i think that the best thing about this place is that it is actually organized. most used books stores seem to only manage to organize by the genre of book but never seem to have to sections organized by author-- this would be fine in a smaller genre like poetry but it is a disaster if you are trying to find a fiction book. bookhaven actually has their books organized by author and that makes browsing in here, a true joy! read more

Ah wondrous Bookhaven with your impressive, comprehensive selection of philosophy books that made a young philosophy major's heart beat just a little bit faster. I can't walk out of this place without dropping a wad of cash. Don't worry, that's not because they are over priced, rather there is so much there that I want for my very own. I found books I never anticipated finding on shelves but had reconciled myself to searching for through online booksellers. There's nothing like smelling the pages when you are buying books. Also, it's right by Eastern State Penitentiary which is definitely worth a visit. read more

I really love this bookstore. They just have a huge selection to comb through but I think that's the best part. I can spend hours here, and I did, just to find all sorts books and it's exciting! read more

Awesome quaint used bookstore right on Fairmont. It's very deceiving as there's an entire second floor filled with awesome reads. Definitely worth a visit! Make sure to keep an eye out for the cats! read more

What a great little bookstore! I was Driving a friend to a job interview and as I had some time kill I decided to walk around a little. And noticed this little book store. When I go to a used book store I go looking for the used Cookbooks right away. I love vintage cookbooks. And didn't have to go very far from the front door they where right there. Witch was nice to see since mot other used book stores hide them. A nd they had a fanatic selection of books. The gentleman working the counter was nice and not pushy at all, I barely got a hello. And Im okay with that, sometime when a store is empty salespeople can get pushy. But when asked a question he answered warmly, and with knowledge. I found some great books at great prices. I'll be going back. read more

Great used book store. I bought two books first time I visited this place and chatted with the owner. Will continue coming back.

I love this bookstore. It's so nice to get lost in the jungle of books. There are two cute cats following you around in the bookstore. Just take a day off and immerse yourself in the books! read more

A very good selection, mitigated by prices a tad high for used books. Quite well organised too, when compared to the all too common used bookstore chaos. But $15-17 for a h/c that was $24-25 new? That seems too high. read more

Awesome used book store. They have been around for awhile and it seems they have an endless supply of popular titles so you usually find what you're looking for. The selection is diverse, prices are good, and the staff is nice. read more

Whenever I enter a used bookstore, I start with fiction/literature, and search for some of my favorite authors' names at the beginning of the alphabet: Abish, Acker, Beckett, Borges, Bowles, Brautigan, ... A decent bookstore might have a few titles under these names, usually books I already have. By the time I got to Calvino, Bookhaven was batting 1.000 and my arms were full. I skipped from there to Tolstoy, then to math and architecture, along the way getting the distinct feeling that I was somehow shopping from my own book collection sent here from the future. Yes, the prices were slightly high, but I'll pay a premium for this kind of selection. The fact that the section on witchcraft clearly doubled as a favorite urination spot for the cat only added to the charm. read more

I have been shopping Book Haven for many a year, and keep coming back, even after moving some distance away. I have seen it grow from one story hole in the wall, to two stories, from relatively few books to a terrific assortment. As with many used book stores, especially those of the super-cramped variety, what it has going for it the most is serendipity. One can't expect to shop there for something in particular and be successful. But the finds! They are reasonably priced, very efficient, and very friendly. They have some relatively recent stuff, of course, but used bookstores are best for older books, as in decades old. If you are the sort of person who thinks that the only things worth reading were published this year, or that if something was worth reading it would still be in print, then get yourself over to one of the megastores that are killing the book-selling industry. The selection at Book Haven goes back an awful lot further than the Times Best Seller List. The Lit section is what you first encounter and it's most excellent, but see if you can't push into the back rooms on the first floor for History, Lit Crit, and a really neat section on light science. Most especially, get yourself up to the second floor and prepare to be amazed at more history, a surprisingly interesting philosophy and religion section, a large wall of older psych and social science books etc. Oh, and they prefer cash. It's the economics of the second hand book business. The credit card companies take a percentage of each transaction which may not mean a lot for a big chain but really eats into the profit margin of this sort of place. They will deal with plastic, and they have never complained about it, but it's me who is asking. Let's help keep these sorts of places in business or else the only places we will have have for used books are the online swaps. Those are fine, of course, but try holding those books in your hands and browsing them on a Saturday afternoon. Some reviewers have complained that they don't just take their cartoons of old books and give them money for them. Come on; it's a business for heaven's sake, not a charity or your personal trash dumping service. Whenever I have carefully selected books for them - books that one could imagine someone else wanting - they have always been willing to buy them. The price is not a lot, but heck, it's a business, which has to re-sell for more than they bought. Someone who sells to this place - as indeed someone who sells to just about any used bookstore - should be thinking of what they are doing to keep books in circulation, and not imagine that they can turn their old books into a bundle of cash. If you want to sell your old textbooks, take them to a college bookstore on buy-back day. And good luck with that. I love this place, and just writing this review has gotten me nostalgic, so I am going to stop, jump in my car, and go downtown for my dose of serendipity. read more

