Two Dollar Rare Bookstore in Cleveland
About a week ago, while on a quest both for a regular paycheck-sort-of job and for cool spots to check out in the Cleveland area, I stumbled upon a place called the Two Dollar Rare Book Store. This place totally rocks! Its sheer volume (or, more accurately, quantity of volumes) was quite impressive. And the treasures to be found among them by a diligent seeker was even more impressive. Add to this the fact that at least two thirds of all the books in the store are priced at two dollars or under ($2 for hardcovers and $1 for paperbacks). And even the rare books that are higher than two dollars are incredible bargains.
I was able to fill in a missing volume in my rare The Works of John Burroughs collection (XVII, The Summit of the Years, from 1913) for two dollars! Compare that to Amazon.com, where the best price I could find was $14.99. I also picked up a very nice, big, nearly brand new paperback of The Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge for a dollar. Other finds included Scattered Poems and Maggie Cassidy by Jack Kerouac, The Autobiography of William Carlos Williams, an apparently never read French/English edition of Guillaume Apollinaire's Alcools, a sturdy 1932 hardcover of Nine Plays by Eugene O'Neill, Rainer Maria Rilke's Duino Elegies and the Sonnets to Orpheus, a critical biography of Arthur Rimbaud by St. Aubyn, an awesome Chinese-English edition of the Tao Te Ching (in a translation I didn't already have, by Robert Henricks), a rare volume of poetry and art (called Negative Theater) by Ric Ocasek (of The Cars), and a Grove Press book called Wholly Communion that includes poems by Gregory Corso, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and others.
All in all, I was able to grab these twelve totally rockin' books for sixteen dollars, less than I would have paid for the Burroughs book alone on Amazon (after I figured in shipping and handling). Maybe not technically a "steal," but darned close.... And I would have bought a whole lot more if I'd have had more money and my home library wasn't already bursting at the seams.
I wish I would have taken a picture of the store - silly me, I didn't have my camera with me and I thought I'd be able to find a photo online. They don't have a website either. Nothing fancy perhaps, but lots of books, including lots of good books, and some the best prices I've ever seen.... You could spend a whole day in the place - and they're constantly getting "new" used books.
So if you live around here, or you're ever in the Cleveland area, please check 'em out. And tell owner Chris Uram that Jesus Crisis sent you. Maybe he'll hire me... lol.
Two Dollar Rare Bookstore
6820 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44103
(216) 881-1800
Here's someone else's review of the store (from 2001):
http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1169285
I was able to fill in a missing volume in my rare The Works of John Burroughs collection (XVII, The Summit of the Years, from 1913) for two dollars! Compare that to Amazon.com, where the best price I could find was $14.99. I also picked up a very nice, big, nearly brand new paperback of The Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge for a dollar. Other finds included Scattered Poems and Maggie Cassidy by Jack Kerouac, The Autobiography of William Carlos Williams, an apparently never read French/English edition of Guillaume Apollinaire's Alcools, a sturdy 1932 hardcover of Nine Plays by Eugene O'Neill, Rainer Maria Rilke's Duino Elegies and the Sonnets to Orpheus, a critical biography of Arthur Rimbaud by St. Aubyn, an awesome Chinese-English edition of the Tao Te Ching (in a translation I didn't already have, by Robert Henricks), a rare volume of poetry and art (called Negative Theater) by Ric Ocasek (of The Cars), and a Grove Press book called Wholly Communion that includes poems by Gregory Corso, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and others.
All in all, I was able to grab these twelve totally rockin' books for sixteen dollars, less than I would have paid for the Burroughs book alone on Amazon (after I figured in shipping and handling). Maybe not technically a "steal," but darned close.... And I would have bought a whole lot more if I'd have had more money and my home library wasn't already bursting at the seams.
I wish I would have taken a picture of the store - silly me, I didn't have my camera with me and I thought I'd be able to find a photo online. They don't have a website either. Nothing fancy perhaps, but lots of books, including lots of good books, and some the best prices I've ever seen.... You could spend a whole day in the place - and they're constantly getting "new" used books.
So if you live around here, or you're ever in the Cleveland area, please check 'em out. And tell owner Chris Uram that Jesus Crisis sent you. Maybe he'll hire me... lol.
Two Dollar Rare Bookstore
Cleveland, OH 44103
(216) 881-1800
Here's someone else's review of the store (from 2001):
http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1169285
I wish there was a place like that around here!! If there was one I bet hubby would ban me real fast from going to it. LOL We are running out of room for books he would need to build onto the house!
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weren't you just talking about clearing out your home? *laughing*
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Yup I was of toys & clothes
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whew! glad the books aren't part of that. i don't have kids at home, and i have 2 shelves of children's books.
