The Book House in Dinkytown

The Book House was here when I was at the U of M several years ago, and I’m happy to see that it’s still there! It’s crowded and you never know what you’ll find, which makes it exciting.
They’ll buy your used books or give you store credit as long as it’s the most recent version. I’ve been grateful to find a place for many of my old textbooks here. Thanks Book House!

Such a great collection of classic novellas and just about any topic of non fiction you might imagine. As with any used bookstore I always go straight to their shelves for Steinbeck and Hemingway — here I was not disappointed. Although the store layout is a bit complicated, so long as you take your time you’ll do alright. On the Saturday I visited there was even punch and cookies for customers — who does this?!? Only in Minnesota.

A wonderful hole in the wall bookstore with an incredible poetry/​natural history/​literature selection. Great prices and flourishing rare/​old books section. Nearly on par with Moe’s books in Berkeley CA, given the size and location, which is my gold standard for an independent bookstore.

I love getting lost in the shelves of the Book House. You can be in here for hours and not be bothered by anyone and maybe not even see another living soul while you explore the depths of their history, fiction, or science sections.
This is a different breed of used bookstores, as it’s so close to a college campus. You’re going to find a bigger scholarly collection here than some neighborhood shop. So you can affordably line your personal bookshelf with Foucault and ancient epics and Russian literature, and just hope that none of your house guests ever quiz you on them.
Besides that, Book House has some other sections that they do particularly well. Their fiction selection is fairly large and never leaves me hanging. I’ve picked up some decent records, graphic novels, and sci-​fi books here despite the small selections. And the «new arrivals» shelves are a great if you happen upon a high demand book, or if you’re a frequent enough customer.
Remember to bring your punch card, and you’re pretty much guaranteed 10% off.

Record review: The cramped and crowded space has a small but decent selection of used Lps. The pricing is all over, and typical of many places they have a few fair to decent Beatles lps that are priced unreasonably high. But they do get in an unusual selection of jazz and rock that
make this place worth checking out. Less stellar popular used lps are priced fairly, and in a few cases under current market frenzy pricing. The lps are stocked by an outside party that seems to deal through the VFW record show so it’s a refreshing odd
mix and good in that the vinyl is not beat to death thrift shop stuff.

I really hope someone tells me that they have moved because I truly love getting lost in the labyrinth that was The Book House.
However, the building that housed them, House of Hanson, and the guitar store has been demolished to make room for more student housing. It is a sad day, a very sad day indeed.

Whenever I’m near the University of Minnesota-​Twin Cities I make a habit of stopping by the Book House. As long as you’re not trying to find anything on the first floor — fiction — all will be well. It’s the basement with walls of political science, biology, theology, and so on, that’s the treasure trove.

They have a pretty nice selection of books. I love cooking so I dropped in with my bf and picked up a few very good cookbooks for not too much money. I will probably drop by here again sometime soon to look for other books. The downside though is that it is *very* hard to find what you are looking for at times due to the nature of the store. Don’t expect to find that brand new copy of 50 shades of grey on the front table. Expect to have to browse around a bit.
Disclaimer: my boyfriend *does* work for them however, I am not allowing that to influence my opinion in any way.

I come back once a year thinking the mystery section will be arranged instead of stacked back 3 rows on the shelves. The meaning of insanity expecting something different, etc. Reading the other reviews, this is for people who aren’t in one bag when it comes to used books, and students. I’m only into mysteries, and they might have had something I was looking for, but didn’t feel like sitting on the floor and hunting when there’s only a half –hearted attempt at alphabetizing. I miss the one a few doors down.

Love their set up and their selection. Also, their prices seem very reasonable as compared to other used bookstores. I really like that they don’t have music blaring like other places do. I can browse leisurely and in peace. Makes me think that I could easily start a habit of coming to this place way more often than I do.

