This is another good bookstore to spend time in browsing. I like their selection of books. I spend at least one hour browsing each time I show up and I usually purchase at least 1 book. I am on a budget when I arrive and I bring cash with me to keep me from purchasing too many books. The books are heavy to carry home. One book isn't every too heavy to carry down to BART and onto BART and then start ready on my way home. read more

I've been to the Shattuck Ave Pegasus a few times, but there was something about this location that I loved. I walked out with only one book, but it could have been a dozen. Maybe they get a better selection of used books from the neighborhood? Or perhaps I prefer density in my bookstores. Whatever the reason, I left there without having looked at half the store, because that would have been another half hour at least. In summary, great selections, a layout ideal for bookworms, and a friendly neighborhood vibe. read more

Pegasus Books - Bookstores Near Me - Oakland, California

Greeting Cards, used books, and interesting staff. I've been here many times and they usually have what I want. Comic books, psychology, biographies. I like that they give frequent buyer cards and discount flyers :) Items are priced well. It's always a good time looking in here. read more

The best bookstore in the East Bay! Friendly and helpful customer service and great selection. They often have sales on certain books and have a selection of used books as well. I buy books for my toddler here as well as books for myself, family and friends. They also have a loyalty program so you get discounts for shopping after a certain amount. Be sure to check them out! read more

Great service and good selection. Always enjoy browsing for a new treasure to read. I both by and sell my books at this shop and it's a great way to save a little money. read more

Great homey place, with a good selection of books, and a good place to buy wall calendars for the new year--especially right after January 1, when they have a big selection at greatly reduced prices! read more

I was looking to purchase a gift card for a teacher and it took me some time to find a local bookstore that offered online gift cards for purchase. After some Googling and Yelping, I landed on Pegasus Books. Thank you for being in the 21st century! The transaction was easy and I hope to visit the brick and mortar location sometime soon. read more

They have a solid selection for the space and friendly, helpful staff, making it even more appealing for tourists. I would have loved to come from one of their book signings. But I happily got what I came for. read more

Didn't get to look at the books as much on this past visit, but this time of year, they have a great selection of holiday cards on hand. Some come as singles and some come in packs of eight or ten. It's just nice if you're trying to send something handwritten out to a friend or family to have some cute options to pick from. Side note, I find that other businesses on this street can be a little exclusive at times, not in a way that's really direct or anything but still noticeable. Pegasus is kind of a contrast to that, I've always felt very welcome and comfortable shopping here. read more

My favorite bookstore in the Bay Area! I used to live around the corner. Now that I don't live nearby, I still always make my way there when I'm in the neighborhood. Great selection, kind staff, and fantastic value on used books. They're also always so sweet to my dog when I bring him in. read more

The MINUTE I walked in, I went straight to the counter, and asked, "Do you have 'They Shouldn't Have Killed His Dog'?" The really nice and tall and pretty Asian lady went "Is That the John Wick one?" They looked it up for me, and one of the guys went to another part of the store to retrieve it. I got the last copy! It was new and discounted. They instantly rang me up, and I waltzed off with an early Christmas gift to myself. read more

Pegasus Books - Bookstores Near Me - Oakland, California

I recently went to Pegasus Books in Rockridge. I love books and bookstores. The location here is smaller than the Berkeley Pegasus location. Some solid books though. Two that caught my eye on display that looked especially interesting are: Sinead O'Connor's memoir titled Rememberings and Hip-Hop (and other things): A collection of questions asked, answered, illustrated by Shea Serrano. He is the author who did some interesting books on basketball. Worth checking out if in Rockridge. read more

Pegasus Books - Bookstores Near Me - Oakland, California

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Pegasus Books here is smaller than the Berkeley location. the left side is off limits. noticed only new books, used fictions and greeting cards on the right. in store shopping is available now. there wasn't a lot of books to choose from. noticed a few books that i had that were also available here. buys: "Norwegian Wood" (Haruki Murakami) 11 "Interior chinatown" (Charles Yu) 10. read more

Pegasus Books - Book buys - Bookstores Near Me - Oakland, California

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It was refreshing to stumble upon a REAL brick & mortar bookstore. I feel as if we're being forced to utilize online as much as possible. I prefer a more personal experience. The staff was ready to help with finding what I was looking for and friendly. I believe I saw a rack of either reduced price books outside or free books. I'll definitely stop by again when I'm the area. read more

Pegasus Books - Bookstores Near Me - Oakland, California

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Very friendly and they will order you books to pick up if they don't have in stock. Also great selection of used and discounted books.

