Where reading started.

The DTLA landmark. Housed in an old bank — marble columns, vaulted ceilings — with a record shop, coffee bar, and a Labyrinth mezzanine of dollar books upstairs. Readings, signings, writing groups, open mics. Community hub masquerading as a bookstore.

The mid-'90s Los Feliz neighborhood icon. Intellectual but unfussy — literary fiction, strong zines, great book clubs. Bucked industry trends by expanding rather than contracting. If you miss a reading, they podcast it.

Funky, cozy, off Sunset. New and used stacked floor to ceiling. Cafe in back with good coffee and food, a patio popular with freelancers. Readings, signings, comedy nights. Greeting cards and coloring books if you need a gift on the way out.

Graphic novels and comics specialist (formerly Silver Lake, now Atwater). Art books, local zines, knowledgeable staff who'll geek out on Aquaman or first-issue recommendations. Solid first-timer shelf.

Food magazines, cookbooks from around the world, and the destination for food-related book talks in LA. Some seriously enviable boutique kitchenware on the front table too.

Art and architecture. Rare and out-of-print titles, maps, guidebooks, culinary books — and a deep wall of notebooks, journals, and planners. Highbrow stock, friendly staff, no intimidation factor.

Inside the Hauser & Wirth gallery complex. Beautifully-designed books on photography, architecture, film, music, fashion, culture. Tight, curated, and about as good as it gets for art books in LA.

Intimate fiction, art, and indie-press shop with a print studio in back. Books sit on wooden shelves on rolling casters — elementary-school-library energy in the best way. Weekly classes: screen-printing, zine-making, baby sign language.

Massive, squeezed, easy to get lost in — which is the point. Strong newsstand with international papers and magazines. Pro tip: the LA history, architecture, and lore section is exceptional.

Tens of thousands of kids' titles, audio books, puppets, craft and science kits. Open-minded curation (gay-friendly, multicultural), clear age sections, cozy reading nooks. Regular story hours.

35+ years in Brentwood Country Mart. Modern aesthetic, eclectic stock, an actual video channel of author events and book recs. Per Time Out's writeup: currently up for sale — so if you've ever dreamed of running a bookshop, there's your opening.

100,000+ rare, obscure, out-of-print art, photography, and design books. Staff will track down anything. Plan on losing several hours.

Literary calm in the middle of the Venice Boardwalk chaos. Local author shelf up front. Hard-to-find indie imprints in back. Tucked behind the Sidewalk Cafe & Bar — easy to miss if you're not looking.

Antiquarian. Beautiful rare first editions, collectibles, out-of-print, signed. Like a museum where you can buy the exhibits. Staff as gracious hosts. A short walk from Book Soup, so you can hit both on the same trip.

Vintage-shop vibe near the beach. New and used books in every genre — plus a deep vinyl selection, vintage record players, speakers, amps. Gallery inside featuring local beachside artists. Book catalogs to help you find what you need.

Southern California's largest indie, over a century old. Strong stock, genuinely helpful staff. They also sell more-than-books — music, luggage, jewelry, cookware, candles — plus a coffee shop and wine bar inside. Steady calendar of author events.

Black-owned, named for Pasadena's own Octavia E. Butler. Specializes in books by BIPOC writers across biography, fiction, and children's. Cute, cozy space that hosts book talks and live performances.

A NoHo fixture for 20+ years (named to play off neighboring Odyssey Video in its earliest days). Over 100,000 used titles, strong in literary fiction and the arts. Rare and under-the-radar stock.

Grew out of the Free Black Women's Library (a traveling pop-up). Prioritizes books by and about Black women, girls, femmes, and non-binary people. Meditation sessions, game nights, story times, clothing swaps alongside the literary programming.