Alias Books

An excellent place to pick up high quality used books. This shop curates for the high minded, for the design oriented, and for the slightly perverted! I love it and shop here often. Great place to sell or trade in books as well.

I ended up here on an accident but I needed books nonetheless. I purchased 4 books that should have come to 27 but the ever so mathematician at the register said let’s make it an even 30. LMAO it’s Christmas and the book without a price was to be 5 bucks, ended up being 8, Oh well. If you are looking for a wide selection this isn’t the place but if you just want something old to read, check it out.

Great place to browse. The owner is very selective so everything is in good condition, lots of uncommon titles and rare finds. I’ve been coming here for years, usually just to see what new books have come in since my last visit. Everyone who works here is friendly and approachable. Many interesting conversations overheard here, which is one of the intangible bonuses of a neighborhood used bookstore.

I should have read the reviews before I visited this bookstore. I had some time to kill in Little Osaka and thought I would check this place out. First, the young woman with long light brownish hair was so not pleasant (i.e. had a badittude= bad attitude). When I walked in the store she was on the phone and she really needs a class on phone etiquette. Once she was off the phone she completely ignored me, and I was the only person in this tiny store. I actually was going to buy books from here because it’s an independent store, but that woman was unbearable and I decided I am spending my money at a less pretentious place.
Hmmm maybe she needed a snickers bar.

I had a friend visiting from the bay area who loves books, so I brought him here. BIG MISTAKE. The young woman in the counter gave an unfriendly vibe from the very beginning. My friend and I both noted feeling «watched.» Then, when we exited and headed to our car, another woman SCREAMED at us through the window, «Parking is for customers only!” – even when we had been browsing all along. In addition, the selection was poor, and the prices were not marked. If you’re looking for a bookstore in town, I would try Sideshow on Idaho or Hennessey + Ingalls on Wilshire.

I love books and indie bookstores, I support them each time I can, shop, spread the word, etc.
I gave this place a few chances, stopped by when in Santa Monica. They’re lucky with their location near Nuart and Cinefile.
The selection is very poor, they barely have any books for sale, some titles are very outdated. Prices are high, but even if I wouldn’t mind paying, you have to find something you want first.
Customer service is horrible. Each time I came in, the guy behind the counter was talking either on the phone and/​or with another dude who was hanging around. If you have a question, you feel like you interrupt their conversation and the sales guy is very bitchy and snooty.
If you bring books for sale, don’t bother, they don’t take anything, even if their shelves are half empty.
I know how hard it’s for great bookstores to survive, some couldn’t, so I wonder how they can keep it going with that type of behavior.

This place is a neighborhood gem! The owner of the store is super friendly and will help you find what you’re looking for. I came out with two books for $ 10 and they were wonderful reads.

Stumbled in there to look for a specific book title and overheard one of the employees use a racial slur to describe people of Arab descent. I always try to support independent bookstores, but I won’t be coming back to this one.

The last of the Mohicans! This place deserves the business of every L.A. Book Lover. They are kind, professional, knowledgeable and highly literary in their curated inventory. Drop by and buy a book or three or five.

I was fairly disappointed with the selection and price, which, for me, are the two most important characteristics of a used bookstore. Due to the small number and eclectic selection of books on the shelves (compared to most other used books stores), this isn’t really an ideal place to browse. Nor is it an ideal place to save money on books, because, of the few that they carry, most are expensive (again, compared to other used book sellers).
Unless I strikeout at Sideshow down the street, or I’m looking for a coffee table book from the 1970s, I won’t be coming back.

Very nice and friendly staff!
Awesome little place, definitely worth checking out for some rare and hidden gems.

I will die if they close! They are very well organized and have more that you would think, lots of art books and zero crap books. Very well curated selection, I wish I could live here.

Slightly on the pricier side for a used bookstore, but I guess that should have been expected at it’s location. It’s also fairly small. Nonetheless it’s one of the only bookstores in the area so I am thankful for its existence.

The lady is very friendly and I got a book for $ 10 that Amazon and Barnes & Noble are selling for $ 23. Whoop! Whoop!

A really great, clean bookstore. Refreshing from the usual used bookstore where there are few treasures surrounded by used crap. There’s a really great selection here, you can tell they don’t just take any books. Totally recommend.

Junk is kept to a minimum which is nice. I’ve been in twice and have found titles pop out at me that have recently been on my mind so points for that. For a person like me that checks out the local bookstores first thing coming to another city, this was definitely a good find.

A bit pricy for a used book store but the selection is exceptional, the books very well organized and the owner/​shopkeeper is super helpful. Often good stuff in the cookbooks section and the children’s books selection is topnotch (though not the best deal). Generally some very good analytic philosophy.

I look forward to popping in here every time I’m in the neighborhood– really, really, well curated used/​vintage book store with a mix of classics, academic press stuff, art books etc. I always find books to buy here and the staff is really laid back/​chilled out. Don’t bring your s***** paperbacks into sell though, they only deal in quality.

I had a box load of books ready for goodwill, and thought I’d try alias to see if any of them were worth anything. The girl working sorted through the box and picked out a few, and offered me a few dollars for them all. I wasn’t expecting much and was happy to get anything really. At my request she also looked up and confirmed that one of the books was first edition and probably worth quite a bit more than they could offer me for it, which I in turn sold for $ 10 on eBay.

It smells like the 60s in here… and I think I like it. I went in, bought a book for $ 6, can’t complain! I should read more books in print…

I came in here to sell some books, and found the owner and another person (possibly the other owner?) chatting it up at a desk in the larger room of the store. They said hello and immediately continued their conversation.
But I wasn’t there to wander off and browse. I wanted to sell my books. So I stood in front of them at the desk, where presumably, I could do that.
I assumed maybe the owner was helping the man, or they were just finishing up a really interesting chat (something about psychosomatics, I recall). So I stood there, trying to avert my eyes and not be a snippy, demanding Angeleno. I mean hey, it’s a small bookstore; people like to shoot the shit. But it was clear that I wasn’t moving, and I didn’t want to browse; I was just AWKWARDLY STANDING THERE.
It literally took about 2 minutes for them to finally pause long enough to make eye contact with me and let me interject with, «I’m sorry to interrupt… is this where I can sell my books?»
So they bought a few of the books I had.
And then it was over and I finally got to leave.