The Last Word Bookshop

Leander, Aish and I had a great time meeting Lester (cat) and Phil (human) this evening! This bookstore has a phenomenal ambiance and great prices. We didn’t come in looking for anything in particular, but it was so easy to find stuff to capture our collective attention. I came home with a nifty book about Judaism and ethnicity (as well as a present for my parents, but shh, don’t tell them), and Leander and Aish both found books to suit their interests, as well. I love that there are books stacked everywhere. It looks a little disorganized, but it’s actually meticulously alphabetized. Can’t find the author you’re looking for? Check the floor — all of the «A“s in the Sci Fi & Fantasy section are lined up neatly by the foot of the shelf! I felt so comfortable in this store searching around and conversing with Phil. Lester even ate out of my hand. Stopping in here was an excellent decision.

The Last Word if one of your old school, no frills bookshops where piles of books are scattered on the floors, chairs and pretty much wherever they fit. I love the feeling of places like this and I only wish I had all the time in the world to browse the aisles (because that’s seriously how long it would take).
Organization is definitely lacking, but I tend to like it that way because it forces me to comb through the stacks and discover something new.
Some of the prices are a bit steep for used books, but still less expensive than you would find at most places. Definitely worth the look if you’re in the area.

A pretty good store to find something to read without paying the nutty Penn Bookstore prices. A good place to browse, but the organization is a little lacking. Employees are nice enough, but don’t expect any handholding.
The one nitpicky thing about this place is that prices seem a bit high for used books. I found a book I really wanted and noticed it was a misprint and was missing a good chunk of the index (this was kind of important since I wanted this as a reference book). When I pointed this out to the cashier, he said «take it or leave it». Expect to pay about $ 7 for paperbacks and $ 13 for hardcover. Not outrageous, but still, these are used books.

Lester the cat is awesome. He tends to wander around the book store, or sleep in the front of the store on one of the chairs. Very friendly cat. I’ve found myself sitting on a stool in one of the aisles getting lost in the random assortment of books that they have here. It’s a really quiet shop with a nice homey feel to it. They get a steady stream of books from college students in the area, so you’ll never know what you will find on the shelves. Although their pricing is not comparable to amazon at all, it’s always nice to sit down here and sample some of the books before buying.

Super fun and quirky store. Had a blast just rolling around and exploring the different shelves. There was even a store cat when I was there.

i believe i have been patronizing these guys since i was a youthful lad, newly landed penn freshman in ’98 when, if memory serves, they were on walnut? they have since expanded, and i have since traveled far and wide, and one of my things is to check out bookstores, and (perhaps i’m locally biased but) i honestly think this place ranks in my top two bookstores of all time. the winner, for those wondering, was in Instanbul and was pretty damn awesome; its location shall be left as an exercise for the reader, lol…
this place is what a bookstore should be. it is overflowing with books, piles of them everywhere, just the right amount of organized chaos. look closer, each book is a quality title, well-​selected. there is no filler on these shelves. i go in looking for something to read over lunch, and leave w six books, not sure which one to open first.
prices are still pretty good. maybe i’m nostalgic and yearn for the good ‘olé days, but i felt they used to be downright cheap. inflation, i suppose… still well worth the quality.
in short, you guys rock! another west-​philly locale to be proud of. =)

Sometimes it’s hard for me to buy hardcover books because I have an eReader. But I miss not having to close a book when I’m on an airplane and it’s about to take off. Or when I’m taking one of those bubble baths where a splash of water on my eReader could ruin my whole relaxed mood. Enter, the used bookstore.
Many students off load off their books at the store so it’s always funny for me to see 20 copies of a particular random novel. And while it’s obviously hit or miss whether or not you’ll find the actual book you’re looking for (i.e. more recent «popular» titles), it’s worth trolling the aisles. You’ll more than likely find something off your list. I recently purchased Night by Elie Wiesel, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, and The Girl Who Fell From The Sky by Heidi Durrow.
Elite tip: I find that most «new» books are found on the counter by the cash register. Like Hunger Games, or other series that are in the movie theaters. I head there first, then begin to look in aisles arranged by genre and author.
If I had more free time I would volunteer here. Create a database for them so that they could enter/​scan titles into the database so it would be searchable online. If you want to start it, I’ll help you!

One of my favorite spots in Philly. I’ve spent the past year and a half happily bulking up my personal «library» with books from Last Word. The expansive fiction section has a fantastic range of classic & contemporary, American & international authors. Every time I visit, I find several purchase-​worthy books – and the prices are affordable, even to this broke grad student.

