Best of Boston

Best Bookstore

2004 Best Bookstore

Brookline Booksmith

Brookline
Everything from the aroma of newly bound books down to the creaky wooden floor makes Brookline Booksmith a cherished local institution. Its extensive selection ranges [...] read more»
2004 Best Bookstore, Cape Cod

The Brewster Book Store

Brewster
Don't let the genteel nature of this shop, run by a pair of friendly sisters-in-law, mislead you: It has a large selection and a knowledgeable [...] read more»
2003 Best Bookstore

Harvard Book Store

Cambridge
The Boston area is blessed with several world-class independent bookstores, all of them vibrant proof that the megachains are soulless vampires, slaves to the mass-market [...] read more»
2002 Best Bookstore, West

New England Mobile Book Fair

Newton
The up-and-comer in this category is the nearly four-year-old Newtonville Books, but while that otherwise admirable small shop considers its lack of organization quaint and [...] read more»
2002 Best Bookstore, Children's

Children’s Book Shop

Brookline Village
Our first choice for children's books is your local public library. That said, this wee shop in Brookline is a close second for its thoughtful [...] read more»
2002 Best Bookstore

Harvard Book Store

Cambridge
Just can't find that book you want? They'll almost certainly have it here. One of the last of Harvard Square's great independent bookstores, the Harvard [...] read more»
2001 Best Bookstore, West

New England Mobile Book Fair

Newton
Inside this family-run warehouse are miles of floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with almost any book you desire. Even better, the staff not only finds what you're [...] read more»
2001 Best Bookstore

Brookline Booksmith

Brookline
As megachains and the Internet continue their assault on small retailers, we give thanks to every independent bookshop still out there fighting the good fight. [...] read more»
2001 Best Bookstore, Specialty

Kate’s Mystery Books

Cambridge
Except for the rock tunes that blare from the speakers, this little shop of horrors seems right out of a WGBH Mystery! episode, with its [...] read more»
2000 Best Bookstore

Tie: Brookline Booksmith; New England Mobile Book Fair

Brookline; Newton
Even with so many local book shops sadly fallen victim to the megachains and the Internet, we still are blessed with two independents, very different [...] read more»