Subterranean Books

Subterranean is a fantastic bookstore! As a small, local shop, their collection isn’t large, but what they have is fantastic. I especially love the handwritten recommendations.

Every time I’m strolling The Loop, I pop in to Subterranean Books, if only for a few minutes. This indie bookstore is warm and intimate, with a well-​curated selection.
It’s a pretty snug store, and navigating the narrow aisles are awkward when crowded. However, I like that the space is small – it’s not overwhelming or impersonal. In the age of iBooks, Amazon, and e-​readers, local bookstore needs to stay human-​scaled. Staff recommendations are posted right on the shelves, and I know I could ask the friendly attendants for help if I were to need it. It’s unfortunate that there’s no place to sit, but I suppose the management is trying to maximize retail space.
The collection is relevant and features a few books on local history. If I lived closer or if there was a branch opened in my neighborhood, I would certainly visit more often.

This is the cutest little bookstore ever on the loop. It’s just tucked behind a bunch of different restaurants. However, it’s definitely worth speaking out. They have this gorgeous little reading area upstairs. Definitely makes me want to curl up with a new book and a pot of tea. Highly recommend this place.
Their selection is somewhat limited compared to mainstream stores. However, they carry so many other selections you just cannot find anywhere else. I found quite a few interesting reads for one of my English classes. The prices are fairly comparable to other stores. Best part though? Some of the books they have are autographed by the author! Nice little way to build up a great collection.

Every time i come to this wonderful place I never fail to leave satisfied. They have a great selection of books, of every genre. The workers are so helpful and nice as well and always have great recommendations. Their prices are like every other book store, not lower or higher. Great location too!

Really neat selection of titles, some really unique books too. My partner picked up a neat picture book on information trees. The staff are very nice, too. Definitely a gem in the Loop.

I always look a good book, and I had some time to waste before I went to the movies. A book store always catches my attention. This place had some different titles of books. They are very big on books on St Louis, also a big erotica section. I love the book blurbs with the scratchy handwriting.

My husband and I wandered into this shop while we were in town for a wedding and I fell completely in love. Very cute and very well curated. There were tons of books that I wanted to buy right then and there. It was hard for both of us to leave. Hope to get back someday.

Found an amazing series because the owner writes little tid bits about books she likes. Really helps! Very welcoming and awesome place.

Great book store on the Delmar loop!
This is the type of book store I love, a nice eclectic selection, not huge, and a very nice staff member who would order anything you need that you could not find in the store! Super clean, and very in order!
They even sell RAYGUN t-​shirts as a Des Moines boy I dug that!

This bookshop on Delmar Blvd sells new books, although when I walked in I was expecting a used book shop. Inside, Subterranean is precisely as a book shop should be; clean, orderly, the smell of new tomes and their implied adventures immediate and pervasive.
There is still a place in my world for new bookshops, but in the age of Amazon their role has shifted just slightly to the service and taste/​selection aspect, and for my tastes, I found Subterranean well curated.
The American history section pushed all the right buttons with me, as did their holdings in music/​music criticism. I found a book on Neutral Milk Hotel that is in my Amazon wish list.
Conversation with the clerk was gracious and helpful, and she helped me turn a purchase into a nice, impromptu gift for the friend who was hosting our St. Louis visit.

As much as I love independent bookstores and enjoy shopping in the Loop, Subterranean Books isn’t one of my favorites. It’s small, which I don’t mind, except that it is full of books I don’t want to buy.
My first purchase here — a local history book — was after some half-​dozen visits over the last 12 years. Your experience may be better. Small bookstores need the support, so I hope it is.

Subterranean Books is a great small book store in the loop. It won’t carry anything and everything you are wanting but fills it’s limited space with some of the best and most recent selection. It has a cozy feel and invites you to browse! Highlights include the local interest section, the upstairs section, the little staff picks and write-​ups on their favorite books. Yes, you may find what you are looking for a bit cheaper and more conveniently off amazon, but support a local business. Celebrate this little shop because it has a great selection in a wonderful neighborhood.

Wonderful, truly independent bookstore. Nice, small, well chosen kids collection.
New non-​fiction is also reliably good.
History section kinda sucks. Would be great if there were more interesting picks. Nothing surprises. A lot of it’s schlocky pop stuff. (I’d be happy to advise).
Fiction is ok, but not terribly comprehensive.
Nice atmosphere.
Really, really wish there were chairs. I guess they’re afraid of «unwanted guests» hanging around. Believe it or not, guys, most of the great bookstores in the world have dealt with this problem.

