I just went in here for the first time today, despite having driven by many times. I am so glad I went inside! This bookstore is a dream for book nerds like me, with unique books on endless topics. The people who work there (I'm guessing they are the owners) were incredibly helpful and lovely and I will be coming back soon when I have more time to look at everything!! read more

An overcrowded, kind of disheveled yet orderly bookstore with an eclectic, chatty owner. It has all the popular paperback books as well as pockets of specialized books and items which makes this a fun bookstore as well. I found some old sheet music i can't wait to try playing, and some interesting architecture books. Also went home with some guilty pleasure fast read paperbacks to feed my reading appetite. Wish this place was closer to where i live. I'd be a regular. read more

I actually found this place accidently...while visiting a neighbor yarn store, I noticed this little used book store...with such a witty little name, I just had to venture in. I could literally spend hours in here. They have so many cool books, National Geographics dating back to the 1920s....very nice! There were cook books, travel books, sci fi books...all kinds. They even had Twilight, I just don't get the hype over this book! read more

The ironic thing about this used book store: It used to be a movie theater in the 1950s. Now, instead of wasting away in front of a screen, this place allows people to read for a lot less. This place has everything from old Life Magazines from the 1940s to Stephen King novels. You will find pretty much everything you expect wether you're looking for cook books, architecture books, greek mythology, romance novels, magazines, old sci fi pulp comics, drama, adventure, etc. All used non fiction paperbacks are $3.95. Prices for hardbacks and other things like magazines and specialty books vary depending on the collectible status and condition of the book. The best part about this place: Trade in 3 paperback books for a free one. read more

I love this place. I'm a used bookstore critic. There are two types, one that has a heavy layer of dust and no books published after 1980 and the other which has a high turn over of donations and trades and lots of best current books. Once Read Books is of the latter variety. They have a HUGE selection of trashy romance novels. Current trashy romance novels and the backlist of all of my favorites! Their prices are competitive to many of the used book stores I frequent and they have a deal where you can bring in a few paper backs and get a few free! Badnews: they don't take hardbacks. Which means if your favorite author is on the NYT's Bestsellers, you won't find it here. The staff is amazing and friendly! This is my go to used bookstore for the last few months. read more

This is a somewhat small but quite interesting used book store. They have a full selection of topics and genres and the store is very well-organized, with large handwritten tabs marking each section-- and there are many of these, since everything is divided and subdivided into different areas of interest. Nice! Another thing I like about this store: they sell used screenplays. I don't mean the slick, commercially-produced fan/collector kind (though they may have some of those too), I mean the wads of loose-bound Xeroxed pages that were used on the set. Some have notes written on them, coffee stains, etc. Used screenplays are not exactly a rarity here in Hollywoodland, but I've never seen anywhere else in the Long Beach area that bothers to stock and sell them, so kudos to Once Read Books. Of course, I'm sure this also means they buy used screenplays, which is something handy to keep in mind. They also have a large selection of old magazines in very good condition; I remember seeing a lot of vintage Western magazines and the like. Nice place, well-lit and didn't smell moldy. Actually, to me it smells vaguely like armpits, but I can deal with that. read more

Eclectic bookstore with lots of vintage books and magazines. I stumbled across a Mark Twain book in fantastic condition published in 1899. Their fiction section is well stocked and the books are in great condition. I'm a regular and rarely walk out without a book ... or 12. read more

Once Read Books - Tons is issues of National Geographic dating back to the early 1900's. - Bookstores Near Me - Long Beach, California

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Don't recommend taking your books here to sell. For decades I have bought lots of books, and regularly sell books to stores. I brought half a dozen boxes here after calling them. Roger looked at them and said "some nice books but nothing I can't live without." He than asked "How much do you want for all of them?." He refused to tell me which he was interested in or how much he would pay for individual titles or groups. I looked them over and told him $100 for the five boxes, excluding a few valuable uncommon first editions. Most were excellent condition hardcover w/dust jackets, no junk, including art and photography books. He refused in an insulting way without any counter-offer or explanation. Never before have I been so refused by any bookstore, all have selected what they wanted, at a mutually agreeable price. read more

This place is a like walking into a treasure chest of used books. There's rows and rows of beautiful books. As an avid reader this place is a gem. I love it. read more

This place has it all. Any book collector or book enthusiast would enjooy this play. Tons and tons of books to look through!

