What a cool bookstore! They had a great selection, prices were fair and the owner was very nice and…read morehelpful. It's a bit hard to get to, GPS doesn't take you to the correct building but if you follow the road all the way down to the dead end, you'll find it!

A great used bookstore and you can find some amazing books here. I often come here to buy science…read moreand philosophy books.

Beware. You could spend a lot of time in here getting lost amongst shelf after shelf of used books…read more The staff greets you warmly from "the back" and allows you to browse. They have a great selection of books. Titles are well organized and in good condition. Madison is a cute town. Street parking is plentiful enough and free. There are several public lots behind the store fronts as well. It's worth a stop when in the area.

LOVED this bookstore, so many cool gems and the shop owner is friendly but not too pushy. I…read moreespecially liked the historical documents section, they have items from the 1800s which was so cool to see.

Finally decided to stop here after driving by the sign for "Books" for literally years. The store…read moredoesn't appear to be very large from the outside, but, you may find yourself slightly overwhelmed once you walk in. The books are practically floor to ceiling in some areas with many of the shelves being two stacks deep. Books are organized by genre and first letter of author's last name. Genres range from Mystery and Romance to Classics and End Table books. There is also a room full of children's books and a decent selection for young adults. I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere of the store. It is relaxed and fairly quiet. No one comes up to ask what you're looking for (although you can ask for specific titles/authors if you need) or eyes you while you're digging through the stacks trying to find exactly what you want. There are several step stools around to help you reach the highest shelves and be sure to grab a shopping basket at the entrance, as you'll likely need one. Remember, all of these books are used and come in varying conditions. All of the books that I purchased were in good to excellent condition. For the price of $3 per book, you can't beat it. He even accepts trade-ins, which then brings the price down to $2 per book, if I understood correctly. He accepts cash and credit. I have no complaints at all and will definitely be going back to gauge how often the stock changes. Thankful to have a used bookstore nearby. What I spent today on 12 books wouldn't have even gotten me 3 at Barnes & Noble.

Everything Had lots of great stuff. I will always recommend…read morestation 1 to everyone I know they are very friendly too...

I love this place. It may be small, but it is expertly curated. I stop by weekly to see what jazz…read morevinyl has come in and there's always something new. Joe, the owner is great to talk to and is always helpful. His grading on the vinyl is always spot on and the pricing is always fair.

"You don't go here to find a book.  Here a book finds you."…read more(I totally cribbed that from another Yelper's review of a different bookstore - in another state - so I'm allowed!) Can I share a story with you?  During the Dark Ages (pre-internet, no Yelp or smartphones) learning about something a bit off-the-beaten-path, let alone being able to source it, was an arduous task. I was an English Lit major and one of my professors loved to talk about even more books than the ones already assigned to his class and he always mentioned 'The Three Christs of Ypsilanti' that he read himself when he was in college.  It sounded more interesting than what we were reading in class (sorry, but there's only so many times you can endure 'Oedipus Rex') and I went hunting for 'Three Christs' but never had any luck.  Most workers at other shops gave the quizzical "What'cha talkin 'bout Willis?!" look and I'd leave empty-handed (or with a completely different book... just because).  Then I found myself here.  And while casually strolling through the store and eyeing up all the titles... I found a used copy!  (Can I tell you one other thing?  The book was a bit dry and dated and part of me wished it stayed like the Holy Grail - that it might keep me searching through different bookstores but never actually finding it.) And it's been more than a few years (okay, decades!) since I scored 'Three Christs' and now I'm here once again - this time doing my part to properly celebrate and support "Independent Bookstore Day" - and man oh man... you could lose an entire day here just drifting from rack to rack, aisle to aisle, floor to floor. Whatever you fancy - they have a section for it. Pricing is a-okay. The quality of the 'newer' used books is most excellent.  (The older, more rare and worn copies are out of reach or behind glass cases.) Behind the counter is the coolest and friendliest gal. From music to books to merch to a "gumball machine" that has poems (of course, right?) - the world is a better place with mom and pop (book)stores like this in it. "Since 1984" - and hoping they'll be going strong for another 40-plus years... (PS: if you stumble upon the movie version of 'Three Christs' - skip that as well.  They tried to make it a comedy and it's awful.)

Some spaces just scream "For Book Lovers" and this charming bookstore is one of them. From the…read moresidewalk shelves of $1 books to the stairs painted as recognizable book spines, this forty-year old store is a haven for story lovers. Some bookstores are big and cluttered, leaving visitors to fend for themselves if they're looking for something specific. Not here. Within the cavernous space, there's a clear sense of organization - by genre and neat alphabetization by author's name. The selection is vast; from literary artwork, coffee table books, local geography, and manga, there's truly something for everyone. I especially loved the well-stocked children's section in the back, where I was endeared by the sight of a young bookworm sitting with her head in a book for a while without any one bothering her. That, more than anything else, is why I love local bookshops - they're homespun spaces where people can curate their love for books. Speaking of homespun, this bookstore isn't fancy. The shelves look like they're made of unvarnished plywood that have been hammered together, and most of the store signs have been made with little more than marker and posterboard. Don't let that fool you - the workers here know their stuff. I overheard enough conversations to know they can talk books with anyone who walks in and can help you locate most anything in the store. If you're in the area and need a space to just breathe in the smell of books old and new, please do yourself a favor and stop in.

