The City of Books was born in a former used car dealership. To this day the store maintains a no-nonsense, industrial feel. One place in the store, though, has been reserved for comfort and elegance. Across the Pearl Room from the Basil Hallward gallery, our Rare Book Room is 1,000 square feet of dark wood shelving, ambient lighting, antique furniture, and carefully selected works of art. Most importantly, though, the Rare Book Room is home to several thousand of our most valuable — and beautiful — books, including an extensive library of reference works about antiquarian books.
For more information about the Rare Book Room, please see Frequently Asked Questions. For more information about antiquarian books, please see Rare Book Basics. If you are searching for a particular antiquarian title, or would simply like to browse our rare and collectible books, please visit our Rare and Collectible page. If you think you might have a rare book you would like to sell us, please take it to the Used Book Buyer's table at the City of Books.
Questions about the Rare Book Room should be directed to 1-800-878-7323
ext. 1270. The Rare Book Room is open daily from 11am to 7pm, or by appointment. If you have questions about current or future rare book orders
placed through Powells.com, please call our customer service staff toll-free at
(800) 291-9676.
"It is far more seemly
to have thy Studie full of Bookes,
than thy Purse full of money."
John Lyly, Euphues, 1578
