Always my first stop when looking for obscure military history for my father's Christmas presents! Their military history section is the best in town and always has reasonable prices. The owners are always pleasant to have a chat with as well. I always bring guests to Blue Whale if they want to experience the Downtown Mall. read more

A very fun and eclectic bookshop in downtown Cville. We stopped in to look around and had a lot of fun checking out the books and art/drawings. The woman working there was also very kind and helpful. read more

Blue Whale Books - Bookstores Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Blue whale books is a super aesthetically pleasing bookstore focused on historical and nonfiction literature. The store is organized very well with clear labels and signs designating each area of the bookstore, including the small prints and maps section, which includes original local and country-wide maps. The highlight of this bookstore (for me) was the dollar-shelf where every book was only a dollar. I found two exceptionally interesting books which set me back virtually nothing. The person working the store was helpful in checking out although he expressed disbelief when I tried to pay using American dollar coins (innovation dollar series) which was completely understandable. read more

While we did find some books, I was bothered by the owners overly watchful eye. He made me feel like a thief. I can afford a book, dude. My husband is a fan of sci-fi and the sci-fi books are in a room to the back of the store. We were pursuing the shelves to find a good book and the guy working, presumably the owner, kept walking back and glaring at us. No offer to help us find a book or helpful customer service, just the accusing eyes of an untrusting person. This was remarkably different from our experience at another used bookstore down the mall. The salesperson there was Uber friendly and offered to help us find our next read. Won't be back to Blue Whale. read more

Blue Whale Books - Bookstores Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I have lived here for five years, and have been coming to Blue Whale for even longer! The owners and staff are incredibly kind and helpful, always willing to point you in the direction of what you're looking for. I have two absolute favorite things here. The first is the $1 book shelf, exactly like it sounds. It is stocked with really interesting stuff for only a dollar! I have found cool old children's books, English and German sheet music, and local guidebooks on that shelf over the years. It is always well stocked with something new. I also love all the vintage prints. They have prints of the local area and UVa, but also old nature prints and others. I especially love their avian pints and their vintage Rotunda prints. All are priced fairly and in excellent condition. And they've got popular press books too! I can't even tell you how many Stephen King books in my collection were picked up here. Definitely one of the best used bookstores around. read more

Great selection of prints and books! Wish there were more historical science books from the greats, but great selection of modern books regardless. Lovely time browsing! read more

Neat book shop on the pedestrian mall in Charlottesville. One of at least three that I've spotted in the area. Yep, they have a good selection of used paperbacks and the prices are pretty good. They aalso have a good collection of hard cover and coffee table books plus a bunch of lithographs that look really cool. It's not hard to find the vintage books in this shop. Prices are clearly marked in pencil on the inside cover. My paperback was nice and cheap at $3! The corgi that "owns" the shop is a cute little doggie! Very friendly. read more

Blue Whale Books - Blue Whale Books in Charlottesville VA - Bookstores Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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My IQ was too high for 'whale'. First, your sign outside looks like drift-wood. Second, always greet customers (you did not). Third, carpets and air, mean nothing to me if your stacks are crap. All hardbounds are altered, their clear dust jackets are GLUED to the inside book itself. Now idiots are supposed to pay up for glue? It would look like a library book at home! Moronic idea. Another stupidity: putting volumes for sale, mixed in with regular books. Expensive prices, penciled in somewhere. Some books had two prices penciled! The literary paperbacks were adhoc junk. ZERO actual writers. Front title covers were dog-eared, rubbed off, manhandled and violated. All authors were non-famous female ones nobody ever read. Maps going for $70; what, a little short on retirement??? Whale's a joke. As an intellectual, believe me, go to a big sprawling book bin store in N.C. or D.C. where books are alive; they actually carry renowned authors: AND books are NOT glued, frayed, found in trash bins/dorm bathrooms, mildewy and bent. Whale is a claptrap air conditioned funeral parlor.. The owner was anti-male, rude, running from front desk to some back room - frazzled doing nothing - mouthed off about being 'old enough to be your mother'. With all do respect, we all know who is the whale. Rebel says: 0 fun business read more

Blue Whale Books - Bookstores Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

