Symposium Books

I don’t think I am intellectual enough for this book store. I do like seeing some baseball books when I walk in and typically spend some time with books about Boston’s public parks and Boston history, if I can find them.
But the books are all so specialized that I feel like a total dunce. It’s not a used book store, overflowing with all kinds of literary treasures, hidden bargains and signed first editions. It’s not filled with best sellers, old friends and instant bonding with cool discoveries like those found at my favorite independent book stores. It’s not cozy and welcoming.
I feel comfortable and happy at the book store over at MIT. I buy books there and chat with the staff. I feel my brain igniting. Why don’t I get that vibe here in Kenmore Square? Just do not feel that connection that others have obviously found.

Updated this review. Symposium has really good books and good prices. Strong categories include philosophy and social and political theory. The guy who usually works there is helpful and nice. One can tell that they have a personal interest in these good books. Wish they had real used books though — just to fill out the categories with some nice out of print titles. Overall, though, worth the trip.

This is a great place for students of philosophy and critical theory. Most of the texts are secondary and some are quite specialized. There is a lengthy selection of work on Deleuze for that crowd. The only problem is that it doesn’t seem like the books are that discounted. These are expensive titles, so the discount is there. It just isn’t a place that is healthy for your wallet.

I am kind of surprised by the glowing reviews here. I am not very impressed with this place. I suppose if you absolutely LOVE weird, random titles, it’s great but I never leave here very happy with the experience and have not once found a treasure among their sale racks. Most of the books are really esoteric as someone mentioned. I love scholarly books, especially history and classics, but the selection here is just a little too out there for me. Also, I do not really care for their sign telling you that they are NOT Commonwealth Books (the bookstore that formerly occupied the space). Unfortunately, no. They are not.

This is the best intellectual bookstore in the city, by far. They have tons of remainders from common university and academic /​specialty presses, as well as those from British and other foreign publishers — I never come out empty-​handed (to my wallet’s great chagrin). More helpful sometimes than a university library if you’re doing research on a topic, and certainly more up-​to-​date. You won’t get best-​sellers here and shouldn’t bother looking; but, for what it is, it’s the best.
Keep an eye out for the store, which is basement level next to the hotel restaurant. When the racks aren’t out on the street it can be hard to spot.

What is not to love about this place? You wouldn’t expect this bookstore in the mostly bland Kenmore Square area. But surprisingly, Symposium is tucked away with its diverse and often random selection of lefty books from a plethora of small presses. In the mood to pick up a reader on Foucault? Want to read Howard Zinn essays on History and War? Well, this is the best place for that. The prices are low too, with many books around 6 dollars. Since this bookstore is on my walking path home I can’t help but stop in often
My own best moment so far in Symposium was when a young mom walked in and asked the store clerk if they carried used Stephanie Myers. It created a wave of snarky comments by those browsing.

Does Boston really need a bookstore specializing in low-​priced remainders on esoteric subjects? Why, yes. Yes it does. Kenmore Square’s Symposium Books is a great place to find highfalutin social criticism, left– and right-​wing screeds, literary fiction, art books, and an idiosyncratic selection of more popular titles. The offerings are similar to the remainder section in the Harvard Book Store’s basement and the prices don’t seem much higher. Best of all, you don’t have to trek across the river or deal with cheek-​to-​jowl crowds. For whatever reason, I find the dimly-​lighted, industrial interior conducive both to leisurely browsing and impulsive purchasing.
All that keeps me from giving Symposium Books five stars is the way management treats the carts of bargain books outside the store. Even slightly damaged three-​dollar books rate a little consideration: Roll the carts in when it rains or cover them with a tarp – that’s all I ask. If I wanted damp, dust-​covered books reeking of mildew, I’d go to the Salvation Army.

I love this place. I love books and this place has a great selection at a great price. I stumbled upon this place this past summer. I have gone back several times since. The architecture and design section is great. They might not have a book you request buthey have books I would not typically find at the big chains. Opens your eyes/​mind to new things. Plus they are at a reduced price!
When you have the time stop by and you will find a great book.