If you want to get in and get out, or if you’re looking to relax and read for 3 hours, then you’re at the wrong place. If you want to come in, look around, make a mental note of (or better yet, purchase) a few titles you hadn’t heard of before, head to The Book House. The more time you spend there, the better you are as a person. Just ask any of the thousands of authors who’s works are sold here. The Book House is a used book store with books stacked 7 – 8 shelves high, hallways so small they can make passing other patrons a bit awkward at times, and handwritten/​printed out signs directing you to what these shelves of books contain. The thing is: that’s exactly what a used bookstore is supposed to be like. If you’re looking for a meticulously organized bookstore with space to lay down. read. get some coffee. head to your nearest Barnes & Noble and enjoy yourself. I’ll be perusing The Book House, if you need me.

I kind of have a crush on this place. It seems that bookstores like this are a dying breed. If it were a little bigger you could get lost in the twisted stacks of used book love. They have everything from academic to fiction & I love the old classics that you can find… legit old copies, like the ones I would find in my grandma’s house. In the time of the ipad & kindles I still hold tight to REAL books. I refuse to get with the times, I just love books! I love the smell of books and physically turning the pages. I hope gems like this can make it as times change. Otherwise, maybe they can turn into a link to the other dimensions like the book store in Fringe ha! Check this place out if you love books & treasure hunts.

I love this bookstore. I went in one day before work looking for just one book, and walked out with about five. The woman who helped me was AMAZING. I was searching for work by Audre Lorde, and after she found what I was looking for she went so far as to print off a favorite of Lorde’s work off of her computer for me. How wonderful. That would NEVER happen at a Barnes and Noble. I wish I knew her name so I could extend my gratitude for the above and beyond help that she gave me that day. The bookstore itself is two floors of floor to ceiling books, and it is glorious. If you are a book nerd like me, it is heaven to walk around that place and see what you might stumble upon next.

In addition to helpful and friendly service, there are some gems to be found at reasonable prices here. I found the social sciences/​psychology, theology, philosophy, and critical theory sections to be particularly impressive. Perhaps due to the limited space, items or collections that have sat on the shelves and collected dust are often discounted and priced to move. It’s nice to see that places like this continue to exist.

Had a little time to kill today and stopped in at The Book House tonight. It was a nice exploration and fun to get see a new bookstore, but I was a little bummed about the limited selection of travel books. Overall, this a great place and I will stop in in the future.

The Book House is the «other» book store in Dinkytown, or maybe Cummings Books is the «other» book store… at any rate, I was pleasantly surprised to find a small box of old vinyl in this bookstore.
Rummaging through the small boxes of records, I first noticed that most of the albums were overpriced, and that I had seen most, if not all of them, at various thrift stores in the recent past.
Still, there were a few gems. I found a copy of Soul Asylum’s «Hang Time» for $ 10. I felt it was worth the cost for an album I hadn’t seen any copies of locally in a long time.
The store did feel a bit cramped… but aren’t all locally run bookstores? They need to maximize their space, it’s a golden rule of business. I’ll make sure to stop back from time to time to check out the boxes of vinyl.

Ok, so it’s not as organized as you’d like, and there’s some confusion over whether Barthes should be in the Lit Crit or Social Science section. But, come on, people, it’s a used bookstore, get over it.
This place is truly amazing for finding anything from all those copies of Staggerford that you were secretly lusting after to obscure American poetry that you need for your class. The folks who work here are always nice and very willing to hold books while you shop or grab a bite to eat next door. I would definitely come with a little extra time since it’s easy to get lost in all of the treasures.

In my opinion this is the better of the two used bookstores on 14^th Ave., and one of the best I’ve ever seen for academic subjects. Of interest to me are the impressive anthropology and sociology sections, but there are also huge sections for psychology, history, and several other disciplines. Unlike the previous reviewer, I think the organization is impressive for a used bookstore.

The Book House has crowded, narrow aisles, stacks to the ceiling, and less than perfect organization. But they have a hell of a lot of books on every subject imaginable with reasonable to good prices.
Before turning to the internet for an out-​of-​print, you should really try here. And come with time to spare, you’ll end up needing it.