When I look up "used bookstore" in the dictionary in my head, this is what I see. Blue Whale books is clean, organized, well-stocked, and always fun to visit. The shelves and design of the shop is classic, with tall wood shelves, books from floor to ceiling, dim-lighting but bright enough to read the spines, a worn leather couch for reading a few pages on, and a calm, quiet atmosphere. The sections are clearly marked by signs hanging from the ceiling, and there is a very wide selection, probably something for everyone. I always check their $1 book shelf, because it rotates so often, I usually leave with at least one $1 book, because you just can't beat that price. Blue Whale also has a very large variety of art prints. Many are botanical or wildlife-related, however there are some more rare and historical prints oftentimes, too. A cute old, puppy is often found wandering around the store, too, so if you've just followed someone else in the shop and old books aren't your thing, I'm sure petting a cute dog will help you while away the time. I love visiting Blue Whale books and do it about every time I'm on the downtown mall. Definitely worth a stop whether you're looking for something specific or just fancy a browse. read more

I was out yesterday enjoying the first sunny and warmer day this year with my small dog. The mall had many dogs out. I stepped inside the Blue Whale Bookstore after seeing 3 prints on a rack outside. As soon as I stepped in the store to purchase... an angry man with a British accent said "you can't bring that dog in here", while sanitizing his hands at the entrance. My friend just behind me asked what was the matter, as he saw me turn to leave. I said "they aren't pet friendly." The British male employee then went to the entrance of shop and shouted to me amongst all the people walking by and sitting, diners.... " we are pet friendly... I just brought my dig today"!! In an angry and loud voice. Everyone stopped their conversations and turned around to see what the ruckus was. I said back to him.... "you didn't explain anything to me... you just told me I couldn't bring my dog in". He then said something else and I became very uncomfortable. My dog is an accredited service dog for which I rely upon. Whenever I experience this nastiness from a shopkeeper, I've learned it will not end well for anybody. So, I decided to leave. It would have been better if he just didn't tell me, his dog was the problem and should have kept his pet at home. They lost a sale from me yesterday and I will go to one of the other bookstores on the mall. I will not go back after the treatment I r read more

Blue Whale Books - Exterior of bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Anytime I am in Charlottesville I stop here to find treasures. -Interesting and unique finds -Great prices -Fun place to browse books for hours and leave with a few keepers -Also have old maps and prints read more

Blue Whale Books - The two books I got this trip. $5 and $7.50. - Bookstores Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

This store is a treasure! In the center of Charlottesville, Blue Whale Books can keep me enthralled for hours shopping. And for someone who hates shopping, that's saying a lot! I pour over new and used books greedily every time I go, and the map collection keeps me searching and searching. I highly recommend you visit (especially if you have time to spend enjoying literature and history in a both classy and classic bookstore). read more

Man, I absolutely LOVED this place when I was at UVA. It's the BEST bookstore I have found thus far. I loved to browse the shelves because there were always super great finds for a great price. If you are a language-o-phile, this is totally the place for you!! They have dictionaries for soo many languages, Thai included, for example. I mean, this place is like falling into a museum of books from some of the world's greatest travelers. That is exactly what it feels like in this place. The owner's nice, helpful, and knowledgeable as well. Can't wait to stop by this place, next time I'm in town read more

When I was 5, when everyone else wanted to be astronauts or Power Rangers, I thought my life's calling was to become a bookstore keeper and try to set up some sort of tea/bookstore establishment in Notting Hill. Then Starbucks and Kindle happened and it seems like nowadays, bookstores are a dying breed as everything becomes electronic, which is a shame because well, you can't smell a Kindle and get that funny feeling of nostalgia and dust in the bottom of your chest. I hope Blue Whale sticks around: I was able to get five books for under $15 and most were only lightly used. There's a great selection here if you're willing to poke around and because there's not much foot traffic, you can plop yourself down in an armchair and kill a whole afternoon getting in some reading. The owner was not exactly bubbly, but he did point me to the section that I was looking for and threw in some free bookmarks. It's probably the cheapest, and, in my honest opinion, the coolest place on the Downtown Mall now that the old ice rink has been shut down. read more

I ordered a book from Blue Whale during quarantine to support a genealogical research project. It came beautifully wrapped and in perfect condition. They also sent along a current listing of other genealogical books they have in stock. So impressed! read more

Blue Whale Books - Bookstores Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Great selection, high quality and reasonable prices. Locals should count their lucky stars to have such a gem at the center of the town.