This shop is one of the best in the city. Such a great collection of books, and nice prices to boot. I only hope that the ones I left behind are there the next time I wander in. read more

One of the best used bookstores I've ever seen. The front of the store doesn't really show how many books are inside. The collection is well curated. Books are in excellent condition and the titles are well chosen. read more

So happy I found this bookstore. I miss places like this! Brings back nostalgic feelings. I can literally stay here forever looking for new reads. Also, it's very affordable. Today, I got 3 books for $20. Can't beat that. Definitely check this place out if you're in the area. read more

Four years ago, on a whim, I moved to Fairmount. I had no idea at that time that I was moving into the neighborhood of one of the absolute best used book stores in the city. I used to read a good deal of modern and post-modern fiction -- and it seemed like no matter the obscurity of the author or the title, Bookhaven always had what I was looking for. Ditto for science, and for philosophy, and eastern and contemplative philosophy, and for essays and poetry (egad! So much poetry!). I have seen other reviewers comment on the price -- that Amazon would sell you books perhaps cheaper. But Bookhaven is an experience. What bookworm isn't in love with the musty smell of old books? And doesn't love pulling some book printed long before they were born from the shelves and flipping through its yellowing pages? Go once and you'll go a dozen times more. I have been to every used book store in the city -- trust me, Bookhaven is the best there is. read more

Truly a place for book lovers run by book lovers! Also, I was joyfully surprised to see books in such a good state at very low prices. A must-stop store for anyone passing by Philly. read more

This must be the best Philosophy section in the the city.... Ancient and medieval history as well. Love this place.

I love to come here when I have lots of time to browse. If you want it, they probably have it, but it may require some looking since this place has so many books! The place looks pretty small from the outside, but there are a few floors of books--you can get overwhelmed if you're pressed for time. So this is a nice outing for an afternoon when you don't have much else you need to do. There aren't enough bookstores like this one any more. It smells like books, not like coffee or other stuff so many bookstores smell like these days (and I like those bookstores, too. But still . . .). It's a great place to come and look, and look, and examine tables of contents and indices, and sit on the floor to make sure you see what's on the low shelves---it's really a paradise for book lovers. read more

Oh my god this place is a treasure they have everything you want and more! There are two stories and the collection is very deep, especially in literature and history. There are even music sheets! I appreciated the fact that there were both Harry Potter books and like 5 different translations of German novels. This place is really an anchor for the neighborhood, please visit it to keep it open! Some other bookstores still mentioned on Yelp nearby have closed. read more

Great little used book store in the Fairmount area of philadelphia. Pretty much what you see is what you get, typical for these little establishments. Pleasant staff, and books, yes books. Worth checking out if you're in the neighborhood. read more

I love used bookstores and Bookhaven is my favorite one in town! It's cozy, very well organized (even though it's cluttered), reasonably priced, the owners seem to know every book that's on the wall and have read them too, and if they don't have the book you're looking for you'll see 10 others that you want before you leave. If you're in the area you should definitely stop in! read more

Fantastic selection, it's much bigger than it looks from the outside. It's a great place to go if you're looking for something specific, but the price is a bit of a turn off - most books are simply half of the cover price, which isn't much less than you can find things in new condition online. Still a great store and a great place to kill some time on a quiet afternoon. read more

A classic bookstore with a large, well organized collection. Also, the cats are adorable. If you love books, you'll love Bookhaven!

