Why after all these years is it such a continued delight just to walk in the Mike Riley's Book Gallery??? My grandfather, Dad, and Uncle owned dairy ranches years ago. Though he became a corporate executive-the owner actually , my Dad never lost that love of animals and such. Today as I was leaving, I saw a little book called Farm Pets from 1935. It would have touched his heart like it did mine! I lost my Dad last year but for a moment the Book Gallery brought him back to me. This is what makes the Book Gallery so special. Mike has an unerring sense for finding what is special! read more

What a great old bookstore! I could spend hours looking around here. It is very well organized and the owner is very helpful. So many antique books and new ones mixed in. It's a great way to spend an afternoon. read more

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We popped into this amazing bookstore after getting a bite to eat at Trevor's. We expected the garden variety of used book store and were completely blown away by how massive and full of books this place was. Hardcover, softcover, rare books--they've got it all, and divided into every section you could think of. The clerk was very helpful when I asked questions about where I may find certain authors as well. The craziest part was their prices. Nothing is worse than finding a super cool book and it being priced outrageously, but everything here was super reasonable, especially considering the rarity factor. I can't to get sucked into Book Gallery again soon! read more

Book Gallery - Bookstores Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Stopped by here during a trip out in Scottsdale, totally worth it! Antique books (if you have budget for them), clean inside (note it does smell like the stereotypical bookstore but that didn't bother me...your mileage may vary). Excellent selection of classics, definitely worth a visit if you're in the area! read more

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The finest bookstore for rare and collectible books that I have ever stepped into. Absolutely wonderful.

Amazing store and brilliant owner. Such a pleasure to visit when in Arizona during winter. Not to be missed.

I love poking around in this enormous stash of old, rare, vintage, used, and in terrific condition books. The staff are so helpful and everything is organized with great detail. Pricing is actually quite remarkable considering the finds you can find. Get lost in a book! read more

what an odd store. if you like having panic attacks, by all means, venture in, boy-o! so as others have stated on here, the selection is vast. and i and others i know have purchased a book or two here over the years. but MY GOODNESS -- there are boxes boxes and oh yes BOXES of unsorted books e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. in the aisles. blocking lots of shelves and sections. fire hazard? yes. hoarder? yes. the book police should put a hard stop on this business from purchasing one more book until it does something with the thousands of titles littering its walkways. the staff here is....................interesting. not necessarily bad per se, but not necessarily, uh, helpful without being low-key condescending. it's like: dude, books are dying, you are LUCKY if anyone comes in here. i love books. but a lot of people don't. you would think you'd tailor your store of dying dinorsaur chopped trees to be organized and welcoming. not dark, scary and with a high probability of getting lost and/or a sprained ankle from hurtling bankers boxes. 3 stars. clean your act up, Book Barn. read more

Book Gallery is a not so secret spot that feels like a well-kept secret. It's a secondhand book store that is bulging at every corner with rare, collectible, and some current titles stacked and stuffed into aisles of tall wood bookshelves. There were boxes filled with books not shelved, rows and rows of Arizona Highway magazine, and tall stacks of leather bound National Geographic. You could spend hours finding something you were never looking for. It feels like walking through someone's attic stuffed with years of collecting, and yet at the same time, you get the sense that the owner knows exactly where everything is. It's quiet and worn and to any book lover it's the most beautiful sight...and smell. read more

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Stopped in to this spot after seeing it has good reviews overall. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the wide, well organized, aisles and the bright, relaxed, vibe. I enjoyed browsing around and found several harder to find books for a few of my fantasy series on the shelves. Unfortunately I found the prices to be a little more than I like to pay for secondhand books. We're talking a few of the books I would have rather purchased from this local spot were more expensive than buying them new from Amazon. I wouldn't mind paying a few bucks more than Amazon at a local spot for a new book but not for a used book. I did ultimately find a book that I wanted for a decent price and my sister found several that she wanted for herself and her kiddo. Overall it's a great little shop and I'll be back in the future. read more

Loved the Mesa shop. Comming back when I have more time and Will most definitely hit up the Phoenix store in the near future. Now my favorite bookstore! read more