Staff wore masks and let us comfortably browse books yet were very knowledgeable and there for any questions. Books were in great quality and pricing was amazing because it was affordable and felt good supporting a smaller business. Thanks so much! read more

This used bookstore was a great find in the downtown walking mall. The owner was friendly and helpful. He was also playing some great jazz so props there. I found two books, both for around seven dollars. There are also great old maps and illustrative drawings. Check it out! read more

Blue Whale Books - Bookstores Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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The kind of place I could get lost in. Books and books and more books. Reasonable prices. I'm a sucker for independent bookstores, and this one greatly impressed. Not the least because of the selection, its location in the historic Downtown Mall, and the helpful and friendly staff. If you're anything like me and visiting Charlottesville, don't forget to visit the Downtown Mall, if just for the bookstores! I noticed at least three independent and rare bookstores!! read more

Great little bookstore! I perused here for almost a whole hour before deciding on a keeper. =) I kind of felt like I went back in time...in a good way. read more

The Pros - There's a dog inside who just hangs out. So cute. I think it's a cardigan corgi. - Decent selection of old and modern books. The Cons - Pretentious staff who take your soda cup out of your hand because you might get condensation on your hands and touch books (I'm not joking -- and this is a used book store where the bindings are bent up, pages are worn and written on, and it didn't look the cleanest inside). Whut? These aren't priceless artifacts or even NEW books. Last time I was in B&N I'm pretty sure no one cared that an adult had a beverage. THIS is why people just order on Amazon. - Prices. Not only did next to none of the books or shelves have prices on them, it turns out they're pretty expensive for used books. I could go get just about any of this stuff at my local thrift shop for a buck each. But nah, man, we are in Charlottesville, home of pretentious Zima drinking, collar-popping douches. My total was $20 for four used books, all of which were pretty worn, three of them paperbacks, all of them with some kinds of markings on them from previous owners (e.g., "Happy birthday, son!"). So that's an average of $5 a book for books that 10+ years ago brand new were $6.99. You must be shitting me. I guess that's why they don't put the prices on stuff because people like me just go ahead and say, "Well, I'm supporting a small business," and move on. But yeah, I wouldn't go back. I mean, again, THIS is why people just order on Amazon. - Organization: I found it really difficult to visually look through the books because of how they are arranged in the store. They are categorized alphabetically and by genre as you'd expect, but the mishmash of colors and sizes really was tough to peruse and determine if they had something in which you'd be interested. Maybe more signage designating collections of certain series or authors would be helpful. read more

Discovered an impressive array of used books here at reasonable prices. There is a bookcase dedicated to $1 and below titles worth a review.

Blue Whale is a terriffic bookstore. Fine selection of titles in history, art and architecture. I always find a gem or two to take home and read immediately. Prices and selection are very fair indeed and the owner and staff are extremely helpful and informative. BWB is THE destination in C-ville for great literary finds. Kindle that- Amazon. read more

The books are great, sure, but the owners silent, judgmental stare and complete unwillingness to engage in the least with his customers isn't exactly charming. read more

Fair prices and great selection of books and art. I was surprised to find old original maps and signed copies of books along with a wide selection of hundreds of novels. Absolutely stop by if you are interested! read more

After you tear yourself away from the books outside, you enter and it looks a little intimidating - classy fixtures, glass cases, lots of room on the shelves. Look a little closer, though, and you'll find some amazing deals. Many of the scifi books are between $1 and $4, not just the usual mass market schlock but classics and obscure british imports (picked up a copy of Robert Graves' scarce scifi opus for $1!). The shelves are great fun to browse - even when the books are expensive, amusing titles like "Fashion is Spinach" and "The Sack of Bath" abound. I just can't say enough good things about this bookstore and the unreasonably friendly owner (?), who even drew me a map to the nearest grocery store! read more

How can a place with rare books, maps, and pictures not smell awful? I have no idea, but Blue Whale holds the secret. Spacious and inviting are two words that fit perfectly with this place. I really enjoy just walking around and discovering new novels. Ask the person behind the counter for the title of a book and if they don't have it they'll make sure to in the coming week. So walk in and learn something new! read more

i love bookstores so so so much, and so just had to stop in here! the first time i came, i fell in love with the vibes and all the beautiful books! but the owner is very unkind and salty to the customers-frequently quipping at them for sitting on certain couches or if their mask is caught slipping-which is completely understandable, but i've never seen her be courteous or friendly to the customers-only reprimands them, which doesn't make the store have a very welcoming or warm vibe, unfortunately. i came a second time, too, and again the owner was not kind or welcoming. it's unfortunate because i love book stores so much and this one is gorgeous and full of amazing books-just not a very welcoming and warm atmosphere ): read more

