RARA-AVIS: Atlanta bookstore

From: Richard Moore ( moorich@aol.com)
Date: 26 May 2008


The last few days I've spent in Atlanta and wanted to pass on a bookstore recommendation. I grew up near Atlanta and lived there for years and have frequented used book stores in that city for a long, long time.

The best used bookstore I know of in the Atlanta area is Books Again in the close-in suburb of Decatur. It is at 225 N. McDonough Street near the Agnes Scott campus. It is within walking distance from the Decatur MARTA station, although in the summer you will work up a real sweat in the Georgia sunshine walking back from the store up the hill.

Forget paperbacks but the mystery section is large for a non- specialty used bookstore. There are a few older mysteries but most are first editions in dust jackets published in the last forty years. In a separate glass case, the owner has some of the more valuable books including first editions by Ian Fleming, Chester Himes, Flannery O'Connor and others of interest to this list.

He also knows crime fiction well. I remarked on the number of ARCs by Harold Adams and he knew Adams' work well. He also had Jon Jackson's first novel on display and was very familiar with his work and is a big Ross Thomas fan.

So if you ever have a few hours to kill in Atlanta, Books Again is worth a visit. Good used bookstores are getting harder to find all the time and this is one of the best.

Richard Moore



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