Independent Bookstores in Washington, DC
Local Booksellers in the Capital Cater to Diverse Interests
Nov 13, 2009
Sure, you can visit a Borders or a Barnes & Noble in Washington. But why would you, when the nation’s capital has a lively indie bookstore scene?
Best Bookstores for Browsing and Meeting
Three local bookstores offer excellent selections of books in diverse fields, and their attached eateries are popular rendezvous spots.
- Politics and Prose, at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, is the largest independent bookstore in Washington, with a loyal following. It’s known for a knowledgeable, attentive staff. The bookstore hosts frequent book signings and a dozen or so book groups, with a comfortable coffeehouse in the basement. The children’s book section is the best in DC.
- Busboys and Poets, at 2021 14th Street NW in the U Street neighborhood, bills itself a “restaurant, bookstore, and gathering place where people can discuss issues of social justice and peace.” The bookstore, run by the nonprofit Teaching for Change, offers an interesting selection of progressive books. Community events take place on the stage in the Langston Room under a handpainted mural depicting revolutionary figures past and present.
- Kramerbooks & Afterwords Café has been at its Dupont Circle location, 1517 Connecticut Avenue NW, since 1976. It’s a favorite for late-evening browsing and snacking, open until 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and all night on Friday and Saturday.
Secondhand, Out-of-Print, and Rare Books
Also near Dupont Circle, at 2000 P Street NW, Second Story Books sells a wide selection of used, out-of-print, and rare books. In the Adams-Morgan neighborhood, Idle Time has three levels of secondhand books in a cozy townhouse at 2467 18th Street NW.
Capitol Hill Books, at 657 C Street SE, offers used books, first editions, and rare books. Riverby Books, at 417 East Capitol Street, focuses on local Washington history and literature.
Foreign Language Books
Tempo Book Distributors, at 4905 Wisconsin Avenue NW, specializes in books, dictionaries, audiovisual materials, and other resources for teaching and learning foreign languages, including English as a second language.
Presse Bookstore, at 1614 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Georgetown, sells an eclectic collection of books, music, and films from cultures around the world. It also hosts Spanish and French conversation groups.
Scientific and Technical Books
Reiter’s, at 1990 K Street NW, specializes in scientific, technical, and professional books. The Bookstore of the National Academies, at 500 5th Street NW, carries a wide selection of books in the sciences. InfoShop, the World Bank bookstore at 701 18th Street NW, stocks books on international development and global issues.
Art Books
Bookstores in many of the Smithsonian museums offer beautifully illustrated volumes on art, culture, and history. The stores in the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Hirshhorn will especially please art book lovers.
Poetry Books
Bridge Street Books, at 2814 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, is the place for poetry. It also has books in areas such as philosophy, politics, cultural theory, and women’s studies.
Christian Books
Newman Bookstore, at 3025 4th Street NE near Catholic University, is one of the largest sellers of Catholic books in the country. It specializes in books on theology, philosophy, scripture, Church history, and liturgy.
For those whose spiritual journey is outside the institutional church, The Potter’s House, at 1658 Columbia Road NW in Adams Morgan, offers books and fair trade crafts. The bookstore-restaurant is one of the activist ministries of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour, which also provides jobs, housing, and health care in inner-city DC.
African and African-American Books
Sankofa Video and Bookstore, at 2714 Georgia Avenue NW near Howard University, offers literature and films “by and about people of the Third World and its diaspora.” The space includes an art gallery and café and hosts community events such as film screenings and book signings.
Gay and Lesbian Books
Lambda Rising, at 1625 Connecticut Avenue NW near Dupont Circle, is the premier gay and lesbian bookstore in DC. It offers a large selection of GLBTQ literature and entertainment and also serves as a community resource to “support nonprofits, performers, authors, and youth, encourage communication, and fight discrimination.”
Gone, but Not Forgotten
As the chains continue their march across the retail landscape, many of Washington’s once-thriving independent bookstores have closed their doors. Let us pause for a moment to remember Chapters Literary Bookstore, Cheshire Cat, Common Concerns, Karibu Books, Mystery Books, Olsson’s Books and Records, Revolution Books, Trover Books, and Vertigo Books. Read in peace.
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