If there ever was a store in need of more space it would be this one. It’s overloaded with great books. With more space a different layout would provide a place where book lovers could interact as well as serve as a place for literary discussion.
What I like about The Last Word Bookshop is that I never know what I will find in here so the rush from discovering something of value that belonged to someone else is grand. They have many out of print books that Barnes and Nobles may not have a stock.
What I really like about this shop is that The man at the counter is always reading; he’s so engaged in his book that he may not acknowledge you on the way in or out… The Way a Book Store Should Be! His curly hair is Nice too.

I wander in to a lot of bookstores and never buy a thing. I was afraid, when I visited Last Word in October, that I did not have enough cash to buy or strength to carry all of the treasures I found there. Many second-​hand stores have a bookstore cat, but who has unknown novels by Chester Himes, George S. Vierck, and Achmed Abdullah? I could have browsed in that store, a booklover’s paradise for days. Although I live hundreds of miles away, I will be back to Last Words soon.

I hope this bookstore stays here FOREVER. As soon as you walk in, the owner is either reading, stocking books, or. reading lol, and the random cat walking around and inviting chairs throughout the store make you feel like you;re not forced to buy a book. Sometimes they stay open later than 10pm which is very cool. Sometimes I go in this store just for some inspiration or to find a book I don;t want to pay full price for.

Amazing used bookstore, friendly and helpful staff. They could use a little more space for their fantastic collection. They allowed a friend in Chicago to call in a gift card for me and kept my credit on file for when I visited. I picked up a treasure trove of Tariq Ali, Chomsky, and Oscar Wilde.

This place is absolutely amazing. I am a foreign language and philosophy enthusiast and whenever I traipse into this place I always stumble upon a gem or two. On my last visit there a few days ago, I found an old copy of Discours de la Methode by Descartes as well as 3 collections of plays by Voltaire, Sartre, and Camus. Not only was that an awesome find, but all of it came to a mere $ 26. Another gem I came upon on a previous trip was Clouds by Aristophanes for only a few dollars. In other words, if you’re looking for some interesting reads in foreign languages, The Last Word Bookshop is the best in the city.

Since I first moved to Philadelphia in 2003 the Last Word has been my go to spot to feed my literary needs. Grabbing a cozy chair in the back and snagging a random book from the plethora stacked among the store is one of my favorite things to do on a rainy day. I’ve never had issues myself with the staff. They have always been polite and helpful. If you like the adventure of sifting through the stacks and shelves to find an unexpected treasure while playing with a kitty, and enjoying the intoxicating smell of books this place is for you!

I love the Last Word, one of my favorite used book stores, hand down! Larry (the Zappa looking character) has excellent taste in books. I can wander about in there for hours. There is something about the combination of old books, cats, and bluegrass music that I find very inviting. If you are looking for something specific, I’ve always found everyone there very friendly and helpful.

Went to this used bookstore for the first time with a friend and boy oh boy! This place was PACKED with books! Books on shelves! Books piled on the floor! Books on tables! Legit there were books everywhere & due to that fact I find it hard to believe that anyone would have a hard time finding something here. Initially walking in, the amount of books can be overwhelming but once you start browsing by section it is quite enjoyable! :)
Contrary to other reviews the staff were very friendly and we saw no cats :(

1) The guy who works there, Larry, looks like Frank Zappa, and he’s the sweetest, most helpful guy. Never bothers you when he knows you searching, never ignores you when you have a question, request, or just want to chat about something your into these days.
2) the atmosphere in the place is wonderful. Its warm and cozy and close (but not too close). Its very well organized, the lighting is great and they have a cat, whom I believe is actually a shapeshifting magician who comes alive at night and performs alchemical experiments. But I digress.
3) The pricing is excellent, and I therefore usually end up spending more money than I intended. Which is a problem. Because Im always broke: (.
4) The selection is really quite good. Sometimes I walk out with some modern crime drama pulp, other times I walk out with some classics by Tennessee Williams or Faulkner, other times I walk out with Basho or a book of Song Dynasty love poems. The best part is when I walk out with something amazing that I didnt even know existed, like a south Asian literary magazine full of poetry published in New York.
5) Did I mention that Larry looks like Frank Zappa?
Go to their store and buy their things.