This is an amazing bookstore. All the staff are super friendly and helpful. I love this selection of books that they have.

This used to be a great bookstore but after October 7 they eliminated most of the the Judaica section and put up signs making it clear why. It's not a place that members of my community feel comfortable shopping. read more

One of my favorite book stores in Oakland. Located right in the heart of Rockridge, Pegasus always has an amazing supply of used books. Usually, used books at bookstores are older titles but, not here. You can get a popular book in great condition for under $10. And, everytime you shop, you get a 20% off coupon to buy an item the next month. I've also sold books there and the process was super easy. Thank you, Pegasus! read more

Pegasus Books - Bookstores Near Me - Oakland, California

Lefty leaning book store (but it is next door to Berkeley after all) So no posters of Rush Limbaugh on the wall. Used to be better when it had a magazine selection. The place was packed on a Saturday afternoon. Strange that right across the street ,the marketplace had occupancy restrictions ,but they didn't. Oh ,the logic of an existentialist threat. read more

Fantastic selection of used and new items great value and service Fun children's section read more

I do a lot of special orders and I love how smart, knowledgeable and helpful the staff is. Best bookstore in the Bay

Maybe it's from my old days working at bookstores and libraries, but I am a big fan of local bookstores. Nothing beats walking into a sea of books and magazines that have been selected with a personal touch, and while Amazon can deliver a lot these days, it cannot deliver the unique character you feel from your neighborhood book shop. Although Pegasus has a number of shops in Oakland and Berkeley, I go to this location most often. Their used book selection is great if you are looking to add to your library without breaking the bank. I've been on a Stephen King reading kick lately, and finding a used hardcover of one of my favorite horror novels in immaculate condition was definitely a nerd highlight! They also keep a great selection of new releases, and the store's layout makes it easy to find what you are looking for. I've also sold some books to them recently, and the process was fairly straightforward. I did notice some trepidation when I called about the process and to check when would be a good time to bring my books in, and my sense is that during peak times, bringing boxes of books to sell is not ideal for store staff. You can choose cash or store credit in trade, though you get more money if you get store credit. read more

DO NOT SUPPORT THIS BUSINESS. My brother was racially profiled at this store. There were other people in the store not wearing any masks, yet a worker approached my brother, who is dark skinned, telling him he needed to wear a mask. My brother politely declined, and stated that there wasn't a mask mandate. The worker then told my brother he had to leave the store. DO NOT SHOP HERE! read more

Everyone here is so nice. They have a very quiet pleasant air and every time I go there they know immediately if they have what I want or not so I don't have to hunt fruitlessly. Recently, when I went in to get my yearly wall calendar, I dropped my (embarrassingly expensive) sunglasses and the man who rang up my purchase chased me down the block to return them. I really cannot recommend a business enough when the staff is cool and also really honest! read more

I can't believe it's taken me this long to review this bookstore. I couldn't even tell you how many years I've been coming here. Before there was any concept of a superstore like Borders or Barnes & Noble, there was Pendragon - now officially Pegasus like its sister locations in Albany and Berkeley. It's been in the same location since 1969...geez, Nixon was just elected back then. I honestly remember coming here before I even went to Berkeley as an undergrad, and that was back in the horse-and-buggy days when I was wearing platform shoes. I came here all the time when I lived in Oakland years later and sold my used books there often. Nowadays, I have my Kindle, and I live in San Francisco. But I come back periodically to Oakland for family matters and find myself strolling along this stretch of College Avenue. This bookstore is an automatic stop for me for leisurely browsing. I know exactly how to make a beeline for the magazine rack where I can find pretty much any periodical I could possibly want to peruse. I know where the cookbooks are in case I need to get a last-minute housewarming gift in the East Bay. I know the sale table will always have something tempting, and there is always some oversized book on some idiosyncratic topic that I never see anywhere else, especially since Cody's bit the dust. Long live Pegasus and whatever else the owners want to call it in the future. read more

Super grateful for this shop during covid times in particular! I made an order online for three titles figuring I'd be waiting on shipping from a warehouse somewhere, but then I got an email offering to deliver the two they already had in stock directly to my door same-day so I had good reads while I awaited the third and final title's arrival. This was above and beyond and feels like such a treat, especially in times like these. Now to go read... Thanks, y'all! read more

Right on the corner, easy to find. Have new and used books! Wendell Berry book count: 5, one of which I didn't have yet. :) read more

