Riverby Books

Washington, DC, United States

4.4

Closed now

15 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 202-543-4342
Website:
www.riverbybooks.com
Address:
417 E Capitol St SE, Washington, DC, DC, 20003
b/t S 5th St & S 4th St
Capitol Hill
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
360 ft96, 97 route
0.4 miEastern Market
0.4 miCapitol South
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
No

Today

Today 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Washington, DC) 02:21 Wednesday, 16 July 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Classical music, complimentary tea (on request) and a small neighborhood feel are just some of the features that make Riverby Books a special place to relax and browse. Our books are all previously owned, but we carefully select our purchases for content, quality and interest. In addition to the essentials, we boast the largest selection of Washingtoniana in the District. We also sell and display handmade jewelry, pottery and chenille scarves made by local artists. Proceeds from our $ 1 books outside go to support the Capitol Hill Community Foundation. If you’re looking for rare books, feel free to browse our inventory through Abebooks, but if you can’t find what you’re looking for, don’t fret, most of our on-​shelf items are not listed online. Open 7 days a week, except for major holidays. When it’s warm, the Capitol Hillbillies play in the courtyard, every Sunday from 3−6pm. Just three blocks from the Library of Congress, the Folger and an easy walk from three Metro stops.

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Nearby

Near this location:
20
ft
Capitol Hill Community Foundation
419 E Capitol Street SE
40
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Society of Woman Geographers
415 E Capitol Street SE
40
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Congress Market
421 E Capitol St SE
70
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Capitol Hill Chiropractic Center
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Walls-Kaufman David Dr
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Capitol Hill Valet
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15 reviews of Riverby Books

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Friendly, bright, clean, and uncluttered! I love hanging out here. They even have a few vinyl albums and 45’s for the retro shoppers. You will always feel welcome, and it’s nice to still be able to find an independent bookstore in my hood.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
This place is a solid 5 stars when the «Capitol Hillbillies» are playing and the shine from KY/​WV is being served. These guys aren’t ready for the Kennedy center but are a nice addition. The staff is very friendly and knowledgable. Nice place.
Place rating: 4
Columbus, MS
Living on Capitol Hill provided access to two great used book stores. Being someone who prefers nonfiction over fiction, however, I am partial to Riverby over Capitol Hill Books. While CHB has a larger selection of books I always had better luck finding something of interest at Riverby.
As others have noted they occasionally have nice little concerts in the space out front of the store.
Place rating: 3
Manassas, VA
Not much of a selection. Most books in poor condition. I did appreciate being able to browse on my own without anyone bothering me and the clerk was friendly.
Place rating: 4
Alexandria, VA
Always worth a stop in while you are in the neighborhood. Nothing earth-​shattering in the book selection. But, it’s cozy setting is a nice change from buying books at a strip mall.
On a nice day, a walking tour of Capitol Hill should include a stop at Riverby Books!
Recommend!
Place rating: 4
Los Angeles, CA
Admittedly, I don’t read a loads of books on politics or military history (of which this place has a large selection), but it’s got a decent «fiction» selection, and good prices. It’s also well-​organized.
Place rating: 4
Washington D.C., DC
Great little used bookstore, dangerous for any book lover. Most paperbacks are in good condition with a $ 5 – 8 price sticker, it’s well organized and they have a lot of great finds.
Place rating: 5
Washington D.C., DC
I always go here with the intention of dropping off my rent check and moving along with my day but am frequently pulled into this quaint, lovely bookstore. Set on the bottom floor of a Capitol Hill townhouse there’s exposed brick wall, a fireplace and bookcases up to the ceiling. The staff is helpful, friendly and knowledgeable; you certainly do not feel rushed and if anything are encouraged to stick around, take a seat and look through a book or two, or three. Tea is offered in the afternoon and there’s a patio out front which is really wonderful to sit out in on sunny days (and A/​C inside for those way too sunny days). No, it doesn’t have as many books as Capitol Hill Books and is not always as cheap. But it has a well put together selection that spans many topics (a barely used copy of Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food was a true find!), is very well organized and is a nice little neighborhood gem.
Place rating: 4
Washington, DC
A very pleasant and cozy bookstore, well organized and with large selections politics and history for the Hill kids. You’re not going to find many really interesting old or rare books here, but for quick browsing it’s hard to beat.
Sean G.‘s «Odd Couple» comparison between this and Capitol Hill Books is right on.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Great little hidden gem of a bookstore on the hill. I found one book that I was looking for, and one more that I didn’t even know I wanted.
Place rating: 5
Suffolk, VA
In addition to the other reviewers’ comments, two huge practical considerations are:
1) the air conditioning;
2) restroom that’s open to the public;
Also, they have a small selection of original pottery and jewelry.
Lots of kids books in the basement.
We discovered this after sampling tasty chorizo at P and C market on East Capitol Street.
Place rating: 5
Arlington, VA
Bookstore full of used books at great prices is a Capitol Hill favorite. I got five books here for $ 19. Last weekend, I was walking past and saw the «$ 1 books» table; I couldn’t resist perusing. I found a fun one on Eleanor Roosevelt and decided to take a look inside the store. To my delight, the store contained lots of gently pre-​used books on poetry, classics, culture, [of course] politics, fiction, and all the rest. There are ample places to sit (including outdoors) and read. There are a few treasures: collectors’ items and tomes that look very old and rare. The staff were friendly and helpful.
I strongly recommend.
Place rating: 4
Austin, TX
After living in Birmingham, Alabama, a city that seems to be able to get by with NO used bookstores, I’m gratified to find that DC has several. I really like this one. It’s small, but well organized and friendly. No, there’s not a super lot of books here, but they all look so interesting. Be sure not to miss the basement, where more nonfiction and inexpensive paperbacks are kept!
Place rating: 4
Washington, DC
This is one of my favorite Capitol Hill weekend haunts. The bookstore is well organized, clean, with a good selection of nice hardcovers. I personally think their best sections are fine literature, history/​political books, and local books. The books are well priced — I’ve gotten a couple of steals on relatively newly released books that had no wear or tear. They are lacking in paperbacks, although they have a small selection downstairs… but I don’t think that’s what they really specialize in.
As previously mentioned, this store isn’t as «adventurous» as one of my other haunts — Capitol Hill Books — but it is a much more comfortable environment. I’ve also heard some wonderful music from the local music groups that often play out front during the summer and fall weekends.
Place rating: 5
Silver Spring, MD
The other half of the Hill’s odd couple used book shops is just down from Jimmy T’s on East Capitol Street. If Capitol Hill Books by Eastern Market is Oscar, then Riverby is clearly Felix. Occupying a small, well-​tended-​to townhouse with large plate glass windows surveying the street, Riverby is pared down and refined in every way that CHB seems dissheleved. The staff is friendly, warm and helpful and the selection is good (tho it cant compete with the overflowing CHB’s stock) and the prices arent bad but a tad but higher than CHB. Worth a visit. Esp good for kids books. Drop by at 4:30pm every afternoon for tea and cookies while you shop and catch up on the goings on on the Hill.
*The shop occasionally host small bands out on their patio on warm afternoons…