Black Swan Books

An old school book store with collectable books… I would say it’s more like a museum than a simple book store, including old French classics and antique editions.

This bookstore is a hidden gem! If you love books, especially antiques, you will love this place! The first time I visited, I spent hours walking and examining the bookshelves, and was in heaven when I saw the collectibles! Hunter is so helpful! My husband is in the medical field and we are searching for specific texts to start his collection, and anytime Hunter thinks we may be interested in some new arrivals, he emails me– what great service! Highly recommend this place to everyone!

Absolutely fantastic used book store. For used book lovers and collectors this is a must see shop. There are a fair number of used book stores in Richmond, but none quite this special.
The store is beautiful, clean and welcoming. The staff are professional and friendly. The store has some simply outstanding rare and antiquarian books for sale, in addition to la huge amount of standard (but better quality) used titles.
Prices run the gamut and are for the most part reasonable. I say reasonable, but keep in mind that unique, rare and/​or hard to find or in demand items are priced accordingly. This isn’t the place to score a first edition Huck Fin for $ 10. For that, better add a few zeros. The fact they have so many fantastic rare books is what makes them so special. Even just seeing many of them is worth it. Buying one every so often is even more special.
My interest happens to be military history and lucky for me Black Swan has a speciality in that area with a heavy emphasis on the Civil War. Being in Richmond that would tend to make sense. I’ve bought $ 300 rare regimental histories and $ 10 out of print trade paperbacks. They have a wide variety to tempt me.
Highly recommend used book store. My only complaint is they have limited hours. Best to catch them toward the end of the week or on the weekend, otherwise you are out of luck. That said they have expressed a willingness to make special appointments for serious buyers when they are otherwise normally closed.

When roaming around, don’t forget to go to the far corner from the entry. This is where they put all the real old books and exceptionally unique items.
My wife is an exceptional book lover and admirer. Going here was very much a must as it has roots similar to the very old bookstore in Ireland. When you first walk in the «bookscape» is very nice and open. I liked the feel of how it invites you to check the place out.
The faculty are very friendly and aren’t against you looking at or reading the books. Overall, this place is definitely a place to check out if you’re a bookfan!
Don’t forget to say hi to copyright! :) (good doggie)

Possibly the single best thing about Richmond, Virginia.
The books are amazing, of course, but the selection of maps and little antique odds and ends located near the entrance is worth a solid perusal as well.
Also: the gigantic but friendly dog that decided to rub its head against my arm while I was looking at history books. That was nice too.

wow — what a gem!!! worth a trip to richmond alone. the selection across genres and the books spanning decades and centuries. youll spend all day here. the staff and owner are friendly and knowledgeable. hard not to walk out with multiple finds of old maps and old books!

HOLY MOTHER OF FIRST EDITIONS WHY IS MY MONEY FLYING AROUND LIKE CONFETTI SOMEONE HELP ME I’M ABOUT TO SELL MY CAR AND BUY THAT GREAT GATSBY 1ST ED FOR 900 DOLLARS I CAN’T FEEL MY FACE
why can’t there be more bookstores like these and why won’t people accept monopoly money for pay? what about pogs? no?
general guidelines:
1. are you a student looking for a deal on your ethan frome paperback? turn and leave. this is not the place for you. plus that book makes everyone want to kill themselves.
2. are you that fun, neat gal or guy with the cool glasses searching for dave eggers’s newest book? you should leave too. that book’s stupid anyways.
3. are you frequently struck with a disquieting lack of fiscal lucidity upon meeting a shelf full of smelly, tawdry, 19^th century hardbacks? breath easy, accept the fact that there’s no way you will be able to pay next month’s rent now that you’re here, and know that you are home, you sick little bastard. you are home.
4. snobby staff, you say? well did you stop to consider how exhausting it must be to be as totally awesome as they are? respect the elite, all ye lesser pork pies.
i’m in love. sick, financially questionable love.
kills: a gorgeous copy of vanity fair and– get ready to be jealous of me– a 1^st edition of hemingway’s farewell to arms.
pardon me, i just need to go search for a fifth job.

I was absolutely amazed at the selection and the staff was incredibly knowledgeable. They even knew my mother’s rare and off the beaten path childhood book written by her old neighbor. I am an absolute fan! They certainly have something to offer to the community with their great customer service.

Beautiful book store. So many interesting old books to look at. The prices are really not bad at all.
They have a bin outside of discounted books. Also, this is a great place to find gifts for people that are interested in history and like to read. I’ve found a couple of birthday and christmas gifts here for friends and family. Perfect.

Fancy place, with fancy books, that you’re most likely not interested in. I’m not saying this a bad bookstore, cause it’s not; but, if you’re interested in the kinds of books that this shop sells, then you already know this shop exists and where it is.

This gem of a bookstore was a last minute stop for us before heading back to our hotel for the evening, and before dinner. We were able to browse right before they closed. Even in that short amount of time (30 minutes), this bookstore has such an amazing collection of used and collectible, antique books I’ve ever seen!
A glass case greets you after you enter, and you can check out some rare editions and first editions (including a first edition of Gone with the Wind priced at $ 12, 000!). Further back in the store (they had fun little descriptions of the sections of the store) they had more rare books behind glass and some massive volumes that were just wonderful to look at. They have great sections on Civil War history, Virginian history. The cubby right when you’re going towards the back of the store with the antiquarian books are really fun to look through.
A must if you are a bibliophile in Richmond!

I love that Black Swan has a mixture of used books including high-​end antiques and just cool old books. They’re organized by genre and there are tones of categories. The staff is super friendly and will help you find anything.
I went when the bf was finishing med school. I’d been looking everywhere for some neat old medicine books to give him as a graduation gift. They didn’t have an elaborately illustrated Gray’s Anatomy, which is what I was hoping for, but they did have a neat book from like the 1800’s with believed cures for diseases back then. And it was like $ 12. As I was checking out I mentioned that I was looking for a Gray’s and a friendly patron who was there collecting actually gave me a copy he had in his car. How friendly!
This is a great shop for treasure hunting. If you go, there’s a private parking lot in back.

Black Swan is a nice used bookstore for collectors and lovers of antique books. It is not one you can walk into and find some beach reading or last year’s best sellers. You’ll be lucky if you find paperbacks at all, not counting the modest assortment of vintage pulps available. There’s lots of old history and science books as well as mid-​century art catalogs, art, cookbooks, photographs, etc. It’s a great store for what it is, and it seems to have a pretty loyal clientele. I personally am more interested in books that I’m not afraid to toss in my purse and read on the train, but if I weren’t I would definitely come back here. Come to think of it, I’d come back here anyway just to look around at all the interesting stuff they’ve got, if not to purchase anything.

A wonderful USED bookstore, with lots of old, enticing, well-​preserved (many books have mylar covers) books. I found there to be especially nice sections on art, photography, and local history (i.e., Americana, Virginia History, Civil War-​related books) Many little gems that would be great to just flip through or enjoy at your leisure. Bravo, Black Swan books!