J Crawford’s Books

This is a wonderful little bookstore with lovely owners/​staff. I can’t believe I lived less than two miles from here for over two years before stepping inside. My first time here, a nice man took a look at a couple of the books I had pulled from the shelves and after asking me a few questions, he started making recommendations and handing me more books. Some were books I already read/​owned/​loved, but those I hadn’t came home with me, and I was very pleased after reading them cover to cover over the next couple months. (Note: I was a lit major in college and have been a reader all my life, with a soft spot for classics and literary fiction. This place is not filled with a bunch of unwanted junk, and I really think there’s something here for everyone.) The books are organized by genre and reasonably priced, and I was told that if I bring back any books after I’ve read them, I am guaranteed 50 percent trade-​ins. So, if I love it, I keep it, and if I don’t, I can put it towards the purchase of something else.
What a gem in the SLP/​Curtis Park area!

A great find in Sacramento. This store is clean, plays pleasant music, and provides an excellent atmosphere to leisurely browse through their wonderful selection. I do wish the prices were a tad lower, but overall this is a nice little gem!

NORMALLY I have a nice time in this store, the owners are really helpful and kind.
Today, I had to go to the bathroom and when I asked the box dye red haired hag if there was a restroom available I was looked up and down and told «Uhm, okay but the bathrooms are for customers only.» and when I snapped that I was a customer she said «Oh, really?»
She kept watching me around the damn store, even pretended to put a book back in the area I was in. She didn’t even pretend to be polite until I paid for my books.
When speaking to my father she claimed there were NO books written by Sacramento authors there in their store and that they had no «holiday» specials/​book categories even though there was a flyer for HALLOWEEN SPECIALS with HALLOWEEN BOOKS right in front of her.
I don’t know if she hates having customers at that store, is prejudice, or just loves to say no and hates helping people but she seriously needs to check her fucking attitude. Last time I shop there, hello Amazon & Beers Book Store.

I love books… sometimes too much in that I buy way more books than I have the time to read them but that’s a story for another day.
I stumbled upon this store after work when I was browsing the Unilocal app.
Cheap books? Don’t have to tell me twice!
I was greeted when I walked in and that place is pretty overwhelming. Lots and lots of books! The shelfs are filled from top to bottom. The books are grouped into genres and sub-​genres and there’s almost everything you can imagine.
I took my time browsing around the store seeing if there was anything that caught my eye. Books here are at least 50% off cover price unless the otherwise marked on the first page of the book (in pencil! don’t fret).
I left the place with 2 almost new books for only $ 15. Steeeeeeal!
They also buy books from you and just give you store credit. Can’t go wrong there. I look forward to bringing my books back and getting for books for my collection here.

My mother who was an avid reader recommended Crawford’s to me well over 10 years ago… I have never been disappointed… Once Mr. Crawford knew what I liked to read he would make suggestions regarding authors that I had never tried… He was always spot on and I have greatly expanded my library… Also, if I am looking for something and they don’t have it, they will let me know if it comes in… The staff are all pleasant and helpful… My background is in retail and I know what to expect from sales staff… The people at Crawford’s meet my expectations…
I look forward to my trips there and hope they continue to be around for a long time…

This is a great used book store. The folks that work there are the greatest. I especially like the table out front with very reasonable priced books.

This is hands down the best book store in town, not only are the owners perhaps the sweetest most knowledgeable book lovers I’ve ever met, but the prices are very reasonable. You can also take books you’ve read into the shop for credit (if they don’t already have a bunch of that particular book).
I was once there when a man came in asking about «a Canadian mystery author whose name started with L» and Mr. Crawford was able to identify the author… they’re amazing and can recommend books based on others you’ve liked. You just can’t get this kind of service and personal connection online.
My friend who lives in in Reno is an avid patron as well, every time she visits she brings in a stack of books and leaves with a bigger stack of books. This bookstore is a gem and I’m SO glad they’re still in business at a time when having bookstore isn’t as lucrative as it once was. Please go to this bookstore, you won’t be sorry!

Lots of Animal Mysteries and lots of CULINARY MYSTERIES please don’t hesitate to go there ASAP and get your hands on all the thrillers and chillers at J Crawford’s Books… Lots of cool sales on romance tales too!!! Wowza this Unilocaler gives it FIVE stars! *****

This place is wonderful.
Large selection of reasonably priced used books (some are fantastic deals!), owned and operated by a couple so generous of spirit that you feel badly about yourself. Like any used bookstore, they may not have the exact book you’re looking for at the exact moment you want it… but there is a good chance they will. This is a great place to peruse for new reading material, too. The proprietors are usually have recommendations.
A couple of things that make this place special:
1) It’s dog-​friendly. Your dog is welcome to hang out, and will be given a treat.
2) It has old school systems, and I respect that. For example, they keep a ledger with your store credit, that is simply attached to your name. They also fill out gift certificates — no swiping gift cards here. (And you get a little bonus on your ledger when you buy gift certificates!)

