Date: 7/20/2025 Time: 3:20 PM 63° Cloudy…read more After Fentons, my sister and I decided to browse in Black Swan Books. This store reminds of Holmes Bookstore that used to be on 14th Street near the downtown Oakland area and Wilmot's Books at 478 Central Avenue in Alameda. Both these stores have been closed for several years. Black Swan Books reminds me of a nostalgic time of the 60's - a library of used books, antiques, record albums, 45's, collectibles, etc. Based on my observation, the owners were helpful with other customers. I wouldn't mind returning to look through their collection of record albums and 45's. Another thing I want to ask is whether or not they accept donation of cookbooks. Return visit? Yes.

A very good, very local bookstore located on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland!!!…read more Along with books, there are all kinds of collectibles in here, so although this store is small, you should spend some time really looking around in here, there's no telling what you might find! There was also a pretty good selection of vinyl records in here!! They greet you coming and going in this store, very friendly!!

Dan has the best prices and and a superb selection of books ,postcards , pamplets and CDs along…read morewith thousands of books including fiction ,history and science . His selection of books on ships , trains and WW2 can not be beat.The best place in the Bay Area to find valuable gems . There is something for everyone at Dan's on 15th St ( plenty of parking) in the middle of Oakland's Cultural District

The best selection of books on war and the military in Oakland. Covers many wars historical and…read morecurrent, many countries armed forces. Both old and new editions. Great place to browse.

Let us set the stage…read more It's 1986. You head to the local bookstore with a mission: find a gift for a friend. Your friend is a mystery buff, and you are a Town-loving nerd, so you want to pick up something that combines these two criteria. But you don't know a book like that personally. Nevertheless, you are unfazed because you have faith in the fearless bookstore staff. You know they'll help you. The cheerful Tally Ho! front window, studded with irresistible and thematic front covers, catches your eye from across the street. It's quarter to closing time o'clock and the place is packed. You are by nature distractible when it comes to beautiful units of reading material. And boy howdy, do they ever have the most beautiful and attractive books. How do they fit so many books within these walls? Will you remember your quest, or will you get sidetracked by the Richard Scarry bags and the Edward Gorey books? Not to worry; the friendly co-owner recognizes the book-trance on your face, and immediately collects the information. They are methodical and efficient and hella smart, and within two minutes, they are showing you the exact spot on the shelf wherein lies the perfect cozy local mystery novel. There is a line at the till, so you get the opportunity to take in the very wide selection of books in the center display. It would be impossible to leave without this graphic novel, right? Oh, this magical realism book was so important to the community, you get that one, too. You do manage to exercise discernment and restraint within the gently used book section, but the smug feeling dissipates when you notice the fistfuls of funny cards you've pulled from the rack. You hear the co-owner tell another customer not to stress about it being closing time o'clock. It feels great to pay for a small stack of books and greeting cards, you think to yourself, as you reemerge onto the sidewalk. But then you remember it's actually 2026. The oasis you just exited is even more rare and precious today. You hear your spouse say, you know, they only just realized that Richard Scarry and Edward Gorey are actually two different people. Your hand finds theirs. You realize that you haven't exhaled that fully or laughed that hard in weeks.

If I could give it zero stars I would and that's just based on customer service. I work at the…read morehospital down the street come in often to check out books. NO ONE EVER GREETS YOU OR EVEN GIVES A SMILE. first impression terrible and I rather give my money to other local places than to people who think they're too good to at least offer a smile to people walking in. This is the person I got today who didn't even bother to turn her head towards customers, you all have got some Serious training to do and if they don't like to greet you're in the wrong job.

Every time I try to convince myself that I'm on a book-buying ban, I get pulled right into Womb…read moreHouse whenever I'm in the area. You'll feel like you stepped into a turn of the 20th century time-capsule the moment you walk into the store. It's really warm and inviting. As the name would suggest, you'll find curated selections of mostly female authors. Although I did score some vintage copies of Freud and Lacan. The owner is really nice and personable and knows her stuff so she'd be able to give you good recommendations. Shout out to Jessica!

This is such a magical space. I was taking a stroll during my lunch break and happened to walk in…read more It smelled divine, the staff member was so kind, and the energy of the shop felt like a warm hug. I could have spent hours looking through their amazing book selection and enjoying the ambiance. I'm so happy they're in Oakland.

Me and my Mrs. Have been increasing our reading time lately. Stumbled on this place, we were…read morelooking for book in picture. We found it!!!! They also have a huge variety of titles. Cool service and value as well. This is my kind of data centers lol. Definitely recommend

​I stumbled upon this book store before dinner recently. It was during the holiday season, so…read morethere were a few customers browsing the stacks with only one staff (the owner?) working that afternoon. Pros: * For such a small shop, there were a ton of books of all genres. While I could have spent a good hour looking through all the inventory, I found and purchased 1 children's book and 1 sports book in the 20 minutes I was in the store. There were plenty of newer best sellers as well as a good selection of independent and local authored books. * The selection of children's and young adult books was also impressive, filling the back 3rd of the store. Cons * The store is quite cramp, with the aisles very narrow. Scooting by other customers was at times tricky (think human Tetris). * There were books everywhere, many shelves (especially in the children's area) double stacked. Perhaps is was because of the holiday season, there were also many boxes on the floor, opened with unshelved books. Not sure if this is like this during the year. If you like treasure hunts when visiting book stores, this place is for you. But if you prefer a cleaner, more organized experience in your book shopping, you'll probably want to go somewhere else.

Great bookstore for ordering what you need, or seeing great titles and ideas when you stop by. But…read morecheck ahead for hours...walk-in is just 2 or 3 times a week.

Since my only foreign language is French, I can really only vouch for their French materials. This…read moreis the best source of every level of French reference, teaching, learning and reading materials I've found in the Bay Area. While regular book stores may have more items, here you're sure the item is of the highest quality and the staff is so knowledgeable and helpful you'll be sure to get the best of the best that's out there. They also have classic and contemporary French language fiction, non-fiction, magazines and children's books, which are almost impossible to find in regular book stores.

Stopped by this weekend! I picked out some great $1 DVDs for our almost 2 and 9 year old to watch…read morein our minivan on roadtrips! Our youngest had a blast playing with the toys at their kids table! This non-profit low-cost bookstore donates all of its proceeds to Berkeley Public Library programs! They sell a large variety of used books, CDs and DVDs! Would definitely return, great service! SYOY! :-)

I love this place so much. I love getting to find good books at a really good price. The value is…read morejust so good. Not only that but I also found some great DVDs here too! Things here come from the library or are things that the library doesn't take in. Which is great because bargain seekers like me can take advantage. The people that work there are so helpful. My experience with them has always been lovely. 5/5

wonderful sales people, they have an unmatched selection of Books on on revolution, art,…read moreliterature, fiction, women, history, science, LGBTQ, which go up against the status quo censorship, and MAGA world view.

I stopped in here today on a whim. The employee repeatedly brought up fascism and claimed we are…read moreliving under a dictatorship, insisting that I take flyers about the current political climate. The irony is that a bookstore like this--framing itself as "revolutionary" and openly promoting ideas about dictatorship, fascism, LGBTQ issues, and modern-day slavery--would not exist under an actual fascist regime. In such systems, only books that praise or reinforce the ruling ideology are permitted. That contradiction made the messaging feel more like extreme leftist propaganda than serious critique, to the point of being almost comical. I still purchased a gift for a friend, but the anti-Trump rhetoric was truly over the top. I'm just a normie trying to buy a book.