Used Book Stores in San Antonio, TX

Cafe Society
1

I will be traveling to San Antonio, TX at the end of August and would like to know if there are any good or recommend used book stores for that city. I will have a morning and mid afternoon to myself to explore. Are there any used book stores better than others?

For this trip, I’d probably be most interested in stock of older paperbacks, mystery and science fiction and et al genre fiction, but if there are prospects for quality and rare books, my interest might be peeked.

I’ll be staying a few blocks from the Alamo and will have access to a rental car.

2

This is a matter of opinion and about books (sort of), so I’ll move this thread to Cafe Society.

bibliophage
moderator GQ

3

There are a few Half Price book stores in San Antonio. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is at in the shopping center at the South West side of the 410/San Pedro interchange.

4

There are four Half Price Books, actually. Two are fairly easy to find, over on west Loop 410, with big honkin’ signs, right off the loop. One is on Broadway, just down from the Witte Museum (Cheever Books is also quite close, right there on Broadway, and is also an excellent used bookstore).

5

I like the Half-Price Books at 3207 Broadway the best. It is also fairly close to downtown (Just N of the Mulberry intersection on the left hand side if you are going N) . It is an old two story kinda rambling building with quite a lot of books by SA standards. I find the staff to be helpful if they are not too busy.

A few steps away is the Antiquarian Book Mart on 3127 Broadway. It is a converted house with rooms of books. It is a little musty and the employees are a little wierd (by my standards, you may think that they are really cool!), but a fun place to look around.

A great place to grab a sandwich and read your books after you purchase them is the WD Deli, just a few steps away from the bookstores. It is the type of place you can just hang out for a while (it is not always quiet though). If you are feeling like more even more books- Cheever books is down the street at 3613 Broadway.

6

Quite true, but it can be tricky to find if you don’t know where it is. Get someone local to point you at the Witte Museum, or check for it on a local map; the Witte’s the closest major focal point, I think.

7

Thanks Rincewind, chriscya and Wang-Ka. Half Price, Antiquarian, and Cheever Books look like just the ticket. The Deli might be good for lunch, too.

Is there any particular order to visit the stores in. I know where I live that some stores will price the books higher for the same age and condition. Price isn’t all that important, but it is always fun to see how cheaply a book can be bought.

I’ll also be in Fredericksburg for two nights and, maybe, an afternoon in Austen. So if you know of any good book stores in those towns, please let me know.

8

Oh, for potato’s sake… Austin is lousy with excellent bookstores, used and otherwise. Very bohemian town. They don’t TRUST ordinary bookstores, although they tolerate places like Barnes & Noble, just to get decent sports magazines in a timely fashion. Just check the Yellow Pages, and take your choice; there are QUITE a few to choose from, ALL OVER town.

I don’t recall much in the way of used bookstores in Fredericksburg, but they do have a couple of non-used bookstores, as well as lots of great touristy ways to separate you from your money. Take a walk down the drag while you’re there.

If you’re on IH-35 between San Antonio and Austin, there’s also a Half Price Books in San Marcos, which is right between the two towns; I point it out because it’s right on the highway, right off the Bastrop exit. Not all Half Price outlets carry the same selection of books, so if you’re a real used book fiend, I’d hit 'em all.

Cheever’s, as I recall, is largely a one-man operation, whereas Half Price is a chain. Half Price carries largely stuff dumped by the publishers, as well as stuff customers wander in with (they pay cash for used books, CDs, DVDs, videos, and software!) so their rare books selection isn’t quite as good as Cheever’s… but their prices are comparable.

The Antiquarian Book Mart is right next door to Half Price, and in COMPETITION with it, so their selection isn’t quite as good, and their prices tend to be a bit higher. Don’t let this discourage you, as their selection is still worth investigating, and their prices still low enough to tempt.

Oh, yeah – the Broadway Half Price location has the Rare Book Annex out back, too. If you’re looking for old, out of print stuff, I’d check it out. It ain’t cheap, though.