This store has a lot of promise, but ultimately falls flat for me.
If I were a University student, I’m sure this store would be great, but that’s unfortunately not the case.
When you first walk in, you’ll see books on tables, and they are usually over-​priced hardcovers. No big deal though, every store does the same thing. Once you get through to the first real table with paperbacks, they seem to be mostly popular YA books, like Harry Potters, Twilight, etc…, but there are aslo a ton of books on the floor, piled up about 15 books high, and packed tight from under the table, 5 rows out. How am I supposed to realistically browse these books? Honestly?
The sci-​fi section has a decent amount of books, but lacks what I consider «selection». There are very few books by known authors. Asimov, Heinlin, Phillip K. Dick, OS Card, etc… are very few and far between. Fantasy is just as bad. They have some Terry Brooks there all the time, but after that, it’s really hit or miss with the quality of authors that you find.
Their YA section is about the same size, but again, very little of substance. Popular books like Pendragon, Artemis Fowl, Chronicles of Narnia, Immortal Nicholas Flamel, etc. are practically non-​existant.
My fiancé loves romance, and this is practically the only bookstore with a romance section smaller than my microwave. It has around 40 books total in that section.
The staff is usually «off-​ish». They don’t really communicate with customers, and seem fairly annoyed if you ask for assistance.
The prices are a little steep. They’re on the Penn campus though, which, I’m sure is the only reason they are still in business, because the average consumer (aka not a consumer funded by rich parents) generally wouldn’t pay their prices.
So, why 2 stars instead of 1?
The cat is fantastic!
Update: Turns out I’m allergic to cats… Whoops! Yeah well, the cat was still cool.

I am writing this first part of my review as I am on my way out the door to Last Word. I have armored myself to expect two things, based on the numerous reviews here:
1.A crotchety and unkind attitude from the staff.
2.A very lowball offer on the 100-​odd books I am bringing in to sell (50 cents to $ 1.00 each)
POST VISIT:
I brought in two bags with around 100 books. It was a mix of hard cover and quality paperback (no regular/​small paperback,) with about 10 old editions of Dorothy Parker novels. Also some sheet music books that retail new for $ 25+.
Larry (the owner?) asked me to leave them overnight, which I did, and he called me this morning with an offer of $ 25 with ‘about half a bag’ that he wasn’t going to take at all. «Most of these are so common, you know, you can get them online for ten cents…» and that even the Dorothy Parker «…sell online for $ 5, maybe $ 10, but I definitely want them.»
The offer was FAR MORE INSULTING than I could have ever prepared myself for. As I said, based on other reviews I was expecting an offer of 50 cents to a dollar per book that he wanted, which would have added up to at least $ 50.
Just to give some perspective… HE isn’t going to be selling these books for the alleged ten cents they sell for online. He’ll likely charge ½ of the cover price, maybe more considering he has notoriously high prices (again, see other reviews.) If a book retails for $ 25, he’s going to sell it for $ 12.50. Even offering me just 10% of the price he intends to sell it for would be $ 1.25. But based on his offer of $ 25 for the full 75 books he’s taking, he’s offering me 33 cents.
I understand that the second hand market is rough, but there is a fine line between justifiably making a lowball offer because it may take you some time to turn around the inventory and it’s an unsure investment, and just trying to rip people of because you think that you can.
THIRD EDIT!!!
I went back to the store to pick up my books. I figured the process would be fairly easy. My friend parked by the sidewalk and I went in. I saw my bags, with about ¼th of my books in them. So obviously Larry had separated my books and kept them that way. The woman that was there had no idea what was going on and said he would be back in a few minutes. Since I had my friend waiting in her car I was kind of peeved, but I said I would wait.
After five minutes he wasn’t back, and I asked her if she could call him to see how soon his return would be. «He doesn’t have his cell phone.» I told her I would have to leave and come back on the 26^th, but just then Larry came in.
I told him I was declining his offer and was just picking up my books. He gave me this look and said «Well look, how much were you looking for? Because I could maybe give you a little bit of a better offer…» but I told him no thank you, that I would just like to take back my books. Perturbed, he told me they were in a box on the floor, and I began unloading them back into my bags.
I could feel him glaring holes into the back of my head, so when I was done I lifted up my bags and said «Thank you so much for the time you spent, have a good holiday!»
He replied, in the smarmiest, bitchiest voice you can possibly imagine: «Yeah well. I *did* spend a lot of time. Like, an hour and a half.»
To which I replied, rather pointedly: «Well. That *is* the business you are in.» And then I left… never to return.

Ran upon this palce by mistake. but I loved it!
The books seems unorganized but if you ask the owner. he can tell you where to find what you need!
The prices are reasonable and they have the cutest cat there!