This: "Because I don't care what anyone says or how often or winningly they say it: no one will ever, ever be able to persuade me that life is some awesome, rewarding treat. Because, here's the truth: life is a catastrophe. The basic fact of existence - of walking around trying to feed ourselves and find friends and whatever else we do - is a catastrophe. Forget all this ridiculous 'Our Town' nonsense everyone talks: the miracle of a newborn babe, the joy of one simple blossom, Life You Are Too Wonderful To Grasp, &c. For me - and I'll keep repeating it doggedly till I die, till I fall over on my ungrateful nihilistic face and am too weak to say it: better never born, than born into this cesspool. Sinkhole of hospital beds, coffins, and broken hearts. No release, no appeal, no "do-overs" to employ a favored phrase of Xandra's, no way forward but age and loss, and no way out but death." and this: "Whatever teaches us to talk to ourselves is important: whatever teaches us to sing ourselves out of despair. But the painting has also taught me that we can speak to each other across time. And I feel I have something very serious and urgent to say to you, my non-existent reader, and I feel I should say it as urgently as if I were standing in the room with you. That life--whatever else it is--is short. That fate is cruel but maybe not random. That Nature (meaning Death) always wins but that doesn't mean we have to bow and grovel to it. That maybe even if we're not always so glad to be here, it's our task to immerse ourselves anyway: wade straight through it, right through the cesspool, while keeping eyes and hearts open. And in the midst of our dying, as we rise from the organic and sink back ignominiously into the organic, it is a glory and a privilege to love what Death doesn't touch. For if disaster and oblivion have followed this painting down through time--so too has love. Insofar as it is immortal (and it is) I have a small, bright, immutable part in that immortality. It exists; and it keeps on existing. And I add my own love to the history of people who have loved beautiful things, and looked out for them, and pulled them from the fire, and sought them when they were lost, and tried to preserve them and save them while passing them along literally from hand to hand, singing out brilliantly from the wreck of time to the next generation of lovers, and the next." From the closing passages of "The Goldfinch" (Donna Tartt). I didn't fall asleep for a long time after. Go to Pegasus. Read this book. read more

I love Pegasus Books. I find at least one book to buy every time I pop in (they sell both new and used books). This weekend I found five: When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris; A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan; The Key by Junichirō Tanizaki; Pictures at an Exhibition by Sara Houghteling; and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. This lot of used books set me back about forty bucks. My best trips to Pegasus are when I visit with a list (I always have a running one going) and can scan the aisles (each section is categorized alphabetically by author's last name) to find what I'm after. But even when I let serendipity take over I do well here. The staff are friendly and read a lot and will chat you up at the register (which I really like). Pegasus Books has been a well-loved fixture in Rockridge since 1969. I'm grateful to have them in my hood! read more

Love Pegasus & Pendragon book shops. I first came across one of their stores on Solano Ave. I was thrilled to find a copy of The Omnivore's Dilemma brand new for $8.99! I don't know why some books are dirt cheap brand new...maybe they have some deal going on with various publishers? Maybe some of these "fell off the back of a truck" (nudge nudge)? In any case, I usually find a book that I forgot that I needed until I see it here. Staff are knowledgeable and there is a "store recommends" shelf for books that otherwise might pass under the radar. Great childrens books too -- highly recommend this place for readers of all ages. read more

Buyer beware. My girlfriend bought me a book as a present that I had already read right before a short vacation. We left it at home, unopened and untouched, and when we came back a few days later to try to return it Pegasus would only give a small partial refund, claiming that we had already read it, and that there was damage to the book. They gave my girlfriend a lot of grief and were very argumentative throughout the process, only offering to give her a partial refund on the grounds that they could not sell it again now. I love small book shops. I am all for supporting local business. Pegasus Books has just lost our business moving forward. This sort of cheap attitude and total lack of customer service is exactly why small book shops are dying. read more

Love this place! Easy and helpful staff. I called in a title and picked it up smoothly. Been coming to this neighborhood bookshop for years... read more

I recently called to inquire about selling two titles to the store. The first call the woman who answered the phone couldn't answer any of my very simple questions although she kept asking how she could help. So I had to wait for a senior staff person to call me back. When that person called me back, I explained to her what I was interested in selling after she continued to cut me off and not even complete my questions the first 4 times I tried. After I did get my questions out, per her instruction, I asked if she could check to see if they already had the two books in stock. This information would save me from even going to store. I also was quite clear on the fact that if they were out of stock that didn't automatically mean they would purchase tthem. I would have at least known it would be worth having them take a look at them. After finally getting the second woman finally to understand my point based on the criteria she provided and to stop arguing with me, she supposedly checked on their stock and informed me they did have them. My hunch that she was lying was confirmed when I went in the store and was told they didn't have either in stock. Needless to say, the lack of confidence and inability to provide me with a positive customer service experience was lost on both employees. And I was dismissed because of their lack of intelligence and interpersonal skills. If someone gets frustrated when a potential customer continues to ask questions in response to information they've provided, perhaps they shouldn't work in a retail environment. read more

