One of the best book shops in Seattle for used and out of print books. I've been coming here for over 20 years. The smell of this bookshops brings me back to when my uncle, the late David Ishii had his shop in Pioneer Square. Whenever i visit Magus, certain book covers and genres bring me back to a time and place of nostalgia. I also geek out on the weight of a book, the binding, and cultural significance. For example, I love Italian and French books and the Feltrinelli publishers. Magus also has a good selection of Dog Man for my kids at a good value. read more

I've had nothing but wonderful service with Magus Books. High-quality people and a beautiful bookstore to match. Excited to keep coming back to the shop store again and again, one of my favorite spots in the city! read more

Great used bookstore! I always find something interesting here! I love how they have the carts outside so you can look at book sales easily! read more

Magus Books - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Great place to buy books for a good value! They also buy used books. Service is great. Store is organized and quaint. The building on top of the store is colorful read more

Magus Books - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Horrible customer service. The two dude working tnight suck the life outta the place. No greeting, no acknowledgement nothing

This used bookstore is an absolute gem! This is where you go to find rare and out of print books including rare out of print manga from decades ago which they sell at a reasonable price (not price gouging like HPB). They also give a much better deal than Third Place Books and HPB for book selling and understand the manga scene much better. Service is fairly quick for book selling too. I always wander in not expecting to find anything but finding myself compelled by the selection. The staff are knowledgeable, and the selection/offerings are very diverse. I like all the international books. The diversity of the store's selection sets it apart from other bookstores in the area. read more

Magus Books is located in Seattle's University District, at NE 42nd between University Way (The Ave) and 15th NE. Classic indie bookstore since 1978! I have stopped in off and on since my university years, but my last visit was back in 1999-2000 while in pastry school. Yes, that's like in dinosaur years, lol. I love indie cafés, record shops, and especially bookstores, bonus though if it has that classic indie bookstore scent. I learned of a particular book resource while at a class yesterday on Vashon Island. Did a Google search and found it listed at Magus Books! Traffic was merciful, found nearby free parking on this hot Sunday late morning (7/31/22). This culinary bookhound made a beeline to the cookbook section asap. The anticipation of the treasure hunt peering at the vast shelves and rows. Found it! Did that inner happy dance! Ended up finding additional titles. Just like Costco, can't just buy one item, am I right? But had to exercise restraint since likewise I didn't win that recent 1.3 billion dollar lottery drawing either, lol. Pleasant counter person rang up my purchases and mentioned their book buyers deal. Accrue $100 subtotal in purchases, receive a $5 voucher. Sounds good, just have to make sure to not wait another two decades for a return visit. read more

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The Magus is, as far as I know, the best used book store in the Pugwt Sound. Located next to the University of Washington, Magus has access to books for the specialist and generalist. It's also an excellent place to sell books. Though quite selective, they offered the best prices around. read more

I'm generally more of a new books kinda gal, but Magus Books was an instant favorite for me. I stopped in with a couple of friends on a late Saturday morning. We found some metered street parking right across the street. There were quite a few people around, but it wasn't crazy busy. The building itself is beautiful, a nice red brick with ivy growing up the sides and a classic green awning. It sets the scene. They have a great selection here. Immediately upon walking in I was arrested by a shorter shelf at the till with some staff recommendations and a whole bunch of New York Review of Books Classics. They also have a bunch of merchandise from stickers to mugs to tote bags and t-shirts. It's big but not cavernous, though they were doing some building work in the back. I don't know if that was for expansion or just building shelves. Anyway, they have lots of shelves, stacked high, and clearly labelled by interest. I mostly looked through the biography, essays, and fiction. I didn't see anything particularly old or musty looking, for the most part the books were great to like new condition and priced at about half of new sticker price. I picked up a couple of novels for $8 each. The booksellers were really friendly and happy to make a recommendation. As we checked out they told us about the second location they're opening called the Magus Annex, which opens in mid-October. They do buy used books, but not all the time. It looks like they're pretty active on Instagram and Twitter and they take appointments for book buying. Really great second hand bookshop. I'll be back! read more

I have a lot of books and was moving recently, so I figured I would sell some if possible. Magus is a good spot for that. They have set days and times where they take in books. (Friday, Saturday, and maybe one other day? Til about 4pm.) I called ahead (no appointment needed unless you have more than 3 boxes of books.), and it seemed like a good time but by the time I showed up, I guess a few others came around the same time (which was fine), but the staff seemed a little frazzled with the amount that had just come in. It didn't take long, maybe about 30 minutes, but I had already left. I returned a little later the same day and they had taken maybe about 10-15 books out of my big box, got $25 cash (or you could take it as double store credit.) so can't complain. Not the most friendly place, but all things considered, I would come back to sell books. It's a beautiful shop by the way! read more

I've visited Magus since undergrad and their selection is unmatched. I always find great copies of books for myself and for others. During the shut down they had mailed me a few titles that my then newborn and I still enjoy. Recently revisited, while the UW students were on break, and found more excellent kid titles for both my kid and a friend's baby shower. Throughout the years, I have always been impressed by their selection and quality of used titles. They don't buy books everyday. If you're interested in selling back I recommend calling to check when they are buying books. read more

Picked up some used books here and enjoyed browsing the book stalls. It is right in the heart and near UW campus.