Dangerous for bargain-​shopping bibliophiles — I’ve walked out with $ 50 worth of books on each arm! Woe to my wallet — joy to my bookshelves!
Not the best-​organized bookstore in Boston, but you can’t beat Symposium on prices or the quality of the reading material. The remaindered scholarly books go for a fraction of the price you’d pay at Harvard Books (a store I love), and you can also find gems like World War Z for a pittance.
Symposium is also a godsend for any manga fan looking to plug holes in their Dark Horse collection. I picked up all but one volume of Trigun (including Maximum) for about $ 2 – 3 a book, as well as huge chunks of Berserk, Oh! My Goddess, and Junji Ito’s Museum of Terror. Also available: the Ring manga, Blade: Sword of the Immortal, and those big fat Akira volumes. Some of it is «flipped,» but by no means all. No idea if they’ll start getting remainders from other manga publishers (please oh please), but this is a great way to get lots of manga from a company that’s traditionally been a bit on the expensive side.
Sales staff are friendly, helpful and low key. When I have trouble finding things or want to know if an item’s in stock, they’ve always been happy to pause and look it up for me on the computer. Well worth a look — just make sure you don’t buy more than you can carry!

Accidentally wandered in. A really nice layout that makes browsing fun and easy. Spent much longer doing so than I had originally planned. Found some really cheap books.
Bought them based on their covers.

Ordinarily, I am almost exclusively a used bookstore kind of girl. You know, the kind that spends hours absorbing titles in the new bookstores so that they can spot that diamond in the rough with the dusty jacket for the awesome price of $ 1 (which happened earlier today by the way).
However, I was intrigued by the reviews and the extra 20% off during the grand opening (which actually turned out to be 10%). Dealing mostly in overstocks and remainders the discounts on these books are amazing. A large selection of literature, many priced around $ 5 and my favorite, the usually ridiculously overpriced art books which have been made affordable. There are sections for economics, political science, political philosophy, feminism, poetry, history, etc. etc. Many deals to be had!
So I encourage everyone to stop in and check out the newest (and very welcome) addition to Kenmore Square. Avid readers will delight at their savings, and as Sam F. indicated in his review, non-​readers can test the waters without worrying about wasting their money. And of course, the staff was very nice and eager to help all the customers with questions. Oh and the «bearded, friendly and super helpful employee man» is named David :)

I stumbled upon this place while walking in Kenmore today. It’s hidden just below the street, to the left of Eastern Standard.
Let’s start with the cold hard facts. I don’t read. No seriously, I don’t read… at all. My friends know me as «the guy that doesn’t read». I’ve probably read two books in the last three years.
I guess it was curiosity, or maybe it was fate, that drew me in. It must have been fate, because before I knew it, I was walking out with not one, but two books that I was gonna read! What happened? Matt did. He’s better described as bearded, friendly and super helpful employee man. I told him my sad story, but he didn’t judge. Instead he used my interests to hone in on what seem like potentially excellent reads.
As Ariel mentioned, all the books are over 50% off, but new! They mentioned something about overstock. Except unlike other stores, Matt claimed, «the books are actually good». We’ll see. In any case, I wish them luck. It’s great to see a local, independent book store open up, unlike many small shops around the country. If I make it through these two books, I’ll be back, and in the mean time I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

If I could give this place 10 stars, I would. This new independent bookstore in Kenmore Square is the kind of place people like me lust after, the kind of place we meet the hyper-​literate men of our dreams and spend a lot of money. I want you to love it too… So, read on.
Replacing Commonwealth Books in the weird retail area of Hotel Commonwealth, Symposium Books promises to be my new favorite bookstore. God, I love books! Small though it may be they have an incredible selection of art books (not the picture kind, the criticism kind… well, they have the picture kind too!), social criticism, womens studies, religious studies, history, literary criticism, literature, etc. This isn’t a place that stocks hundreds of copies of Jennifer Weiner’s latest pink paperback. But, it isn’t full of inscrutable titles either. It is full of what I call «real books,» in a wide variety of genres with more selection in the genres that other bookstores tend to understock.
The book I bought was sold brand new for half the cover price, I don’t know how that works, but dear sweet Lord, inexpensive books that I actually want to read… I have died and gone to nerd heaven. On top of that, the clerk was the very best kind of bookstore employee– one who has either read what you are buying or wants to read it because he genuinely loves books. He would probably be a great resource if you wanted something to read, but didn’t have a list going. Although I know my jubilant description of all the books of art criticism may make this little shop sound elitist and pretentious, it is not, the people there are really nice!
They were in a little bit of a mess when I went in today as they don’t officially open until next week. GO TO THE GRAND OPENING ON JAN. 24, 2008 4−7pm FOR AN EXTRA 20% off!!!
YAY!!! I love Symposium books! I hope they succeed!