Longfellow Books

Books, Mags, gifts, & stuff
Well-​versed staff with local lore
Don’t let the cat out
#NOLA_​Haiku #Haiku #Poetry
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Longfellow is an awesome bookstore in the heart of Portland. The staff is super friendly and can help find anything or recommend books. They even let you shop with your dog. The selection is a great mix of best sellers and more unique hard to find books so there is always something new to discover. Support your local bookstore as there aren’t many left.

I look fondly upon my days in college when I would spend many a free night wandering through the aisles at Borders, mocha in hand. Gone are the days of these giant box bookstore dinosaurs, replaced with ‘ebooks’ and a vast online marketplace. I really don’t care for the kind of kindle that doesn’t burn in a fire pit, and there are few things better than the smell and feel of a worn, well-​loved book.
I’m so glad Longfellow Books has survived the bookstore mass extinction; they really provide for an important niche in the center of the Old Port. While they don’t have the overwhelming inventory that the larger chain stores used to carry, they have a very knowledgeable staff and are most likely carrying that bestseller that you’re looking for. It’s also a great place to pop in for a unique Christmas or birthday gift, which I’ve done on more than one occasion.
I especially like the staff recommendations. They always manage to highlight books that are of special interest to me. After perusing these, I usually gravitate toward the greeting cards. I have a terrible habit of buying greeting cards without actually giving them to anyone (I always forget a birthday until a week after the fact), but at least I have the best of intentions… and about 20 unused birthday cards.
That said, if you’re looking for a particular book that’s not among the most popular, there’s a good chance they won’t have it. When it comes down to this (which it has on a few occasions), then I usually opt for the
or
route. If I can’t instantly fulfill my need to have my desired book during my impulse visit, then a close second is waiting a few days to pay the least possible amount for it online. Sorry, Longfellow, but money is tight, and I will support you when I can.

Just okay. Was expecting some more selection or better prices and atmosphere. There wasn’t really any exceptional about this place especially with the other local bookstores in Portland. The best part was the cat which roamed the premises inside and is a real sweetheart.

Portland has an insane, awesome amount of bookstores in immediate walking distance of one another. Longfellow was the only bookstore that I visited that was mostly a new book store. They have used books, yes, but honestly not that many, which is fine by me considering the amount of other bookstores you can peruse nearby.
They had a lot of staff recommended books, with pretty descriptive narratives, and I thought that was helpful. It wasn’t just like Susan LOVES this romantic novel. it was more like Susan loves this story set in x time that touches on x topic and delves into this or that. I picked up a book, no staff recommendation tucked inside, and an employee said, almost within seconds of me picking it up, that it was overhyped. I thought that was pretty funny.
Something else I loved, that dealt little with the books and more about the city and the store — someone, presumably a vagrant, was repeatedly knocking on the glass window of the storefront and then when he was done, threw his paper cup on the ground. Not one, but TWO Longfellow employees, one of whom was the guy who told me about the overhyped book, went outside and addressed 1. the knocking and 2. made him pick up his trash! Suck on that, jerk.
Also, there was a cat for adoption in Longfellow Books. Purr-​fect. Everyone loves a bookstore cat!

We are planning to visit portland for the holidays and we called to see if this store had paper maps of the city of Portland. We like to have a map to open and see the whole picture, rather than using devices with tiny screens and seeing little parts of the city. Anyway, we called and the person answering was not friendly, rather curt and told us to check gas stations for paper maps of portland. We hope it’s a nice store when we get there, and plan to check it out and browse. Other reviews are positive. We sell used books online at Powell’s in Portland, Oregon, and every time we call, the staff are very friendly.

I love this book store! I love how they have both new and used books and literature. Not just a «new» or just a «second hand» book store, a good combination of the two! Another thing I enjoyed is how knowledgeable and up-​to-​date the staff was on not only my question on ‘where something was or if they even had it’ but also if they knew what date some new titles would be in stores.
Great and easy-​to-​find spot.

Wow. How bookstores used to be. They have a very knowledgeable staff – a fellow who helped me pick out an age appropriate graphic novel for my 10 year old, which he loved.
Gorgeous, decent sized poetry section – love how the new and used books are placed side by side – so that if you can’t afford the full price, you have options. Also thrilling to find out-​of-​print and new books vying for attention.
Very few Hallmark-​type books of poems – thank heavens – this is a hip, MFA-​savvy place.
Outside of the legendary Powell’s type bookstores, this is as good as it gets.

Good new and used shop in Portland, Me. Knowledgeable staff.

Great local bookstore. I was disappointed in the choice of used books that were for sale, but that didn’t hinder my purchasing a ton of books! Friendly staff, sweet dog to greet you on your way in (did I mention it’s pet friendly?).
Overall a nice spot.

I live in a major city, and can only wish I had a bookstore like this in my neighborhood. I wandered in, and in the space of twenty minutes discovered an excellent Maine mystery author I hadn’t heard of before, a book of philosophy that wisely addressed a question I had, and a used copy of a book I had been meaning to buy for a while. There are times when a finely curated collection of books is so much more helpful and thought-​provoking than the endless stacks at a big-​box store. Bravo, Longfellow Books!

I adore independent book stores! I’m so sad that so many have gone out of business over the last five years. That’s why when I was wandering around downtown Portland and saw Longfellow that I simply had to stop. And I was no disappointed! Excellent assortment of books. I loved the way they had them grouped. And the staff picks looked really interesting. They had a huge selection of blank cards and quirky postcards. I ended up buying some of those, and writing down a few ‘might purchase’ books for the next time I’m in the area. The staff was super friendly, and they looked very engaged with several customers. I can’t wait to go back!

I stumbled on this place while walking around Portland. This is how independent bookstores should be. I really liked the mixed shelves of old/​new, and just about drooled over the rack of «old, rare, and expensive» used books in the corner. The displays were interesting and well thought out. I particularly liked the wall of the top 100 of 2011 they had chosen, and the employees picks.

I will occasionally purchase a new book if it’s by a favorite author, but, for the most part, I’m strictly a used book buyer. As such, I don’t frequent new stores as often as I should. After discovering Longfellow’s, though, I’m going to make a point of stopping by every time I’m in Portland.
Unlike most stores that divide their stock, Longfellow’s sells new and used books on the same shelves, with the used books distinguishable by their added price tag. This is true for all fiction and nonfiction categories. This makes browsing so much easier. In addition, they also feature a separate, healthy-​sized «new arrivals» section of used books.
The selection is great, the staff is friendly, the location is convenient, the prices are fair, and customers are given access to a bathroom. Well done, Longfellow’s.

New and used selection seems more driven by economics than bibliophilia. It’s great to see an indie bookstore still making it in a prime location, but I wasn’t excited by the experience of browsing there.

Do you dig the used section? You have L to thank for that! she bugged them till they finally caved and started taking them. They will take your books and give you a call and give you credit and the ones they don’t want they will donate to the library! Does it get any easier? Well you still have to lug em there!
Friendly staff too!

I originally liked them for housing my dad’s book within a showcase of local poets and writers. But after bringing in my little sister who was stressed over needing a hard to find book for school the next day… I now love this place. The staff was a huge help. Its more than just an awesome array of books. The quick, knowledgable service is great. Turns out after the purchased book is read, we can sell it back to the store for store credit. You just can’t get any of the above on
!

A very healthy choice of used books accompanies new editions.

A great indie bookseller. Some used mixed in with well-​curated new.