Absolute WORST EXPERIENCE selling books here! It was so awful, they tried to rob me by stealing one of my textbooks and claiming I only brought 12 books instead of 13, and I came back to get them in a hurry and they ended up switching my BRAND NEW History of the Modern Middle East book with an old, used book. They picked out five books they wanted to buy (all brand new in excellent condition) and offered $15, when I didn't like the offer, they crumpled up my paperback covers and were so careless and disrespectful with them. My suggestion is to never sell them any books because they don't respect people or property. read more

Magus Books - They replaced my brand new textbook with an old stained book - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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An Amazing collection of used books including children's books. I have also sold books here. They are very picky! But the price is fair and you have a choice of receiving cash or store credit at 1.5 times the cash value. read more

Great selection and pricing! Helpful feedback would be to update your book category signage to have easier to read font.

Oh my gosh, this is one of my favorite bookstores! I absolutely love Magus Books, as there's always something for me to take home EVERY TIME I've walked inside. It's as if the store just knew the kind of books I love. Located on the Ave, the bookstore is easy to find, and is very close to campus. I didn't even know about one of Seattle's oldest bookstores until I spotted the used books for sale on the sidewalk, and was immediately drawn in right there and then. Magus Books sells and buys used books. You can find a lot of too-good-to-be-true deals here on books, which is my utopia. The collection here is impressive. They will not only have a classic book that you may be looking for, but it may be in different formats, including signed editions. Whatever your price range may be, Magus Books is fairly priced for unique and rare finds. The store isn't large, but the quality of the books they have here will have you wandering around the store for awhile. If you can't find me, then there's a very good possibility that I'm lost at Magus Books. It's unbelievable of the kinds of books I've found here, to add to my own personal library at home. There's no other bookstore that has carried some of my favorite writers at a price that is shockingly at a bargain. Love this place. read more

Magus Books - Aisle of Used Books - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Accidentally stumbled upon this bookstore while walking through U District, and I'm so glad! Although the space is small, there is such a wide variety of books to choose from! The walls are filled with books from top to bottom. This is a used bookstore, so the books are at a relatively good price. They even have cute cart out front for all the books that are on sale. read more

Magus Books - Inside - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

It's not very often that I take a place that's not particularly wheelchair friendly and say "That's a 5-star joint!" but such is the case with Seattle's indie bookstore Magus Books. I wheeled by Magus Books a couple of times during my recent visit to Seattle for my goddaughter's wedding. I stayed right next to the University District and spent a good majority of my non-wedding related time in a neighborhood area known as "The Avenue." The Avenue is a several block long row of businesses, restaurants, and vendors in a historic district that balances an intensely urban feeling with historic and academic vibes since it's also next to the campus of University of Washington. Magus Books is actually right off the main drag on a small side street. It draws you in, though a rather steep ramp at the entry (definitely not ADA) initially kept me away. However, about the third time I wheeled by I stopped and was really checking out the window when an employee came outside and asked me if I wanted to come in and browse. Well, gee whiz. There's nothing like an invitation. He held the door open and this allowed me to get the adrenaline and right angle to get up the ramp. Once inside? I fell in love. Magus Books is a book lover's dream. It features rows and rows of used books at fair prices. They buy books. They sell books. They have special events. They seem to have a relationship with America's librarian Nancy Pearl - Pearl's recommendations are front-and-center in the bookstore. It's a cramped, busy bookstore and it's the kind of place where you linger and absorb and immerse yourself in the Magus world. Is it completely accessible? Oh my, definitely not. Truthfully, the most iconic bookstores really aren't because there are books laying about and narrow aisles of bookshelves where you have to depend upon the kindness of strangers to squeeze through. Fortunately, these strangers were quite kind. Given I was traveling fairly light and had only one suitcase, I really didn't want to buy a book. However, this is the kind of bookstore I love to support and I ended up buying a book for the flight back. The people here were super friendly and helpful. The customers were a quirky delight. The bookstore looked and felt like a bookstore should look and feel. They've been around for 40 years and you can also shop online. They are well organized and despite having a setting that looks like chaos it is, in fact, well organized and thoughtful chaos and they have their selections electronically recorded. This was definitely one of the little indie gems during my trip to Seattle and I was thrilled to discover it. The selection is amazing, the people are awesome, the atmosphere is everything you want in a bookstore, and Magus Books was my favorite hidden gem during my Seattle trip. read more

Rare and new books of all kinds. Only a university neighborhood could maintain this quaint business; a book lovers dream.

