What a great bookstore to find yourself - stumbled across it as we were wandering around Boston. I could have easily spent a few hours in here if I had not been pulled away. Floor to ceiling books, prints, and maps. Being a book lover, this was one of the best stops. Staff was very helpful and you can find older and rare books along with some newer editions.

Really enjoyed visiting Commonwealth Books. We stumbled upon it by accident while walking the Freedom Trail when we peered down an alley. The shop is small, but filled from floor to ceiling with books or all sorts. Paper back, leather bound, hard bound, antique art prints, typewriters, dust. Its all here in this charming little shop. I had to save it to Maps so I can come back and visit it thoroughly.

I absolutely loved this little gem of a store. Its tucked away down a little alley and is full of character. You could spend hours amongst the old and leatherbound books. They have nearly every genre you could think of and have some books that are hundreds of years old. It has that amazing old book smell and the staff were very helpful. Any lover of books should 100% visit this store!

A very cool bookstore with rare maps, sheet music, and books including a huge variety of subjects. Even genealogy records in a few cases.

The books are literally floor to ceiling! There are some really incredible first prints and rare old books to find. There are also plenty of more modern selections available. Everything is sorted and labeled, so it is easy to find the section that interests you.

Amazing selection of used books on all topics. Helpful staff. There is a 5, 3 and 1 dollar section of used books. Yes.

A very interesting and rare shop.Youll need a whole day just to serf on the names of the so many old books.Intoxicating!

A cute bookstore with great cards. I love that. Bought a couple of cards, a pin, and a book. Wish I had a place like this to go to at home.

An amazing hidden bookstore, an amazing selection of old and new books. Owners open to barter for prices as well!!

Glad we came across this while walking through town. Its pretty much the ideal for what you expect when you hear about a small shop off an alley in the city. Books are piled and on shelves from floor to ceiling with quite a wide selection of different books and historical documents.

We loved visiting this vintage bookstore! There were so many cool old books, vintage prints, and amazing maps. Wish I had the $$$ to buy a bunch of things from here!

SUCH a gem, I almost walked past this place but caught a glimpse of their sign for old, unique books out the corner of my eye. Would be an easy feat to lose a couple hours in here, exploring the cool books, photos, prints, maps and unique things in this shop.

A great variety of vintage literature and art.

This was a great little hole in the wall used book store. There were some fantastic rare finds and a lot of variety. My only negatives are that the staff werent overly helpful in finding books, but they were very friendly.

Very cool little hidden book store with plenty of old books and tons of historical New England prints.

I loved used books and this shop is the so well stocked! lots of different selections and one of my favorite browsing spots. Honestly wish i could spend even more time here!

Amazing vintage books. I love it.

Well organized! Greeted on arrival and had a great time looking at the stacks. Bought books and will return!!

Probably one of my favorite places in Boston. This is your old school style bookstore that makes you feel warm and comfortable.

Wonderful store for great finds. If you miss that REAL book store smell, this is the place for you.

Pretty cool place with a great mix of old books

Really cool place with a lot of great finds. The gentleman that works there is very kind. Truly a hidden gem!

Ok wow one of my favourite book stores in Boston!!! Made me so happy. Has its own beautiful character. And all those posts, pictures, cartoons everywhere, so sweet. Love the variety. Some of the books overpriced but we now live in a world where we have to buy AirPods for 300 dollars so I guess I can’t complain.

Beautiful quite bookstore to escape the busyness of Downtown Boston. Had a great time searching for my next read and would highly recommend.

I can easily spend half a day browsing the shelves for hidden literary treasures in this used books shop! Today I found two Immanuel Kant books Ive been searching for since I finished watching The Good Place and I cant wait to add them to my home library!

Great place for book lovers. Wide range of selection for used books.

Such a cool Bookstore that I found with my kids on vacation. There selection is rich and pricing fair.