Great used book store, selection, friendly staff, and the price is right. Found a few gems (hard and soft cover) in here, as well as some books in Spanish. Definitely check it out. read more

Hidden gem of an iconic little bookstore. Absolutely adorable, great selection of books, academic journals, history books, dictionaries, one of a kind collectibles, and overall great staff. read more

A bit pricier compared to estate sale and other used bookstores, but this is the place for those who like to unearth out of print books and souvenir pamphlets and brochures. read more

cozy bookstore! the staff was so nice and helpful! i will definitely be returning for more! found very unique and vintage books. love it!!

longtime standby of a used bookstore, nice proprietors, decent selection, totally reasonable prices.

Not the place to buy used classic literature books. They're overpriced for used books. The books are old, used, tattered (obviously). But they are charging half of what It's worth, usually $7. I can get them cheaper at another book store. read more

Nice place to find interesting books. People are great! Good location too. I bring my used books here also. read more

Very helpful! Nice people. Wonderful shop to roam around in. Came out to the car right away and bought all our books for a very fair cash-on-spot price. Highly recommend!!! read more

Can't think of a reason why this isn't a 5 star establishment. Great history section and very reasonable prices.

I've been frequenting used book stores for over seventy years and this is a great one. I'm a history fan - military, world, ancient, local, U.S., and this store has a wonderful selection. They have books in all the other areas of interest also, including a huge fiction section. They constantly add to their inventory and their prices are very reasonable. You can spend a great hour or two in here just browsing and come away with some real treasures. read more

Like most used book stores, Once Read Books is musty and crowded with all kinds of books, lots of romance novels of course (does anybody ever keep those?) and genre fiction, as well as cookbooks, assorted other nonfiction, old comic books and magazines, and classic literature. My first time here I walked away with six books that cost me around $30. Not bad. read more

I like the selection of books. But I don't feel that the staff is very friendly. They don't greet you when you walk in. They eat there lunch at the counter and act bothered when you ask a question. Maybe my last visit was a bad day. There prices are a bit high for used books. I am going to be looking for another used book store. read more

Once Read Books was fabulous. I could spend the day/ neigh, the WEEK, there just browsing They have a marvelous selection of the BEST books not matter what subject you are looking for. The prices range from 25 cents to ????? If Books are your best friends and this is the place to find them. read more

Once Read didn't have the musty old book smell I associate with used book stores...that was fine. It's not overcrowded, which is also nice; I didn't feel overwhelmed trying to look at titles. I'd have liked a lot more non-fiction/sociology-type books, mostly what I found of that genre were self-help/mainstream women's issues books. Sections were mostly predictable: cookbooks, entertainment-related books, kids' books, romance novels, stupid mystery novels. I was excited that there was a big section of pulp sci fi magazines from yesteryear. There was also a great collection of Life magazines from the 40s-60s, and random issues I looked at were priced under $2. read more

There's not a single employee here that I don't enjoy seeing. They're all fantastic. The selection is great and i can spend so much time browsing. But if you're a graphic novel collector like I am ask about their selection. It isn't obvious on the shelf but they have some hidden gems. read more

My daughter needed to buy a book for school but Barnes and nobles didn't have it so I started calling places and I found this books store that had it, and the price was great! only $6.99 ( barnes and noble $25) read more

My mission: Visit all the uses book stores in so-Cal. First stop: success.

Decided to stop in on whim, i'm a huge fan of used bookstores. I love their charm. I was warmly greeted by the lovely young lady at the front counter. I walked in a knew immediately where i wanted to go. I went straight for the cookbooks. The setup is pretty organized. By cuisine and also they have a celebrity chef section. Their books are pretty well priced from 6.95 and below. Or at least the ones i looked at. I scoped out the rest of their sections and they were all pretty good. I got how to bake nick malgieri, for only 6.95 which was quite a steal. If i lived in the area i would definitely be a frequent customer. But all in all it was a nice little bookstore, great service and great selection. read more

I had been meaning to venture in here for a bit now, and while I'm glad I finally did I have to say that I'm not overwhelmed by the place. They have a fairly large space and a lot of selection, just not a lot of selection that is up my alley. I found their fiction section lacking, but they make up for it in other places. They have an abundance of romance and mystery novels, a lot of old magazines, a lot topic literature such as military and war as well as trains. So while they didn't have a lot for me they might have a lot for you. read more

Great if you're a bored housewife looking to brush up on your useless knowledge of celebrity biographies, or you're easily excited by old romance novels. The books are cheap, the staff is friendly, but not much in terms of actual literary merit. read more