Fantastic selection, very well organized, decent prices, and the best part: TWO CATS!!!! I stopped in on a whim and ended up there for hours, then left with some really good finds! read more

+ Great selection and even more importantly there is genuine rotation of stock and an influx of new titles. I tend to find new things here each time which is essential to bookstores in this day and age. + Friendly owners. + Classical b.g.m. - Prices are generally three to five dollars too high; used bookstores must charge a bit higher to stay alive in the age of amazon but these guys stretch it a bit much... - The owners cross out in pen the original prices from their covers which irks me to no end. Why are they defacing their books? How many customers really try to buy books off the prices from twenty or thirty years ago? Foolish. -/+ Cats. If you've got allergies you're out of luck. read more

Tons of good selection, private reading couches on the second floor. The main drawback is that the books are quite expensive for used ones. I picked up a used The Iliad for $7.54 for reference. read more

I love this place, first of all you can find almost every kind of book and second..you can just stop and enjoy them... this is real heaven for me read more

Bookhaven is an outstanding shop, esp. for a used bookstore, because of the turnover in its stock. Whenever I go, I see books I am interested in and books I haven't seen there before, and the selection tends to be much more current than most used bookstores. The owners also know their stock well. If I call and ask for a book, they know if they have it or not, and if I want it, they are able to put it aside for me to pick up within a few days. I don't live in the Fairmount section, but it also happens to be a nice neighborhood to visit (with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and other shops nearby and a farmers' market on part of the year on Thursdays. I've been browsing & shopping at Bookhaven for years. Joe F. read more

Another treasure of Philadelphia, Bookhaven is at 22nd and Fairmount. Well organized and well curated, full of quality used books. The prices are reasonable, and the selection is significant. A must-visit for any book lover. A photo essay of the bookstore is here: http://regardingphilly.tumblr.com/post/57744096076/another-treasure-of-philadelphia-bookhaven-is-at read more

Books, books everywhere! I went here with a friend after visiting ESP across the street and we ended up staying until it closed. There's just so much to look at! Just when we thought we were ready to leave, we discovered there was a second floor. We were in love with the fiction section and we went absolutely wild when we saw the Asian history selection upstairs. And the cat! Every bookstore should have a cat that sweet and demanding! We would have stayed later, but, alas, the bookstore was closing so we paid for our newfound treasures and departed. read more

Bookhaven is absolutely my favorite bookstore. And I've been to a lot of bookstores. Reasonable prices and a fantastic selection. It has that perfect used-bookstore atmosphere that makes you feel surrounded by books and not smothered by them. And its crowning glory is Holly, a very friendly, very large, very fuzzy cat who lives in the store. She's a sweetheart, and even if I just go by to visit her I somehow walk out with purchases... read more

From the always surprising and reliable selection, to the unshelved books stacked on the floor, to the free range cat rubbing against your leg, Bookhaven is the perfect used bookstore experience. As a graduate student, I've saved a disturbingly large percentage of my measly stipend shopping for coursebooks at Bookhaven every Fall and Spring. Moreover, because of its wonderful selection of hard-to-find academic titles, Bookhaven has become a more reliable source for scholarly material than my own university's dismal, under-stocked library. read more

my girlfriend really likes books and bookstores and she likes tuesdays and streets too and she walked down the street from work one day and bought me a big, great used edition of great expectationsssssssss and she wrote me kind words on the inside cover. this was a tuesday. we came here one day together and looked at so many books together - a truly great day we were running and then stopped for a look at books - and i found so many norton critical editions which are the best, most comprehensive booksssssssss evvverrrrr on the market for smart people like me and my girlfriend!!!! read more

How lucky are we to have this store in Philadfelphia? (And, fo rus Fairmounters, right here on Fairmount Ave?). So lucky. I double up on everything said below about cat, selection, vibe, etc. I've never been disappointed, whether I was looking for Obama's Dreams from my father for my daughter's school reading list or a new cookbook to try. Perfect perfect perfect hope it never goes away. read more