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LOL... I know the feeling. I hadn't planned on buying anything - but then couldn't resist the deals. If I get any more, I'll have to move my books into our unfinished basement!
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copy this URL its the picture of the bookstore eye love you brother this is from my photobucket one of these should work for you to see it
http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc48/charlaxici/FrYdaY/?action=view¤t=958693582_480x360_close.jpg
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here is the fabel
http://poetrypoem.com/cgi-bin/index.pl?poemnumber=921943&sitename=charlax3&poemoffset=0&displaypoem=t&item=poetry
www.poetrypoem.com/charlax3
For my new friend Jesus Crisis. Please hire him. Eye used to smoose the streets of many cities and always looked for books eye sold the Trilogy of the Hobbit once for $1.85 cents. She said she wanted to give me two but was out of ready cash, and eye rally needed a quick fix, you knoe and eye will let it go at that. Eye am sober now.
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http://local.yahoo.com/details?id=15570485&open=photo#photo
you are immortal now
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Wow, bro! Thanks for the links, the photo, and the poetic immortalization. As you see, I've turned one of the links into the actual picture above I'm very grateful!
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Wow! I'm envious! That is another reason I miss Cleveland so much...
Which part of Euclid Ave. is that on? The next time I visit my sister, I would like to check it out.
Do they have a web site? Probably not, or you would have included it, I'm sure.
Thanks for the info! I'll tell my sister, perhaps she will check it out for me.
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They're on the corner of Euclid and E. 69th, not far from the Cleveland Clinic. Business had been bad for a while because of the seemingly endless construction - but now Euclid's open again, transformed into a beautiful boulevard (not unlike Shaker) including a new bike lane.
Thanks, Susan!
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Wow, I know where that is! I used to work at CCF! I will check it out when I visit Cleveland! Thanks! (just what I need is another book) LOL I've just been trying to get rid of some of mine!
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we found a great used book store in old town manassas a few weeks ago, but alas, they were a little bit more pricey than this one.
http://www.prosperosbooksva.com/
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Cool.... We were near there on vacation last summer, but didn't stop in Manassas. Next time....
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history guy didn't stop in manassas? that should be remedied.
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Criminal, isn't it? But there is too much history to see in Virginia in one trip, places like that give us a reason to return.
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i held my publication reading for ArtCrimes 20 there in 2002. great place to read. great place for books. but beware if you're female - the owner has groping hands and has molested at least one woman i know (and he did NOT know).
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Thanks, Smith!
I'm very sorry to hear that about the dude - he seemed quite nice. Interestingly enough, he also asked me if I was acquainted with ArtCrimes (without even knowing that I know you - all I had asked was where the poetry section was). He says no longer does readings there - and I told him I'd like to see it happen and get involved.
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Bibliophile guy can get free rare books here. I have too many that I don't read any more. Could you use a job in a library? There is a new one going up at your old Alma Mater, LCCC. President Church is a long time friend of mine. Also you met the head librarian, Darren McDonough, at the Spectrum meeting when he helped you set up your video for projection. Someone needs to give you a break and it might be in a library. Maybe start as a volunteer? Who knows what the future might bring to an innocent man who loves books? Have you thought of applying for a scholarship for the Kent State M.A. in Library Science at LCCC? You have the prerequisite B.A. from Ohio University now. I know I just keep bugging you about these things but I hate to see a mind such as yours go to waste. lol
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I agree Elena! He has such a superior mind and to not be able to do something for the good of himself and others would be such a waste. JC is a natural, and just seems to soak up knowledge like a sponge.
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Thanks, Elena! Tried the library route already, a couple of years ago. They didn't hire me, and when I offered to volunteer, they said something about utilizing the students before anyone else. That I'm an alumnus didn't seem to matter.
And there are no scholarships available to me. If I was a minority, they said, I'd have a better chance.
Job or not, I have no intention of letting my mind go to waste.
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Oh dear, I didn't mean to imply that you are wasting your mind. I didn't say it correctly. What I meant was, it would be a shame if you weren't able to share your knowledge with as many as possible because they will have missed out. I think you are a natural born educator.
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Thanks, Susan! I didn't think you were implying that. I guess one of my worst fears is that I will waste it, as I have sometimes done. So I guess I was primarily reiterating to myself my resolution not to waste it, more than I was trying to convince you or Elena.
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Well all I can say next time I 'm in town to visit.. if ever... I want to go to this place... Maybe Helen will take me...
My one major weakness is a good book... I am very unprejudiced when it comes to books..LOL...Evidenced by the growing pile next to my desk and the book shelf space that has long disappeared.
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Cool.... Maybe we'll go with you.
Thanks, Chris!
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Y'all come back, hear? I'll have a barbecue party on my deck for you. And we can share all the books. I have a library that needs weeding out.
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I am definitely bookmarking it.
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