Last Word Books

Great establishment! Check them out whenever your in the area and looking for some good literature.

This bookstore is cool as can be! I didn’t think much of the old location (too dark in there), but the new one is pretty fabulous and the staff are friendly as can be. I’m a night owl so I wish they opened a little sooner, but still, a good store is a good store. On my visit I found a rare issue of «Amazing Stories»!
There are some other used book entities in downtown Olympia, but none of those is terribly inviting.
If you dig old paperbacks and the Olympia atmosphere, drop into Last Word Books.

Yuck is all I can say. Upon walking inside Last Word Books you’re greeted by the pungent smell of urine, which seems to be radiating from somewhere in the back. There are so many books piled on the floor that its almost impossible to move around. I would’ve stayed longer but the smell was getting to me and it was damn near impossible to push my sons stroller thru the place – the entire music section was full of stacks of books making it impossible to even look in there. What the heck? Maybe it’s time to purchase an air freshener and clean up the mess. Dang. Thank god Orca Books is not too far from this place.

I peeked in for the first time last weekend. Looking around made me wish I had brought more money. There are tons of interesting books. I wanted to browse through all of them, but my kid had enough after 30 minutes. All of the staff members were extremely helpful. I even found many newer copies of books I had lost during a move.
I’m excited about the previous reviews for Last Word Books. If I manage a list of my old books, maybe they can find replacements for all of them. I was pretty impressed with what I had seen during my quick 30 minute trip. I look forward to my next kid-​free visit.

I could spend hours browsing, listening to the music, or just relaxing in one of the old chairs throughout the bookstore. Great selection of counter cultural books. This ain’t your mama’s book store. Great collection of old typewriters adorn the book shelves. The guy that owns it just seems like a down to earth good guy too.

Last Word is the best book store in Oly, hands down.
Fight me.
In all seriousness, guys. Sky Cosby has a wonderful place here. He knows his books, the place is fun, clever, and has a wonderful selection of survival/​gonzo/​political/​anything you can name titles. Like vintage comics? He’s got some. Like information on firearms, rare editions, or drug-​addled memoirs? Last Word has you covered. The key is to ask. They really work with you here and without the relentlessly hipster and superior attitude prevalent in most of downtown Oly.
Oh, and come look at the section for patches, postcards, and stickers. You’ll find some cool gems in there.
Support local business. Last Word will make you so happy you did.

If there’s one thing I love, it’s an anarchist bookstore. Best display windows in Olympia, great selection, zine library, couches and chairs, hilarious posters in windows, they have those rotating metal wire display things that usually have cheap romance or western paperbacks but instead they’re full of Marshall MacLuhan and weird independent press offerings. I have spent many a rainy afternoon here.

Best book store I’ve ever been to. Small, but full of books and helpful people. I could spend hours looking at things I’m interested and finding new interests.
Most book stores that have an «alternative» edge to them usually have workers that are a bit pretentious and never smile – what’s up with that?
Here was totally different. Very welcoming, very sweet. I wish I lived in Olympia so I could come in every day.

Cool books. I walked in to just browse around and walk out with two books and some Bukowski stickets. Pretty cool shop.

Their resident cat is pure evil, but in a way I find endearing.
He bit me when we first met. But it was because I was aggressively cuddling him without first establishing an acceptable level of trust.
We’re cool now.
I hope.
In any case, while there may be larger used bookstores south of Seattle, this one has the most interesting selection of quality picks and the most comfortable seating.

If you’re looking for it, chances are they’ve got it somehwere. Shit they’ve probably got five of ‘em. Whether or not they’re gonna get up and look for it, well, we’re all free to make our decisions aren’t we? This bookstore has the widest selection of all genres from Aquatic Wildlife of the 1960s to Lorca to CrimethINC. They’ve got plays, Organic Gardening, Autographed First Edition Kerouacs, Deep SciFi, Anarchotexts, EVERYTHING. They also are home to Rec Tha Place Records in the Back (Big Ups Alex & Erin!!), are almost always blasting Free Radio Olympia, and have the most comprehensive Zine Library I’ve ever seen. And they’ll always have a chair out front to smoke in, a smartass comment from Rob, and the «WTF? Asshole book of the Week» display prominently in the window. And there’s always three good books in questionable condition on the 3 for $ 1 book carts out front. If you are a bibliophile of any type and are near Olympia, you owe it to yourself to check this place out. Intense to say the least.