Stumbled on this bookstore today and what a gem of a place! Was killing some time before a yoga class and wandered into this place and found a whole universe of used and rare books! You could definitely kill a whole day here if you're a bookworm! I love that the books are arranged by topic area and naturally I found myself in the animal and nature section. Initially, I was looking for a bat book but didn't find it. Bummer. But, of course, the animal section was very interesting to me and I found a large section on birds and bird watching! Cool! And right around the mammals, there is a section on naturalist and even a small section on John Muir! I then found this book about The Siberians and well, that just caught my attention! I read a few pages of the book and knew that I would be interested so took it up front to pay for it. The owner of this book store is Mike Riley and what a wonderful, knowledgeable and sweet person he is! We got to talking about the author of this book and he told me that Farley Mowat is a great writer and shared a few other titles with me. One about deers and another about dogs! Mike Riley opened this book store 33 years ago and he shared that he was happy to open it then and also very happy now! What a really nice story about a local bookstore owner! I'll definitely be back to look at more books but also to pay Mike visit and just say hello and chat about more books! I love books, the way to my heart is thru books! This is an awesome place, give it a try. You're helping to support local and...it's just a really near store! read more

Book Gallery - The Siberians by Farley Mowat, $5 - Bookstores Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Mike is a gentleman and knew books. Our library was extensive and we enjoyed having him come look and tell us more!

Get lost for hours, find a good read or two & enjoy. Best book store in town! Staff is top notch as well as pricing - very authentic place.

Both locations are unique. The depth in books in my interests is the best. I thought I might find books at all the greater valley public libraries and found almost nothing. Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale. Condition is never an issue and fair pricing. Mike is outstanding but I have found all his people more than highly learned. All are interesting. read more

I travel all over the country and one of my favorite things to do is to walk into an antique/vintage/rare book store. The smell alone triggers so many good memories. At the ores t time I'm trying to complete my collection of the Wizard of Oz "original 40". I called the store and spoke to the owner, Mike, who told me he had several in stock. I took an Uber over, walked in and was met with a HUGE store chock full of used books. I met with the owner, Mike and he showed me the Oz collection. I purchased 3 books that were fairly priced. I wanted two others but they were a little out of my price range. Mike is a wealth of information. I will be back. read more

Consider this place Valhalla for rare books at great prices. I highly recommend this place. The owners and workers are super helpful in finding what you're looking for. The place actually smells of old book leather. For old book nerds-- it's great. I'm not from Phoenix but I will be staying in touch with this place for rare deals. read more

Book Gallery - Book Gallery- Phoenix Arizona - Bookstores Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

This is my favorite bookstore in Phoenix. If I want something cheap and fast, I download a digital copy. If I am merely curious about something I download it from the public library. OTOH, if I have decided I want a nice hardcover copy of a book that I want to add to my limited wall space I head over to Book Gallery. Huge, overflowing selection of many OOP books, priced reasonably, and staffed with very nice knowledgeable book people. I usually walk out with several books even though I've been donating my surplus books to Goodwill for almost 20 years. read more

I thought this would be an average book shop. Instead, I found a huge selection of books on many topics. There are also a large number of quality, hardbound books and unusual, hard to find ones. Book Gallery has hard to find books(in excellent condition)on one of my favorite Presidents-Andrew Jackson. The store is much larger than average with several aisles. Highly recommended. read more

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I love this place. Just even browsing for an hour is enjoyable. So many books & a really good atmosphere. Decent prices on some great condition older books & a good amount of children books available. Also makes a nice little casual date night adventure. read more

I was excited to stumble upon Book Gallery, especially when I noticed its extensive collection of Arizonan/southwestern literature. But the owner of the store took it upon himself to make some extremely racist and aggressive comments about Mexicans during our conversation, and I quickly became very uncomfortable. I'm not sure why he felt comfortable sharing thoughts like that with me, but I suppose I'm glad I know how he feels now, as I'll put my hard-earned dollars elsewhere. read more

My favorite bookstore - can get lost in here for hours, an absolute treasure trove of works that would never be found at regular bookstores, and the owner is SO knowledgeable and helpful. I have to keep myself from going there all the time haha! Grateful for places like this to still exist. read more

Echoing the other reviews, this is a wonderful store. Workers were kind and helpful. Excellent selection particularly of Western US and Native American history. Very reasonable prices. Will come back the next time I am in phoenix. read more

Nice, friendly staff. They have books. Lots of books. I mean, dude, they have LOTSA books. There's a few genres that are a little light, so if you're after something quite odd or unique, you might call ahead. But if you're after fiction or history, they probably have it. Don't plan on a quick in and out trip. You'll want to spend time in this gallery. And you're free to look around without a salesperson hounding you. They will help you if you ask, but they don't follow you around like on a car lot. Great place. Great people. Lots of seats to sit down and browse. Bring a flashlight as some parts of this huge gallery are darker. Don't bring little kids. The place is huge and if they get lost you might not see them for a week or two. Two thumbs way way up. read more

