got some old, pretty, and/or just plain awesome books here, and no matter how hard we tried to weed out our stack, still left with a huge bag.
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Review from Rob M.
San Mateo, CA
6/14/2005
So, you've gone to Moe's and Cody's and now you're wondering what else to do with your time. Well look across the street from Moe's, just over there on the corner, that's it. Now you see it! It's Shakespeare and Co. Books, a nice little store packed to the gills! (may not be ADA accessible) You never know what you're going to find here but rest assured, if you have a curious brain in your skull there will be something here for you.
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Review from Herbert S.
Davis, CA
8/24/2005
A simple look in the windows reveals the labyrinth of tightly wound coridors lined with books. The air is heavy with the intoxicating aroma of used books, the light has that peculiar quality that only the best used book stores and libraries have and there are stacks of books places in every corner. Walking in here with a list of books you need for class might be a mistake, but walking in for a relaxing afternoon is always rewarding.
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Review from ananda z.
Augusta, GA
3/12/2006
Smallish used bookstore... easy to navigate, necessary to sift for appealing books. Great kids foreign language section. Excellent selection of good condition classics... plenty of obscurity to peruse for unlikely gems.
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Review from scott p.
San Diego, CA
9/24/2008
This is another old school Telegraph used book store that should be exempted from the whining of yelp babies. Shut up!
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Review from Nick S.
Benicia, CA
11/29/2008
It's small and cluttered, but you can find some really cool items at this store. I've picked up several old issues of MAD Magazine for $2.75. You tell me another place where I can find those.
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Review from Alured P.
San Francisco, CA
3/14/2009
A pretty good used book store. Floor to ceiling books, strong history section. Other sections also seemed fair to strong.
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Review from Annalynn L.
Oakland, CA
1/21/2009
I love the selection here. The help is very informative. The scent of this bookstore is comforting. There's no way I can go to Berkeley without stopping by Shakepeare's bookstore.
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Review from Walter J.
Oakland, CA
2/12/2010
It takes a lot to keep me from going into a bookstore, but I've begun to just skip over this place when I'm in the neighborhood. The staff is aloof and unhelpful, and the selection seems to focus mostly on remainders and curios. As far as regular used books are concerned, there's nothing here that's not at Moe's (which is a far more pleasant place to shop).