Always love stopping in and trading in books at the end of my semester for store credit. I usually…read moreturn that right around and get new novels for the next semester. Owner is sooo friendly and very intelligent! She is always helpful when asked and happy to talk about literature or family. Books are priced fair, and it's always worth turning in some books for store credit, their system is perfect for a revolving door of patronage. Always a lovely time here!

I have shopped in many used bookstores in the Philadelphia/New Jersey/Delaware Valley area, and…read morethis was the worst customer service I have experienced! The woman working there was not very friendly, and when I first "found" her (she was not visible, and I said, "Hello, is anybody here?", to which she did not reply), she acted as if I was bothering her. She asked me what genres I was interested in, went and pointed out where a few were, and then left me. She was then talking to a regular customer, and seemed more interested in "gabbing" with him. There was no explanation from her of their pricing scheme, and since she was chatting with that customer, I felt like I should ask another customer, who was nice enough to explain it. I guess that I was spoiled by Labyrinth Books the day before when I was in Princeton, which gave me excellent customer service from every employee there that I came in contact with - probably the best I've ever had! I plan to return to the area, but I will never come back here.

Great gem of a bookstore with the most helpful and engaged staff! Their selection of books and…read moregifts are top notch from a large used section, impressive new book features, classics, manga, sci-fi and a great romance section too plus the owner is a history PHD so her history section of the store is well done also. They also offer free coffee, tea and snacks which is quite a nice treat. Big plus is also the easy off street parking with a flat in handicap accessible entrance and bathroom. Highly recommend!

My top-tier chum from the Kingdom of Sussex and I came here for Stop #2 of the 2nd Annual NJ…read moreBookstore Crawl (a 5-star extravaganza in and of itself) last Saturday morning. We hit up all three Sussex bookstores, and this was my chum's very clear favorite of the batch. I was a big fan too, even if ultimately it wasn't geared toward my literary demo. Our carefully planned itinerary suffered some issues with this one because Black Dog apparently moved fairly recently to more spacious accommodations further up 15. My chum frowned in confusion in a parking lot in the downtown Lafayette area for a few minutes before we got our bearings and retraced our steps north. I think that's on our Crawl Itinerary Expert but without context/knowledge of the move (which must have been at least KIND OF subtle since she lives within a few minutes of here and had no idea) an easy mistake to matter. No matter. Very easy to find once we had, you know, the actual address. And for the record, my chum said this was a HUGE upgrade over the prior location. All's well that ends well. I was REALLY hoping that someone took the name Black Dog Books literally, so it was an absolute delight to encounter a dark-tinted, wizened canine on the premises almost as soon as we walked in. Anya the chiweenie was a real trooper and an excellent addition to the festivities. I will say she's clearly an older pooch and didn't seem enormously thrilled by some of the younger human pups frantically taking selfies and whatnot (in my mild defense, I professionally took one tasteful photo and then gave her some space), but she handled it like a champ. I will say this for the record - every indie bookstore should have an accompanying canine chum. Apparently the Lambertville bookstore had a bloodhound, which is next level (massive FOMO but is what it is). But this was a good one. Thank you for your service, Anya. Unlike its literary counterpart in Branchville, Black Dog has much better lighting and much more space. It's no knock on them, but I just like the mild claustrophobia and overall personality that comes from having to get creative with the space you have and the massive amount of books to display. All due respect, this didn't feel as unique to me. I will say that out of the three bookstores we went to up here, Black Dog was the most enthusiastic about the Crawl, which is probably a huge reason my chum had the best experience here. They were giving away raffle prizes, naughtily had free wine(!) available before 11am and someone offering free fairy hair. I took her up on that generous offer but then belatedly realized it meant I had to stay still for more than five minutes. I just wasn't made to be an adult. My other slight issue with this bookstore (and again, this is me and I'm sure plenty of people have zero problem with it) is it just doesn't have the inventory that other places do - they leaned into presentation and more chairs and non-book products. And that's not necessarily a bad thing at all, but for me, it meant there was less overall space and options for the books I might potentially purchase. Also like a lot of bookstores in this day and age, a little too much chick lit for me; just not my thing. Very familiar with being a chick already; hashtag 1984 birth. The proprietors were VERY nice and accommodating. I didn't notice, but my chum said one of the employees was walking around giving customers recommendations based on their interests, which is a nice touch if welcome/slightly solicited. You felt good vibes throughout the store, which is important and should be a pre-requisite for any small business. (Truly love the Crawl for bringing stuff like this to my attention). Shameless judging books by their cover, I ended up purchasing Anthony Doerr's 2021 novel Cloud Cuckoo Land. Haven't gotten a chance to read it yet, but I selected this one because the design on the front was intriguing and it had stickers denoting it as a NY Times Notable Book and a National Book Award Finalist. We'll see if I agree with the powers that be. Pleasantly surprised at the abundant literary options up here in the Kingdom, and a solid stop on our adventures.

I had a fantastic experience when I visited this store on a Saturday. The two people working there…read morewere incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. The prices are very reasonable, and the selection is surprisingly extensive for a small secondhand bookstore. I highly recommend stopping by the Book Cellar in Woodbury, CT--you never know what treasures you'll find!

A very small bookshop in rural Woodbury, CT. Couldn't pass by w/o taking a look, but the Sci-Fi…read moreFantasy section was so minuscule, it only took a minute to see that there was nothing there that interested me. Honestly, I've found selections of used books in church basements. That's my report, "Hidden Gem" it is not.