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Helene's Downtown Madison Bookstore Crawl

Madison is a book collector's dream. Within a few blocks of the Capitol Square are some of the finest used bookstores and independent booksellers that you will find anywhere. You'll never settle for a Barnes and Noble again. Here is a guided tour from someone who visits them regularly.

Heading from Monona Terrace, go clockwise around the Capitol Square. At 18 N. Carroll you come to SHAKESPEARE'S BOOKS, its cavernous interior filled with an almost overwhelming collection of used books in all categories. If you're willing to dig, you can probably find that long out of print obscure title you've been hunting for here.

Next head down State Street. At 109 State Street (on your left) is BOOKWORKS, my favorite used bookstore. It's owned by the son of our (now retired) campus library book preservationist, so many books are lovingly repaired. Good selection of vintage mysteries.

Next take a short detour off State by turning left on Johnson Street. On that first block you come to A ROOM OF ONE'S OWN, 307 W. Johnson, a feminist bookstore with an excellent selection of fiction and nonfiction as well as music CDs, calendars and postcards and children's books.

Head back to State St. In the next block on your right is MORE BOOKS!, 310 State St, a used book store specializing in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mysteries.

Time for another short detour. Turn left on Gorham St. and you come to CANTERBURY BOOKSELLERS, 315 W. Gorham, a bookstore that looks and feels like a bookstore should. Savor those hardwood shelves packed with the store's speciality, literary fiction, but also plenty of nonfiction, children's books, and literary magazines.

Back again to State St. and turn left on Gilman. On your right is RAINBOW BOOKSTORE COOP, 426 W. Gilman. The term "right" is for directional purposes only because this is a radical leftist bookstore. Find your Noam Chomskys and Howard Zinns here.

Head back towards State St on Gilman but stay on Gilman as you cross State to get to AVOL'S BOOKSTORE, 240 W. Gilman, another used book store with a good selection of nonfiction and literary fiction.

Return to State St. and go two blocks until you reach PAUL'S BOOK STORE, 670 State St, on your right. This is the grandaddy of all used book stores on State St and wears its mantle well. A fine selection of fiction and nonfiction plus, if you're lucky, the owner's Yellow Lab will be there to greet you.

And now you've come to the end of the crawl. Fortunately, there are plenty of recommended coffee shops and restaurants to fortify you on your way back up State St to Monona Terrace.

NOTE: a bit further afield at 2701 University Avenue, is BOOKED FOR MURDER, specializing in mysteries, including a good selection of British imports.

Helene Androski

Helene Androski is a reference/instruction librarian for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Memorial Library and a hopeless bookworm. Besides buying books, she feeds her addiction by participating in the Wisconsin Library Association's Literary Awards Committee and Readers Section, by teaching a History and Mystery class for UW-Extension each Spring, and by compiling mystery reading lists that have been posted on the Tangled Web UK and UW Women's Studies web sites.