I've been coming to this bookstore since I was a kid and it will always have a special place in my heart. When I think about used bookstores, Pegasus Books on College Ave is the bookstore I picture. The staff is kind and helpful, the selection is surprisingly rich for such a small store, the prices are reasonable (although a little more expensive than some used bookstores I've been in but it's well worth it), and the whole place is filled with a warm, personal touch. I've found many of my favorite science fiction books in Pegasus's cozy Sci-Fi section, bought many gifts that have made my friends and family smile, and spent countless hours pouring over everything in this charming store. My only complaint is that I end up buying way too many books every time I come here! read more

I was searching for Obama: An Intimate Portrait as a Xmas gift and everyone was out! Pegasus placed me on a waitlist in case they get more copies before Xmas. I was on several wait lists, but's Pegasus was the only bookstore who called me within a few days!! It was about $10 more than Amazon, but I'm so happy I was able to support a local bookstore. When I arrived they were very nice and helpful!! I'll definitely be going back to give more support!! Great customer service! Thank you! read more

I hadn't been in for years but ventured in a few days ago. A very rude salesperson asked me what I wanted the minute I walked in. I thought bookstores were for browsing which is what I like to do. This person seemed very demanding so I will stick to Pegasus on Solano Avenue. read more

Awesome as always. Helpful friendly staff. Support your local bookstore! Down with Jeff Bezos and Amazon!!!!

(2.5 stars?) This particular Pegasus Books is conveniently close to Rockridge BART; street parking is extremely limited. They sell a small selection of new books and a medium-small selection of used books. If you can't find a specific title on the shelves, the workers are usually willing to help. One time they called a different Pegasus to check if they had a book in stock over there. But this location's selection is usually lacking. In their small children's book section, they have a decent, reasonably priced mix of books that are "not used." Check the quality though--some will have dings or large markings on them. I suspect they're overstock or "seconds." Unfortunately the store is dingy, dusty, and musty. It makes the book browsing experience unpleasant. I've noticed many Yelpers have complained about the workers' attitudes. Some have been helpful; some, weird and pretentious--it varies a lot. Just don't expect gleeful enthusiasm. As for selling used books to their store, the process is straightforward. Over the years, they bought most of what I brought in. For literary fiction and nonfiction in good condition, they offer a fair amount of trade/store credit in return. They don't offer nearly as much in cash, but it's on par with what most used bookstores will offer these days. I'm glad this independent bookstore is still in business, but there's a lot they could do to spruce up the place and make it inviting. read more

Great place! I was helped right away when I asked for a specific book. The guy knew exactly where they were :) Also, love the friendly cat. She so wise! Lol I bought 3 used books to gift to a friend. Prices for the used books are fair (a little steep for me) but they are in great condition and it supports this lovely book store. Worth it Love the way the books are sectioned off. I wish I had more time to look through! I definitely want to come back and look through the gardening section and maybe survival guides? read more

Only YOU... can prevent Amazon from taking over the world. When faced with the moral dilemma of either purchasing the exact book you want online for $15, or paying double to actually leave the house and interact with a real human being in order to procure it, I know it's tough, but...take the high road. Not only will you feel pious and guilt-free about your local purchase, you'll get some fresh air and firsthand reminder that our beloved neighborhoods are made up of gems like Pegasus and Pendagron, passionate folks with a specialty. If bookstores and bakeries and boutiques disappear, we're headed towards a Dallas fate. Bleck. Let's pay a little extra to avoid it, eh? I was in a last minute birthday gift crunch. I knew I needed "Thinking: Fast & Slow" within 48 hours, so I called up the closest bookstore (this one) and asked it they had it. Yes, it had just come in, they named the price and put it on hold for me to minimize the whole "leaving the house" hassle. I love an excuse to stroll College Ave, where off-street parking is easy and abundant, and every shop has something I want/ "need". The Pegasus shop is sweet and old-fashioned, as you'd hope. The staff are friendly, helpful, and appropriately geeky. Not only did I score the exact book I was after, but they've got a lovely collection of greeting cards to accompany your tome. Plus, they buy old books and sell them at a discount. Now, that's some recycling I can get down and dirty with. read more