What a cool place! Staff was SO helpful with helping my teen locate some books she was wanting. Tons of books. It's a tight space due to the amount of shelves and books, but this wasn't a problem for us since they had so many books to choose from. Good prices, too. We will be back! read more

Fascinating bookstore with that cramped atmosphere that makes for fun browsing but it's clean / not too dusty. They also will buy or trade books which is a good feature for me. I'm usually able to park on the street not too far away. read more

One of the last great used book stores in Seattle. Vast selection of fiction in every genre, as well as an extensive philosophy and theory section. Trade paperbacks and graphic novels, sci-fi and fantasy isle, and rare and out of print books behind the front counter. They are regularly buying used collections, so what happens to be on hand at any given time changes from week to week. read more

This is heaven. Stacks upon stacks of every genre at fair prices. I especially appreciate the childrens section, the nature section, graphic novels, and art section. There is ephemera and stationary and stickers. I never make it out empty-handed. Go to both locations and support local independent book stores! read more

Though I've had a few good transactions with this company, the one bad experience I had outweighs them all. The "owner" had misdescribed a book online. When I contacted the company requesting a partial refund, the woman who said she was the owner was rude, discourteous and really has to learn some people skills. DO NOT BUY FROM THEM ONLINE. THEIR DESCRIPTION OF THEIR BOOKS MAY NOT BE ACCURATE. If you can see and hold the book to inspect it before you buy, you will be much better off. I found the owner rude, disrespectful and deceitful. read more

Hands down one of the best used bookshops in the city. Good selection, and friendly staff. Seating us non-existent except the occasional step stool, but you aren't going to be actively discouraged from hanging around and reading unless you're being a nuisance. I've been buying and selling here for years and never had a bad experience. read more

I walked into this bookstore on a whim, just browsing, and came out with The Count Of Monte Cristo, a rather fat book. Didn't seem like 1200 pages reading it; just seemed like a regular book-a really good book. So I went back and grabbed some more books off the shelves almost at random. Grapes of Wrath, Big Rock Candy Mountain, The Living, Maybe the Moon. Loved them all. Now I am hooked. Just finished The Tin Drum. Didn't know it won a Nobel prize for literature. I have a small stack still from that third trip and feel like there must be some gems. If not the average will still be better than any other source of books I've ever tried. And to me, this reflects the selection process of the owner, whoever that might be. My favorite bookstore! read more

The best second hand bookstore in Seattle. That was always true, and is particularly so now that so many good shops have closed. They have SO MANY books crammed floor-to-ceiling in a relatively small space, but it's quite carefully selected with very little schlock and almost no pulpy airport novels. Very impressive selections of literature, history, music, cookbooks, graphic novels and more. Absolutely the largest selection of foreign language books in the region. read more

I've been shopping at Magus for 23 years. Yep, I'm that old. I first discovered this crammed-to-the-rafters literary oasis as a new transplant to Seattle in 1994. I was a grad student at the UW and was looking for some books on one of my breaks from classes and studying. Growing up in SoCal, I had never encountered a used bookstore until I was in college. I only found one in Orange County and it was teeny tiny. That first visit to Magus was magic because it showed me that I could get ALL KINDS of books used. All kinds, people. I could save money and still have all the books I wanted. I've been buying used books ever since. Thanks, Magus! read more

How could this book store not be a 5 star? It is spectacular. To be honest, I like it better than Powell's because it does not over when me. Don't get me wrong, there are many many many books here, but not to the overwhelming extent of the Portland joint. Thus, one can enjoy searching through the stacks and discover a hidden gem. Support used book stores. They may not exist in the future. And make sure you go to Magus Books. read more

Magus Books - Cool finds. - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Was so pleased to receive my Bulgarian phrasebook so quickly. There was a bit of writing on the inside of the front cover, but I was able to white it out. Great experience having my book shipped, and when COVID is over, would love to get a chance to visit in person to this shop! read more

Magus Books - HUGO Bulgarian Phrase Book - Bookstores Near Me - Seattle, Washington

This is one of my all-time favorite used book stores! I've been shopping here since I was in middle school! It isn't a large store, but has a really great selection of books in various subject matter/categories. I can (and have) spend a lot of time just perusing the stacks, and prices are very reasonable, too! There aren't as many used book stores in Seattle as there used to be, but I'm glad that Magus is still around! read more