This is a cute little indie book store. It has books all the way up its walls (kinda makes me want to JUMP to reach them or climb put a side ladder and SWING the way belle does in beauty and the beast during the opening song)
I came here with my boyfriend when his friend published a book and was doing a reading. There is a really cute upstairs section. During the reading, the bookshelves got shoved to the sides and chairs were placed in a few rows. It was a nice small-​group setting for a book reading.
Afterwards, I browsed the downstairs and found a present for a friend! There were these cool punch-​out robot paper crafts that were perfect for my robot obsessed friend.
I like indie book stores and this one is no exception.

This is a great independently-​owned bookstore, but I think they need a store cat like Left Bank. I also think Salinger rolls over in his grave every time someone buys a Catcher in the Rye teeshirt. TOTALLY trust the employee recommendations. The workers here are real readers. I hadn’t heard of Junot Diaz before shopping here.

I went to this place frequently when attending school in St. Louis, and I have mixed feelings about the store. It’s great that there are still small bookstores like these around, and while I enjoyed browsing and getting lost in great books, I think this store could use improvement in a lot of ways.
The positives of the store deserve mention. I really like the unique interior; the first floor features mainly fiction titles, while a narrow staircase leads one up to the nonfiction section. There’s a distinct feeling of coziness that the small space gives off. The selection of books offered is diverse and ample, and I discovered plenty of fascinating authors while shopping here. The employees are nice and leave you free to browse and explore the books, and one part of the store features staff recommendations for what to buy and read. Subterranean Books also has a terrific website that I had a fun time going on. As for what needs improvement…
1. I noticed that quite a few of the books on the shelves already had some damage. Bent spines, ripped dust jackets, folded covers and pages, and color that was chipping away really upset me and I avoided buying some books because of the damage I saw. I’m disappointed that the store hasn’t taken better care of their products. A number of books are displayed in a way that they become distorted. I’m surprised that the store has been so careless with brand new books.
2. As I said before, the employees are nice, but not really friendly or helpful. I keep hearing about how independent bookstores offer a level of service and warmth that big businesses like Barnes and Noble don’t possess, but I’ve encountered far friendlier folks at my local Barnes and Noble than at Subterranean Books.
3. This is because I’m extremely allergic to spending lots of money, but I think the prices could be cheaper. While it feels good to support small businesses like this one, bigger booksellers still offer better deals and promotions, and that’s why I’m not in a rush to shop at independent bookstores like Subterranean. I’m aware that it’s rough to stay in business when competing with big companies, but when comparing books sold at this store with books sold on Amazon or Barnes and Noble, the big companies will save me a lot more money.

Subterranean Books is really everything you’d want in an independent bookstore – a perfect location on Delmar in the Loop, well-​organized sections with small but quality selections of books, and a quaint space complete with tight aisles and creaky stairs to an upper floor. The best part is that the staff creates hand-​written recommendations on featured books, which is a perfect way to find a new read you might not have noticed otherwise. With e-​Readers changing the whole reading landscape I really hope that there will still be demand for independent, personal stores like this to continue.

I’m partial to Prospero’s in Kansas City, but the name Subterranean Books caught my eye while walking down the Delmar Loop. Very wee little beat shop, with narrow aisles, but full of books upstairs and downstairs. I’m sure the store is named after the Jack Kerouac book The Subterraneans.
There were other people in the shop, kind of hard to walk through the aisles. I wanted the place to myself. Another place on the Delmar Loop I want to spend some time in… all to myself, and I probably won’t get that. I was tempted today to just start searching, for what book, I didn’t know.
From the small window display to the inner stacks of books, I could’ve spent alot of time in there. I like little stores with tons of books. I did manage to look for my favorite writer’s books, I didn’t see any, but with the Ice Carnival going on, I may have missed it. This is a really cool place for the Delmar Loop. The store carries with it a certain felt vibe. And I like that.

pretty neat place to check out. I like the set up. Some books up and downstairs.
There are LOTS of books to choose from and there are plenty of suggestions if you are at a loss for what to read! Check it out.

Great little bookstore, they carry some off the wall titles that make them in class of their own.
I love the little section that has books on local neighborhoods, restaurants and history of St. Louis. Another thing I found very helpful were the shelf talkers that gave blurbs and recommendations on books. Also, look for bookmarks sticking out of the books, it means that it is autographed by the author.