James & Mary Laurie Booksellers

A fab bookstore, but perhaps a little high-end for my needs. I tend to inhale paperbacks, so a bookstore selling tomes and selling autographed copies is going to be more than I need. Great selection of lots and lots AND LOTS of books. I actually got a little lost exploring the fiction shelves downstairs.

The kind of bookstore that makes me happy to be alive. I stumbled upon this while walking down Nicollet one day. I entered and was thrilled to browse through the overflowing shelves and crowded corners of the ground floor, containing first editions and out-of-print books from a wide variety of genres. I leisurely picked out two or three books and walked toward the cash register. Then I noticed a staircase heading downward.A basement? No way... could there really be more?Yes. Much more. Even more books as well as an outstanding collection of classical LPs. And an incredibly helpful and knowledgeable staff.Like I said. The kind of bookstore that makes me happy to be alive.

I think I might be an antiquarian bookstore groupie, minus the part that involves flashing, copious drug use and a potentially unclean bedfellow and plus the part that requires giggling, butterflies in the stomach and sense of awe that SHE (or he I suppose) is standing/laying in so-and-so's or such-and-such's presence. I love browsing in places where old books live. Of similar bookstores I've visited, this one is near the top of the list for charm and ambience. And for a purveyor of old books, I also noticed it was fairly dust-free and cleanly cheerful. They did have stacks of books in the aisles waiting to be sorted and shelved which in most places would be considered cluttered and disordered but I think that's a bonus for a place like this. And since I could make it down almost every aisle, it was cool. The main room of the store is two stories tall with shelves that go from floor almost to ceiling in most places. I also spotted a chandelier and more nooks and crannies than I could count. In some skeazier bookstores, nooks and crannies make me nervous (I'll never forget the time I found a desiccated mouse skeleton in a bookstore in Chicago) but had no worries that something like that could happen here. The owners have been in this location for a long time and obviously take very good care of it.I did not find the particular book I was looking for but with new items constantly coming in, I'll be coming back for as long as takes!

Imagine stacks upon stacks of records, Persian rugs, prints, paintings, and more antique and rare books than your brain could possibly fathom piled high as far as the eye can see. I've been to a fair number of cluttered bookstores (I say it in the best possible way), but nothing prepared me for this- shelves seem to go on forever, with antique chairs tucked neatly at the end of each row in case you never feel like leaving. Laurie Booksellers is in earnest what every other bookstore hopes to be- full to bursting with rare and precious finds collected over their near fifty-year presence in Minneapolis. Somehow this store manages to be both a hidden gem and a Twin Cities institution. Please come here. If you're good, Jim may even offer to show you the rest of their record collection, and let me tell you, if you thought that their upstairs inventory was extensive, the veritable warehouse of books, records, and furniture housed in the basement will take your breath away.

God forbid you want to browse here. The arrogant and rude proprietor will run you off. Come here with a specific book in mind or don't come here at all. I was very disappointed as I love used bookstores.

Massive selection, bought a 100 year old HG Wells book! Good prices too. Nice owners.

A great place to get lost in for a few hours. There is an overwhelming selection roughly categorized by genre. Books ranging in price from $25 - $many thousands.

Scam. They are thieves. I bought a book from them at abebooks.com and they never sent it. No response or reply. Beware!

Died and gone to heaven. This bookstore is amazing. They specialize in hard-to-find and out-of-print books. I have been able to find books here for which I'd been keeping an eye out for a long time.Although, since many of the books are hard to find there are some sections with valuable and expensive books, showing this store as "ultra high end" is incorrect. If that caused you to shy away from this store, don't believe it. There is plenty there that is within budget.The staff is nice and helpful. Teddy the dog is about as friendly a little pup as you could hope for and has been there to greet me both times I've been in the store.

I love the smell of the books here, the antiquity and character of the books and prints, and the sheer variety, and the gems to be found -- in my half hour browsing there this afternoon, I found a first edition "Shirley" by Charlotte Bronte and a handsome box collection of Thomas Hardy's novels. I wanted to inquire about possibly exchanging some books I have, as I'm moving to Scotland soon and want only to take with me the books I love most. Unfortunately, the man in the shop was rude and seemed unwilling to speak with me, though he greeted other visitors pleasantly enough. An attractive young lady came in to ask if they were currently hiring, and in exchanging pleasantries, he replied with a lecherous "I'm doing better, now". Creepy, and rude. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth that someone with such a love of books (and apparently music, Purcell was blaring to counter the bagpipe players outside on the sidewalk) is such a rude and superficial human being. So sadly disappointed. Five stars for the books, and zero stars for that man who absolutely ruined the joy I felt amongst the books. I don't write with malice, but with sadness. I was hoping for a pleasant literary refuge and found nothing of the sort. My disappointment is profound.