Old Stories

A never-ending used-book store, with hidden bargains

ust across the street from the St. Mary’s T stop, little noticed among trendy restaurants and bars, the Boston Book Annex holds a hidden gem deep in its maze of aisles: a room devoted to bargain books that includes a selection of fine, rare, and unusual volumes on topics ranging from Shakespeare to the insects of Hong Kong, most for between one and three bucks. In all, this unexpectedly expansive used-book store has 100,000 books—some in worn leather, many with that distinctive smell of dusty, aged literature, and all looked after by the two resident cats. There’s a second location in Jamaica Plain called the Boston Book Company with rare books only. Arpie

Shhhh! On nice days, be sure to
browse the separate bargain racks outside.

Shhhh! The Book Annex also buys books,
and has an appraisal service.

Shhhh! Don’t have time to stop by the store?
You can check out the entire inventory online.

Shhhh! Owners Charles Vilnis and Helen Kelly
are an expert in the field of Japanese printing
and a former governor of the Antiquarian Bookseller’s Association of America, respectively.

Shhh who knew

Do some of the books in the Boston Book Annex look familiar? That's because the store supplies the books used on the sets of many of the movies and TV shows shot in Boston.