Book Gallery and Mike are an Phoenix, Az treasure. Mike is a book expert and Book Gallery has a beautiful selection of used books and antique collectibles. Just wondering the store takes your mind on so many creative journeys. I always find an interesting book or two to take home. An awesome bookstore. read more

This is one of great used/rare bookstores. Looking at it on the outside you would never know how vast it is on the inside. Remarkable collection in many categories (fiction, history, local history, biography, art, photography, etc etc) Good values and so many surprises. Staff could not have been more helpful. I could spend hours more there just discovering. read more

I contracted with Mike Riley of Book Gallery to do an appraisal of a large collection of signed first edition books. The books were being donated to a memorial collection at a major university and a formal appraisal is required. The materials for the appraisal were dropped off in November and I checked back in February. Mike said "Oh, thanks for reminding me" since he had done nothing on the project. I checked back again in late April and Mike said "Well, I already told you I wasn't comfortable doing the appraisal because of the high dollar value". He claimed to have called me and declined the project but no such conversation ever took place. I went by the store to pick up the materials and Mike then claimed he had never spoken to me and didn't know what I was talking about. He claimed that he never received anything from me and didn't know who I was. The University is now declining the donation due to the lack of a formal appraisal. The memorial collection in my late wife's name has been cancelled and I won't be able to honor her last wishes. It has become clear to me that Mike lost the materials I gave him and now is simply covering his a$$. read more

I could spend hours in here. I do love my Kindle, but there is something about holding a book in your hands that is special. As you enter you're immediately greeted by the shelves, cabinets, and tables of beautiful books. Wandering the space is a lovely time and I always find myself thinking about my dream "home library"! With tall wood shelves, a ladder, and shelves upon shelves of books. If you are a book lover, this store is for you. Whether looking for a vintage children's book, first edition, rare find, or other published collectible, don't let these books languish on the shelves here! Fantastic employees will help you locate what you are looking for. read more

What a spectacularly curated selection of books! I'm thrilled to be headed back home with a signed copy of a novel by Donald Westlake, my favorite author. In addition to acquiring an excellent souvenir, I had a delightful time wandering the aisles, appreciating their stock, and 30 years of accumulating classic bookcases to display them all in. If you've got a few free hours, this is quite possibly the best indoor location in Phoenix to spend them. read more

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I can't imagine he is missing any book you are looking for. Just missing a lot of big comfy chairs.

Have purchased many coffee table books here, both for me and businesses. Awesome finds! read more

Book Gallery - Coffee table books. - Bookstores Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

If you love the feeling of being lost in a library - this is your place. The wonderful aroma of books takes over the moment you walk in the door. Bookshelves stacked with books above my head (I'm only 5'1 though). I could spend hours here browsing, so many beautiful books. There is an employee here that I believe repairs books. All the staff was friendly and knowledgeable about their collection. read more

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This was a great find!!!! Great selection and great service. We were visiting and looking for the next book in W.E.B. Griffin series. We found three!!! If we return to AZ, we'll be back. Thank-you! read more

I walked in, spent some time finding a book, then headed to the front desk with it. I was standing there, booking in one hand and money in the other, and I waited. And waited. And waited. Nobody in the store seemed to be helping customers. And since they don't wear any kind of uniform or name tag, I had no way of knowing who were the employees and who were the customers. So, unfortunately, I walked out without the book. Seems like they have a great selection of books, but their customer service is severely lacking. read more

I love coming here and spending a few hours going through the stacks of books. The owner is extremely kind and passionate, not only about the written word, but helping you find a special connection with one of the many treasures in his collection. This place is a must-stop for any book enthusiast in Arizona. read more

Fantastic bookstore, just like old times at the Strand in New York, or Powells. But Book Gallery is more discerning and has a serious collection of fine books and rare editions. Scads of art books. This place is a treasure trove. Don't miss it! read more

This store is amazing. My sister and I had so much fun looking at all the amazing books. They have everything and anything for book lovers.

I have been a customer of the Book Gallery for over 10 years now, and stopped by this weekend to sell a portion of my library. I have always been extremely impressed with their selection, customer service and attention to detail. My experience this weekend reminded me of why I love The Book Gallery. I was treated like family by the owner and his staff and learn something new about my favorite authors and my love for books every time I visit. I highly recommend stopping by if you ever get the chance. read more

Super organized & clean. The owner, Mike, was really nice and helpful. We didn't have to wear masks which is a huge plus in my book.

I went to another bookstore first and it was ok if you're looking for new releases but I love to find old, out of print books. This was the place for me. You could get lost in this book paradise. A must see for any book lover. read more