I left a glowing review of this bookstore a few years ago when my wife and I were visiting family in Seattle. We found German language children's books, which surprised and delighted us. I also found Greek and Latin books. We bought over $200 in books to take home to Salt Lake City with us. We just returned to Seattle to visit family again and we were excited to go back to Magus. I found several Greek and Latin books I wanted and purchased $100 in books this time. While I was checking out the gentleman asked me if I had seen their Loeb Classics Greek and Latin books at the front of the store. I had not and was happy to discover over forty of these great books. There are nearly six hundred of these books in the Loeb collection and I'm always looking to add to the ones I have. Just a couple of months ago I bought thirty of them at Ken Sanders Rare Books in Salt Lake City. He gave me a discounted rate for buying all of them. I asked the gentleman at Magus if he would consider the same type of arrangement for their collection. He said I would need to talk to the owners about that the next day. I called Magus in the morning to discuss buying the collection at a bulk rate. I spoke with Hannah, the owner. When I was telling her which books I wanted to buy by describing where they were in the store she told me bluntly that she knew which books I was talking about. I asked if she was interested in selling the whole collection for a bulk rate and she again bluntly told me that they were priced right and that they sold very well at their current price. She also said that many of them were out of print which made them hard to find and more valuable. In fact, you can go to the Loeb Classics website and buy any of the books brand new. They're not out of print. If it was offensive for me to offer to buy the entire collection at a discount I'm sorry about that. I meant no offense. I don't actually feel mad about the interaction but hurt. I buy lots of books. I love bookstores. I even loved this bookstore. It was a harsh reaction by one booklover to another. read more

I have been going to this bookstore for about 20 years and have always loved it. The experience I just had with the book buyer, a bald overweight middle-aged white man who did not tell me his name, was so negative that I will actually not go back there again. He did not know anything about the author that I was talking about, and seemed a little insecure about that. He was very rude to me, and when I called and express my hurt feelings he basically said it was my fault and welcomed me to not come back. Rudeness and ignorance have no place in retail, they often occur. As an adult woman I have experienced it a lot and completely understand that. Rudeness and ignorance at an independent bookstore by someone claiming to be an expert is both ridiculous and intolerable. After all these years, I would never recommend a person to walk through those doors again. read more

Very cute!! A romantic and dreamy little used bookstore. Lots of books all crammed together in gorgeous tall shelves. You won't find the hot new drops here, but a great place to grab a paper back on a budget. Lovely, but poorly organized (it's pretty hard to find specific books but a pleasant atmosphere none the less) read more

Great big selection in a charming cramped space. They had books that spanned several subjects, some broad and a few pretty specific. I also noticed a section for books on guitar, which I thought was cool. I ran into the philosophy section and instantly saw a lot of great stuff I've never seen before but relevant to my dissertation. I was to see if they had any psychotherapy books, though. Well, they didn't really have anything practical, but I was delighted with their psychology section, nonetheless. They had almost every Freud collection and a bunch of great stuff, like R.D. Laing, Klein, Jung, and some stuff that is a little more contemporary as well. If I wasn't so focused and in a bit of a rush I could have lost myself in this little store. It's right off the Ave, so the parking is what it is. I didn't need any help and sadly couldn't buy anything today so I can't comment on customer service. The few books that I checked the price of seemed reasonable for used. read more

This place is dangerous if you're a book lover like I am. I can't even count the number of times I've walked in for a casual browse and left with a few books and a huge smile on my face. The store is small and there are books up to the ceiling, and you can really just lose yourself in here. They have an amazing selection of books about anything you can think of. The books are in good condition, they stock interesting editions, and the prices are reasonable. I'd say at least half of my bookshelf comes from Magus. I've purchased a lot of quality fiction here, and I've found a lot of bestseller-type books as well. If you love books of any kind and want to support independent business in Seattle, definitely block out an afternoon to explore this place. read more

An amazing bookstore that is tucked away 1/2 block off University Way in the U. District. Lose yourself in the stacks, inhale the scent of words, spark your imagination. There are delightful treasures to be found here in this magical place read more

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Magus Books is a very charming used bookstore in the U District. There are so many books here on so many bookshelves. It's great. They are organized by genre so it's not a total mess. Prices here seem to be 1/2 off the cover price or so. Staff here are really nice. I came here on a Thursday evening and I saw quite a few people browsing for books. Hopefully that is a sign that business is doing well. I saw some carts outside for $1-$5 books. read more

My favorite seattle used bookstore. Super close to UW, if you're a student or in the area. They've got a neat little music biography section too. And the employees are always super nice! Pop in... you won't regret it. :) read more

Great place! Incredible staff. Very helpful and knowledgeable. Brought in 9 boxes of my old art books etc. They excepted 6 boxes and what they gave me for them was way more than I ever thought I would get. Thank you Magus Books!! read more