Eclectic offerings. Excellent vintage and out-of-print stuff, a ton of vintage ephemera, and a decent selection of old National Geographics (which for their age, I've seen at higher prices elsewhere and online). One reviewer said it was "disheveled" but dude, it's admittedly pretty well-organized for a place that's constantly getting new inventory and has such a broad array of materials. One reviewer said the staff was "unfriendly", but they greeted me, answered questions or offered assistance when needed, and otherwise left me alone -- exactly the solitude a bibliophile needs when browsing the stacks. I've been to countless used bookstores and this one is great. read more

I visit Once Read Books about three to four times a year for a handful of books to read each time. I'll admit that the selection isn't always the best, but it's a bookstore that seems to mostly rely on donations - which means that if they don't have "good" books, the people donating aren't reading "good" books. When I visit, I like to allow myself some time to search (and not hurry), because it takes time to find the perfect book (or books) to read. Sometimes, you can find great books in their six for five dollar shelves and boxes! The staff has always been so friendly and eager to help you find that book you're looking for or assisting with a recommendation. Would I visit, again? Yes. read more

Small yet... Outstanding, deals, selections and prices. The used book stores are getting less and less. I love this spot and it's definitely worth a drive to see. read more

This is a lot smaller than Acres of Books, but it's a lot cleaner and easier to navigate. It has a pretty good selection as well. The staff are helpful and friendly, and there are plenty of bargain books to browse through. I usually find what I am looking for here. I just wish it were closer to home. read more

This place is a wonderful oasis for the money savvy bookworm. I've spent many a summer walking from my house to book store and back with a grocery bag full of books to spend my sweet time enjoying. Prices are amazing and well below that of big chain stores...you can even get a punch out card that when full will give you 10$ credit in the store. They don't always have the newest releases but they do their best to circulate the books.. you can trade three books you previously bought and finished in for a free one later. Always have an awesome selection of paperbacks for any occasion.. read more

Got my dad a few gently used books at this location, pretty decent prices!

4 stars cause I've only been once, will probably switch to 5 later. So stoked I found this place. Amazing collection of hard-to-find stuff at great prices. Who cares if a book has been read before? The words don't change. Very friendly staff. read more

Pros: A lot of different kinds of books. They've got cooking, travel, classics, special edition/autographed (they've got a cabinet in the front), a huge history section, and lots of children's books. They also have really nice staff. The location is great (absolutely love the diagonal street with tiny shops everywhere). The prices are okay. It depends what you're buying. A small beat-up classic paperback can run you 3.95, which seems a little steep to me. But an almost new hardcover book that was published just a few months ago can also run you 3.95, when you'd pay 20 at a bigger store. The last time I checked (a couple months ago) they still offered trade-ins. If you give them 3 of your books, you get 1 book of the same type of store credit. However, they are REALLY picky about which books they take (they usually already have too many copies of Twilight, so you're stuck with it for now!). If you're a sports fan (particularly local teams like the Dodgers) you can find cool vintage magazines or posters. I got my boyfriend a set of posters of Dodgers players from the 60s and 70s. sweet. Cons: They usually have NO idea where anything is located. Over the years I've come in asking for specific books sometimes, and almost every time the answer is "I have no idea if we have that. go look for it." I understand that they have a ton of material, but it seems lazy to not even try to point me in the right direction or recall if you've seen the book recently. That's really my only complaint. If you come in with an open mind or you're looking for a gift, you'll find something cool! If you want something specific, you might be out of luck. read more

First of all, I am a champion of used book stores. It's sad to see them disappearing along with their charm and the adventurous experience they provide the shopper. However, if you own a store, you should not let your personal prejudices cloud your judgement. I wanted to sell two books, both autographed by a well-know science fiction writer. After looking at them in a cursory manner, the man told me the books wouldn't sell--which I found incredulous--and stated the author was a jerk. Okay, there are plenty of writers that I don't like, but to act as if you have a personal vendetta against one is not professional. It is also childish thinking he can hurt the author through me. It seemed to me that if there was a jerk involved, it wasn't the author. Attitude like that can only hasten the demise of the store,which I hope happens soon. Needless to say I don't recommend this fire trap posing as a bookstore. read more

Great prices!! Friendly owners!! My wife bought a 5-volume hardback collection and they boxed it up for her, reminded her to ship it Media Mail. We will make this a stop on our every trip to the L.A. area!! read more