Old Town Books

My dad LOVES this bookstore and it’s his only request when he comes to visit me from Indiana. Unfortunately the past 3 or 4 attempts to visit have been unsuccessful. I can’t seem to get him there when this store is open, even when I make attempts during their business hours. My dad is the sweetest man in the world so I’m hoping we get him there today or Friday between 11 and 5. I think that’s when they are open???

Amazing bookshop with lovely staff who really care about books, and customers. Everything from second hand paperbacks to vintage hardback editions and signed copies.

Hands-​down this is the best used bookstore I have ever been in. Each time I go in I find a New treasure that I just can’t live without. I have Found some incredible titles, and the owners have never steered me wrong when I was looking for a gift for someone special. Each time I’m in the area I make sure I go in for a visit. Truly the best place to go on Mill.

My fiancé LOVES bookstores and this one hit the spot for him.
It was a nice little store with a lot of books. My fiancé was able to find a book he was interested in; and when the owner found out he is a teacher he gave him a «discount card». Such a sweet person.
We definitely will be back.

Love this store!!! It’s difficult to get in since their hours kinda vary. But the books are very reasonably priced. I bought a book that sold for $ 40 on amazon for $ 16 at OTB. And it was in very good condition. Was happy to find this store and the couple that owns it is very nice. The system is kinda random for finding books.

Small used bookstore that smells a bit like smoke. I was able to find a decent flying book for my boyfriend in pretty good condition but most of the books are quite old and beat up. They only take cash. No credit or debit cards. The couple running it was very friendly and gave me a funny bag with a snowman on it.

I’m relatively new to Tempe so I just recently discovered this lovely shop on Mill. Most of downtown Tempe is bars and chain restaurants but there are a few real gems and this is one of them. It’s exactly what a dusty old bookstore should be complete with Hilda the cat (who is very ancient and so sweet and affectionate) and owners who truly love books. It’s just about the tiniest store ever but it’s packed from floor to ceiling with books of all different genres. They are only about 2 miles away from where I live so I will definitely be back many times in the future!

Love the environment and the owner Paula is the sweetest thing!
This has a great collection of books and I’m glad it’s around. It may seem unorganized by appearance but that’d quite the opposite. It is organized like a classic librarian (having worked at a library before). It’s easy to find books that you need and I have no complaints.
However if you are allergic to cats be warned this is a cat friendly environment. Also if you have spare tuna give it to the cat because that girl looks hungry.

I can’t for the life of me remember why I hadn’t before written a review for OTB.
While the rest of Mill is taken up with restaurants, bars, head shops, and overpriced clothing stores, Old Town Books is a charming call to days gone by, with shelves of vintage books neatly arranged by genre.
Even during the after-​hours they have a small collection of books near the door that you can pick from and pay them on the honor system. Their level of trust for other human beings is just so wonderfully antiquated.
Don’t expect dollar store prices. OTB deals in quality, not quantity.
It’s a pleasant visit whenever I’m near ASU.

I stumbled into this book shop on one of the very few rainy days in Arizona and I’m so glad I did! They had a first edition copy of my absolute favorite book, Franny and Zooey, and so many other great selections of all different genres that I purchased. The owners were incredibly nice and knew right away whether or not they had certain titles. just off the top of their heads. And… just like everyone else has mentioned, the store is incredibly charming… including the cute little cat roaming the aisles, as if guarding all the books.
If you want to beef up your library with vintage reads, books of your past, or just well-​priced literature… I would highly recommend this store. I plan on returning back for all my future book needs.

I can’t speak to the selection, hours, owners, or resident cat. I can tell you that we noticed an ‘honor system’ as we walked by tonight with our Mojo. An honor system in this day and age?! Yes please! Friend and I both picked a $ 1 paperback, shoved our bills under the door, and walked away feeling like winners, a silent invisible transaction between fellow bibliophiles… absolutely lovely!

Old town books is so awesome! It’s hours are a little iffy but the place has such character and charm, and the owners are akin to the store– dusty, charming, and dare i say quaint? I love everything about the place, it’s truly a mom and pop shop to a T!
The selection isn’t all encompassing but, that kinda goes without saying. You dont shop at OTB to find any and everything, but rather some obscure hard cover edition of a timeless classic, as in my case i found a beautiful gold leaf hardcover copy of Dosteovski’s The Idiot, in vintage form, crisp and clean and just simply perfect. The owner sold it to me for something like $ 11. I remember at the time he commented how they’d run off the competition (the now defunct border’s location that used to be on the corner of mill and 4^th? st) and i found it funny, but deservedly true, OTB is now the only place on that small stretch of mill avenue that caters to the bibliophile, and i suggest people start taking advantage of them before it’s too late!

My hotel dropped me off in what was suppose to be a cool part of town for drinks, dinner and shopping. Anyway, this was definitely one of the coolest stops in this area!
I picked up some a really great children’s book– The Uncle Wiggily book — which is now out of print. I also picked up a paperback book for the plane ride home for less than 3 bucks.
I love the smell of old books, and it was easy to navigate the shelves, floor and overflow of books. The owners were very polie and willing to help me find anything.
And, yes I did see the resident cat milling about!
They also have an old fashion honor system for books they leave outside afterhours that you may purchase using the honor system. How quaint!
I loved it!

No hands down, the best place on Mill Avenue. your head will spin with their selection of used books and although the small space can feel suffocating in the summer months, it is truly, a one-​of-​a-​kind place. The little old lady who owns the place is super helpful and can tell you if they have certain titles in stock… off the top of her head, without a computer. I’ve gotten beautiful vintage versions (Modern Library) of Dostoevsky, Kafka, and so on for very cheap. One of the only things I miss about living close to Tempe.

This is my absolute favorite place to hunt for first edition Dr Seuss books. The owners are so very kind and everytime I go they have no problem helping me dig through the childrens books and they always know off the top of their head just how many Dr Seuss books they have so we aren’t looking for no apparent reason.
I’ll always have fond memories of this place providing me with my very first 1^st edition Dr Seuss book ;}

GREAT used bookstore. They have a wonderful selection of used books, and many of them are obscure and/​or out of print books of various genres (their history, and particularly local and Western US history sections are especially impressive). The woman who works here (seems to be the owner) was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. It was cluttered but well organized, with just the right amount of «messiness» — not so messy that you’d trip over something, but plenty of character so you’d never mistake it for a Borders. I live near Boston and went to college in Amherst, Massachusetts — areas known for their great numbers of high-​quality used bookstores — and this one honestly is one of the better used bookstores I’ve ever been to. And it wouldn’t be a complete used bookstore without a resident cat, which of course this one has.