Newport Book Center

Great little used bookstore with some modern funds and some really old and odd stuff as well. I found a book of fairy tales published in 1919, in fairly good condition and at a great price. This place definitely has a musty sent, which adds to the splendor of the store. If you’re in Newport and love bookstores, or need some time to kill, check this place out. Also, see how many dead plants you can spot throughout the store… make it a game.

Horrible service and selection. My husband was taking a business call outside while I was shopping. The man at the desk went outside and told him that he was on private property and he needed to go somewhere else. Really? We were the only customers there. And the book selection was comparable to a yard sale, but priced about 1000% higher. Will never return.

This bookstore has been on our short list of great things to do in Newport for a vair long time. It’s not the kind of place that jumps out at you. Stashed away in the strip of Hurbert street between the coast Hwy and the Bay Front, even I had to ask what their official name was — so that I could post a Unilocal review, natch.
This isn’t the kind of bookstore that’s going to tell you what to read, they’re going to make you work for it. In an era where Netflixication has made it less likely for us to need to think (e.g., «If you liked Jersey Shore, then you might also like Jerseyliscious …»), I find bookstores like this one to be a dying breed. You actually have to spend time here to find your gems.
And find gems you will! Just today, the man and I wandered in to find a 50% off sale — that’s 50% off of evary-​thing. I walked out with two original Ezra Jack Keats books. Just beautiful. Only $ 6 total.
The New York Times Bestsellers are here, too. They’re just a few years behind, and there won’t be 152 copies of each. And cookbooks? Yes. How about atlases and mystery-​thrillers? Definitely. Even sci-​fi? Of course.
So stop in on your next pass through Newport – just make sure you plan on spending at least an hour or so. It’s places like these that I fear might end up in a museum all too soon.