The hubs and I stopped in while I was in town on business. I have an Advanced Honors degree in English Literature, so I was in heaven of course. This is a pretty neat off the beaten path bookstore. Huge assortment of out of print titles, rare finds, and simply visually appealing covers that somehow cause you to stay a little while longer to see what it's all about. Even my non-reader husband was intrigued by the titles in their history section. Minus one star because no one greeted nor spoke to us the entire time we were there. No, they weren't that busy either. But, I'd still go back if I were in town again. read more

Whoa....I'm a nerddddd at heart. I'm the type of girl that can spend hours in a library on a Saturday afternoon. Stopped into Blue Whale books after picking up some coffee and they were playing Billy Holiday through the speakers. This place was tugging at my heart strings...they had a mixture of old and newer book titles. My favorite part of the entire store was carefully flipping through rare books from the 1800s. Amazing feeling! read more

Great little bookstore full of reasonably priced gems and rare books too. Their selection of maps, etchings, and other art taken from books is mesmerizing. I found a huge collection of prints from a book about the history of fashion from around the world and bought several. I could spend all day in here. The owner stayed out of my way but when I asked him questions was knowledgeable and friendly. Will be back! read more

Charming store, with some real finds as well as bargain books! A nice addition to our holiday.

The best a bookstore can be ! I don't get back to Charlottesville often enough, but it's great to be able to stop and browse here. And there's a very comfortable leather couch, and some nice chairs too. The corgi helps set the tone, too. The staff are real book people! read more

Scott has a great little shop there on the downtown mall that I've been visiting for last 15 years or so. As an antiquarian collector, there is always something neat to consider buying and his maps/engravings are always fun to look over. Scott is always ready to answer a question with a smile on his face. Great shop; one I always visit when I'm in town. read more

Blue Whale is an example of the perfect small bookstore. The staff here have learned my interests and are willing to drop me an email whenever they see a book which I might be interested in come into the store. They are responsible for starting me on the path of book collecting. Awesome! read more

Last week I entered this store with three of my female friends. We are all African American. As soon as we entered, we greeted the white, bespectacled, older woman who was at the cashier station. She looked at us as if we were insects, honestly. I was looking for some books on African American studies and was having difficulty. When I asked for her assistance, she looked up as if I was disturbing her. Amongst ourselves, my friends and I both commented on her negative energy. When I pointed out that she had a sign that said "African American", but I saw no related books, she pointed to some books at the bottom of the shelf that were under a sign that said "Civil Rights or Lack Thereof." Yet, there were little to no books about African Americans. Her attitude and the false advertising (for the books I wanted) turned me off. We walked out immediately. I don't know if this woman is the owner, manager, or employee, but she needs some cultural sensitivity training. In this time and age, it makes little sense to harbor dislike of Blacks or any other cultural group. read more

Good selection, good to great prices, very congenial browsing ambiance, well organized and illuminated,what's not to like? I always found the owner knowledgeable,helpful and friendly.One of the best of the many smaller bookshops in town. read more

There might be some stuff here for casual browsers, but don't try to sell them anything. After two phone calls, I drove from Richmond to Charlottesville with about 40 books of varying merit that they seemed to be interested in. After 45 years, I've learned a little bit about buying and selling used and rare books and was flabbergasted by the low-ball offer that they made for a selection of them. It wasn't even close to a fair price and there was clearly no room for negotiation. Perhaps that's how they keep their own prices low. Perhaps that's why they don't have anything of any merit in the store. The person I dealt with was an arrogant, ignorant fool who showed no interest in interacting with me, even after I tried to engage him in a little chitchat about books. Just so he knows who he blew off, I have a small collection of rare books bought from top dealers worldwide over the past 40 years that was appraised not long ago for far more than their entire inventory is worth. I wouldn't buy toilet paper from this store. read more

Charlottesville is blessed with an unusual number of used/antiquarian bookshops. This is one of the best: handsome premises, central location, reasonable prices, obliging staff. Recommended! read more

I have been visiting BWB since it opened. The selection and prices just get better and better. There is a wonderful selection of paperback literature and books to relax with, as well as a New Selections area that is great to browse in and find interesting books I otherwise wouldn't have read. The little dog (I guess he is the owner's dog) is very friendly and gentle with kids. GO THERE! read more