I have been going to this new and used book store for years and still love it. Wide range of interesting books to choose from

BOOKS … What can be better than a store full of books? A store full of used books at super cheap prices so you can stock up on lots of new things to read and enjoy!
They might not be easy to spot when driving down Freeport because they are kind of set back between the Little Cesar’s Pizza and Hollywood Hardware. This isn’t the largest used book store around either, but they have a good variety and always are eager and helpful in directing you towards something you might enjoy. When I came in asking for a specific author I was immediately taken to the spot where her books could be found. They also have a bin of close-​out books that is fun to rummage through to find that special treasure for just a couple bucks.

I have been shopping at Crawford’s for years and love the atmosphere, selection and staff. The Crawford’s are delightful and always glad to see you and show you the latest and greatest they have in the shop. The inventory is excellent particularly for mystery fans and you cannot beat there prices and trade policy. I love this store and hope they never retire!

Great place to find ecletic collection of books esp cook books and history Mrs, Crawford was SUPER NICE and very helpful as was Mr. Crawford, you can trade and sell books quiet atmosphere a good place to spend a rainy or sunny day

The only reason I am giving 3 stars is because the gentleman who works there is so nice and helpful. He is really such a nice person and knows his books. His wife on the other hand is so rude that I will never go back. I decided to stop in after the hardware store to buy some books. My daughter who was 4 was with me and I had her look for children’s books while I was browsing. Of course, she had to use the bathroom at some point. When I asked the old lady if they had a restroom she asked me if I was a customer and buying books. She didn’t ask in a nice way either and could obviously see I had a small child with me who had to go pee. Why do you think I was in there in the first place? She finally let my daughter use the restroom, and I ended up buying the books I had in my hands just as a courtesy but I will never go in there again. That was my second experience with this cranky woman and frankly I don’t want to give her any more business.

I actually got a chance to stop in here and shop the last time I was in town. Mr. Crawford is still as informative, friendly, kind, and knowledgeable as ever. He still seems to personally know most people who come in, too.
The selection of rare books has definitely gotten smaller over the years, but we did find some genuine gems, at very good prices, too. Their cookbook section, in particular, is really tip-​top.
Meanwhile, I had an unpleasant reminder about something I’d forgotten – namely that Mrs. Crawford is a seriously cranky lady who is excessively paranoid about the books in her charge. When I was a kid she yelled at me one time for daring to venture out of the children’s book section. I remember relating this story to Mr. Crawford, years later, not realizing who she was. He immediately replied to me, «Oh, that’s just my wife, don’t mind her, she doesn’t mean any harm.» Not to the books, maybe.
This time, my husband took a photo with his phone of a book HE WAS ABOUT TO BUY and she harassed him for taking a picture without asking. It wasn’t even like she just said, «Please, no photos,» either – she walked up and interrogated him about why he was taking it, and then said, «Well, normally people at least ASK PERMISSION before they take pictures.» For the record, there are NO signs in the shop saying photos aren’t allowed.
If it hadn’t been for me, he would have immediately left and not bought anything. Fortunately, I talked him into buying the book after all, plus the Scottish (!!!) cookbook from the 60’s I’d found.
You will find great stuff in here. I highly recommend it. Be sure to strike up a conversation with the old man behind the counter – but don’t turn your back on his wife!

i picked up a book here the other day for a camping trip. it’s a smallish spot but they have a good selection of fiction. They have decent prices and they buy books.
The owner was very nice and knowledgable about the books i was looking into and gave me some great suggestions but for the most part left me alone to read the backs which is something i appreciate in book stores.

The sign outside says something pretentious like «J Crawford Used and Rare Books.» Don’t believe it; it’s basically a paperback exchange with mostly used romances and genre fiction. I would be surprised if there were more than 25 truly rare books in the place.
Mr. Crawford seemed to be happy when customers went home with books they liked. The woman working there, in contrast, seemed paranoid that anyone would get a good deal on anything; she’d rather lose a customer than a few dollars.
And prices weren’t that great, overall; you could do better ordering online, or going to one of Sacramento’s other decent used bookstores.

Small, but lots of books at good prices. I wouldn’t make a special trip, but luckily Ordulph O. travels the length & breadth of this great state frequently, so I shall be dropping by again in future.

On Saturday I called J Crawford’s Books to see if they had a used copy of Tim Russert’s «Big Russ and Me». The nice old lady on the phone told me, «Oh boy, we’ve been getting a lot of calls on that». She said she’d check if they still had one left. When she came back she told me to «hurry up and get there» because a lot of folks had been asking about it and there was only one left. Since we live nearby we walked on over and picked it up for 10 bucks. It was in mint condition. Old man Crawford was behind the counter and said, «it was sad to see such a young man go like that».
On Father’s Day I read all about Big Russ and his son, Tim. I loved the chapter where Tim works the garbage trucks with his dad. While reading the book I could almost hear Tim Russert telling the stories with his boyish enthusiasm. He’ll be missed.
If you’re ever looking for a particular book and don’t mind used… J Crawford’s is the place to go.

Oh boy, do I like this little place. It is so clean and organized and has many different sections filled with interesting finds.
Most books are half the cover price or less, which is reasonable since the books here are in great condition. They look like they’ve only been read once or twice, or [gasp!] not at all!
Many books are diasplayed on shelves to show their covers instead of just the spine. So many times I leave a bookstore with a crick in my neck but here, I just leave with a dent in my wallet.