Carpe Librum

Absolutely amazing. Was trying to find any bookstore near me but Barnes and Noble was too far. Took the metro to this store and I got more than I bargained for. Great collection and organized. Will visit again and again!

In DC for a conference and I had to find the closest used bookstore. Carpe Librum is small but mighty! Great selection. Great prices! Open until 7:30! I found 6 books on my to-​read list and paid $ 19!

Go here! Best place to get books, and your money is going to a great cause!

Carpe Librum bookstore used to be a pop up bookstore, now permanently housed at Farragut Square. Great lunch break if you work in the area. You can donate books or purchase books, the proceeds of which go to Turning the Page, a great organization that provides educational resources to public schools. The book selection, CD, and DVD collection of course depends on the donations. Sometimes, you get lucky with a relatively newer book (released in the last three years). In terms of books, there is a good mix of children’s, classics, politics, history, cookbooks, self-​help, business, sci-​fi (definitely bought all LOTR for $ 4).

Cute name, love it! In a world filled with electronic books, this store is a great place to reconnect with the magic of reading books by the turned page.
There’s a variety of every type of genre here. They also have first edition and vintage books. There is also a shelf with books from different countries. Some examples include Arabic, French, Spanish, and German books.

What’s not to love about this local gem??? You can’t beat the prices (everything ranges from $ 1-​$ 4 excluding tax), there’s a wide selection, books are in good condition, the store is well organized (by section and then alphabetically), and the proceeds go to a non-​profit to promote children’s education. They even have a color-​coded system so you can quickly recognize recently added books. Carpe Librum also has variety of CDs, DVDs, and records. They accept cash and credit cards (no minimum), and there’s even a Unilocal deal worth checking out.
This was my first time at Carpe Librum, but it was so easy to navigate and the atmosphere was so inviting that I felt like a regular — and now, I plan to be!

Wonderful little gem in Farragut Square… a peaceful retreat amongst the hustle and bustle along K St. Friendly Staff, great books, vintage books available as well.

Aside from the noble mission — all proceeds go to kids’ education, I believe — this little bookstore is excellent. The variety and quality of books in almost every subject matter was staggering. And the highest priced book was only $ 4. My tastes tend to skew towards the classics and literary fiction, which were both very well represented here. There are a couple of well stocked shelves of vintage hardcovers, which were in relatively great shape. If I lived here, I’d probably be back weekly.

Carpe Librum is a fantastic used book store. My wife is a teacher and she declared the educational section of their store to be the best she’s ever seen. The prices are outstanding and the staff is extremely friendly. Plenty of books for kids, too.

Clean, organized, stocked with the classics, friendly staff and lots of room to move around. There’s also some nice paintings around, a children’s section and 45s and 33s (vinyl). Great place to hunt and great prices. Check it out!

Interesting variety of books. Small but very organized by topic. Wonderful to support a good cause while feeding my book addiction!

Finally stepped in, and it lives up to the hype. Bring a ten dollar bill and you’ll be able to get whatever you want! Totally what NoMa needed and a huge contribution to the neighborhood.

What a treat! I’ve worked in the area for almost ten years and I have no idea how long they’ve been in business but, for me, it’s about as perfect a bookstore as I can imagine. Big, cheap, convenient, and proceeds go to a great cause. Perfect for lunch break browsing. I did most of my shopping in the fiction section and found quite a few treasures, then topped off the experience with a nice chat with the peppy young shopkeeper about Philip Roth.
Any avid reader will enjoy this bookstore. Go and give them your money!

I can feel noble donating my heaps of gently used books/​DVDs/​CDs here. Don’t come in looking for something specific and you’ll find something great (esp. good for «beach books» to read on the Metro). All books are $ 4 or less, so I’m not going to break the bank either. Thanks for playing good music and being so welcoming during lunch AND after work, Carpe Librum!

Carpe Librum is one of my favorite things in all of DC. Such a wide variety of books/​CDs/​DVDs, everything costs only $ 1 – 4, they restock it regularly, and the profits go to charity. I love getting lost here searching their collection.

Best used bookstore I’ve found in D.C. Wide selection of books, super cheap, frequent sales. Hardcovers $ 4, Trade paperback $ 3, Mass market paperback $ 1. Right next to the Farragut North metro stop, so easily accessible.

This is a great bookstore that has a WIDE variety of books. The prices are within reason and the person who served me was really nice.
I’m going to try coming back for the third time :)

Slight conflict of interest because I worked at this place for awhile last year. But I’m writing a review because I now go there as a customer, and it’s a fantastic shop that more folks should know about.
Tell anyone that the book you’re reading came from a used bookstore in Farragut and cost $ 1, and you’ll likely draw a quizzical stare. That’s the most remarkable thing about this shop – even though it’s in a premium location, the prices are absurdly low. And the selection sort of waxes and wanes because the popular titles get snatched up immediately, but that keeps it fun. It’s a bit like a very organized rummage sale. I always seem to find something that fits the bill (today, that was Spanish books).
It’s not just books, either. They have an excellent selection of DVDs, CDs, vinyl records, paintings, and other fun things (insider’s tip: you wouldn’t believe the stuff you find in donated book boxes). And all of the proceeds go to Turning the Page, the non-​profit behind this nifty little store.
Plus, they take credit cards for even tiny amounts, and every so often, they put at least a third of their stock on sale. Also keep your eyes peeled for the creative rotating window displays that the staff puts together.

I might as well stop paying rent on my apartment, because I seem to spend most of my time at Carpe Librum.
This small-​ish store in Downtown DC sells an ever-​rotating offering of used books. Backed by Reading is Fundamental, all proceeds go to Turning the Page, a local nonprofit that promotes literacy programs throughout DC schools and the community.
What truly impresses me is the great selection. Carpe Librum accepts book donations, so their stock is constantly changing to include a super diverse collection. Unlike at larger, for-​profit bookstores where I usually leave defeated and/​or broke, this place always has unbeatable prices often punctuated with additional sales. On a regular day, books are $ 1 – 4, but I’ve also gotten a few volumes on promotion for 50 cents. They sell artwork, DVDs, and CDs, too.
I almost don’t want to post this review, so I can enjoy all the books to myself, but let’s call it karma: if you are a bibliophile in DC who doesn’t mine used books, check this place out!

Used bookstore. Most of their books are okay, though outdated. However do check out their vintage collection. I grabbed a very old book of one of my favorite authors (Oscar Wilde) for only $ 4.25.
Otherwise the staff was very nice and helpful (a young African-​American female).