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Spine and Crown Books
Rating Details »
Category: Bookstores [Edit]
Neighborhood: Capitol Hill413 E Pine St
Seattle, WA 98102
(206) 322-1227
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
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"For a small bookstore this place has an impressively good quality selection. You can tell that the stock was carefully selected by the…" read more »
9 reviews for Spine and Crown Books
Although the shop is small, the selection variety is great!
The owner was so friendly upon entering asked if there was something specific I was looking for...of course, I was just looking. After 30 minutes, I finally decided on a book about the Aztec. He seemed very knowledgeable on the book and culture which I find to be a great quality in a book store owner!
I highly recommend stopping by if you're looking for either a rare book or something that's way too much somewhere else. Chances are you'll find it here.
Another one of those "this is my home" places. Chris is an exceptionally kind, intelligent human being, and I go to Spine and Crown to say "hey" to him as much as I do to pursue the great selection of low-priced used books.
Really, Chris knows what he's talking about. Can't remember the name of a vague theory text? He probably can. Not sure what you want to read next? Provide him with a list of books you read and enjoyed and he'll give you a great recommendation.
SHOP HERE! Really.
It was hard for me to decide to write a review for this place. What it lacks in size, it makes up for in quality. The owner, knows his shit. He's been working in the book buying industry for quite a while, about 15 years to tell the truth. Lots of books that you've heard about, that are new, and that are good. None of the "Oprah's book club" shit. The owner, Chris is very passionate about books, and is always game for some lively discussion about anything and everything. From politics, to WWF
Yeah, the bias part is that I used to live with him, but I liked this place before I knew he owned it. I stopped in a couple times before but he wasn't working. So that's why I'm writing the review.
This is a fabulous little bookstore! I'll chime in with the other reviewers who lament the shop's extra cozy size (only because of my own greediness; the size actually contributes a certain charm), but the books stocked are excellently chosen and should satisfy most bibliophiles yearning for a browse. I walked out today with a volume of Musil's selected writings and some Sontag and will return shortly to grab the catalogue of Man Ray photographs. This shop is a great asset to the neighborhood and very much worth supporting.
The only reason this is not a 5 is that I am instantly saddened that it is not bigger. The owner is very personable and I was delighted to find several Toronto reprints of classical medieval history texts.
His collection varies based on what he is able to acquire. Definitely a good place to pop into regularly and see what's what.
I had the benefit of a private grade school education. We focused less on study skills and curriculum and more on learn as you go and choose your own academic adventure. When I graduated from sixth grade the Seattle Public Schools were still doing enforced busing and my parents couldn't afford private middle school so we did a little white flight to the suburbs. Before we settled on Shoreline we looked at a house in Monroe.
I remember three things about this house. It had a living room with electrical outlets placed every 5 feet around the room above the baseboards (odd), it was in the woods (scary) and it had a spiral staircase from the living room to a loft above (neato).
Why, I am sure you are wondering, would I mention that in a review of a used bookstore. Well, obviously because Spine & Crown has a spiral staircase in the building and because of the house in Monroe I have a soft spot for spiral staircases, even though my vertigo makes them a challenge these days.
Anywho...what I love about this bookstore most is it's window display of pulpy novels and funny art books, it's seemingly haphazard layout and it's poetry section.
When I first went in I was on a search for the memoirs published by one of my favorite poet's, Mark Doty. Have you read him? You should...his elegies are beautiful and his memoirs are poignant. If you haven't read him before recommend reading "Dog Years: A Memoir" and "Source" a book of poetry.
Back to Spine and Crown Books. I was in search of a copy of "Still Life With Oysters and Lemon: On Objects and Intimacy" and as luck would have Spine and Crown had a near new copy. Not being able to simply buy a book and go I spent the better part of an hour browsing the stacks. I found a great biography of Allen Ginsberg and there were several great poetry titles that I put on my list for later. The fiction section seemed well stocked also.
I would agree with some of the other reviewers here in that the store is small, but I don't see that as a weakness. The store has high ceilings and feels very airy. There are enough books that one can and should get lost for hours browsing and reading. Another wonderful point I would like to make is it doesn't reek of cats. Don't get me wrong I have been a loyal Twice Sold Tales customer for years, but I am allergic to pussy cats and can only be in there for an hour tops before my skin starts to crawl out the door, dragging my congested lungs and nose with it.
Next time I go back, and I will be back, I will make more an effort to speak with the owner, who seems by all accounts to be friendly and informative. I might even brace myself for a trip up the spiral staircase and keep my fingers crossed that the poppy tea drinking lotus eaters (see review from Ula T.) don't show up, distract me and cause an unfortunate stumble down the stairs.
On a separate note to my fellow bookstore reviewers: Can we lay-off the "Oprah's Book Club Shit" references? Some of her picks are certainly not literary but it gets people who might not otherwise pick up a book to do so that can only be a good thing. Oh and she does come through with quality picks now and again i.e. Toni Morrison, Jonathan Franzen, John Steinbeck, etc...
It's so small I passed it by a half dozen times thinking they wouldn't have anything. But it's a great store. Lots of hard to find items and nice staff. The best is the pop culture fiction section in the front of the store. All the potboilers, detective novels and ephemera you could want. There's always something amazing to find.
My favorite find recently was To Goof or Not To Goof by Dick Clark....giving "advice in hip language from a celebrity who likes and understands teen-angers." Cool man.
Cool little book store with a decent collection and chairs so you can sit and read for awhile. They will buy sell or trade books with you. Stop in and check it out.
Spine and Crown has an amazing selection of books - the window is always packed with things I want and then I go inside and it's more more. Really the best selection and the owner is always willing to look into titles or authors. He knows what he is talking about and likes to talk about it too which is nice as I don't feel a bit silly for not knowing my literary stuff.