They didn’t have what I wanted

Super cute bookstore just off of the Freedom Trail. Highly recommend stopping in to browse their extensive selection!

A gem tucked away in an alleyway in Downtown Crossing. They have gorgeous rare antique prints and books that I dare not touch, as well as an eclectic collection of used books that are oh so fun to browse.

Big, nice place. Lots of rare books in different languages and original maps. The staff were very nice and patient as we milled around. A++ for paper bags.

Nice and quiet and you can find what ever you need.

Beautifully quaint used bookstore with an array of museum worthy items

Great used book store!

Really cool book store.

The most wonderful smelling place in the city

A quaint out of the way used book store

Pretty cool little shop. Many books for many types of people. The old maps were absolutely amazing! If I had more knowledge of the surrounding areas, I would love one of the maps! Amazing little hidden gem!

This book store has the best selection of used books in Boston. I prefer using physical books over e books. Buying used is how I justify buying books.

What a treasure trove of current and old/rare books. I could have spent the whole day in there.

Amazing little book store

Great stock. Well labeled. Well organized. Too many books on the floor.

Good bookstore.

Amazing collection!

Love this place. Most interesting book store Ive been to.Only book store thats worth browsing.

Great selection of used books. Have some very old classic books. If u like books check it out

They have a rather interesting collection of books. This is definitely the sort of place I would have spent money. The Sunday shop keeper hurried everyone out of the store a full 15 minutes before close. He made his rounds 5 minutes earlier saying that the store would be closing soon and asked that final selections were made and brought to the front. No problem, I though. There’s still time.Nope. He paced behind me as I went back and forth between a few potential purchases. Just as I had made my mind up, he, in a very prickly tone, said that if I was going to buy something I needed to do it now.I quickly decided to leave the book on the shelf - it wasn’t anything you couldn’t find anywhere else anyway. I later found the exact book in the gift shop of Old North Church. Their staff was incredibly polite and was happy to have a visitor buy a book.When it comes to Commonwealth Books, shop elsewhere.

Extremely helpful staff. Great selection of first editions and vintage versions. They can help you find older hardcovers if its not in stock. Well worth a visit. Great place to hangout for booklovers.

Worth a look for any reader. 😊📗📘📙📚

Confusing what u look for on music and italy

Used book store, something for everyone

Commonwealth is a fantastic little corner of history. It has a nice selection of books on various topics, but the real draw are the sections of old manuscripts, maps, prints, and the like. Spend some time leafing through some pieces of history that you wouldnt find anywhere else.

Its like if Half Price Books went to college

Small but jammed-packed with a diverse collection of books and prints in good to excellent condition.

This is the kind of place where you can spend a good amount of time simply browsing. Shelves are filled with books, many of which are hard to find elsewhere. Prices, however, tend to be on the high end. Finding a rare book that is even cheaper than on Amazon is one of the great fun things in a used book store. If the price is matched with those of online vendors, that fun is deprived. But you know, this is Boston.

Suck a Gem.

Kindness is key...

I love this place. Its a quiet little storefront, tucked away in an alley around the corner from the Old South Meeting House. They have a wide assortment of used books, including some academic texts. There is a very interesting History of Science section in the back right corner.

It is a great bookstore with a lot variety and even more to explore. It is down a little alley way so you may miss it but if you come across it and love books definitely take a few minutes to see what you can find

This store was absolutely stunning. I was so overwhelmed with everything that they had but it a good way. All of their books were unique. I loved every minute of it.

A good assortment of old, used and rare books. As with most store like this, it’s very hard to find things, and the storage system is ... creatively haphazard. Neat collection of old prints as well.

Interesting books abound!

Wonderful and quaint book store. When first walking in the amount of books can seem overwhelming. The owner is quite knowledgeable and seems to have a good grip on what exactly he has in stock. There is also a great selection of vintage maps and medical graphs.

Fun to browse the book selection here. They get mainstream and off the beaten path novels. I like that they have discounted items, good selection of greeting cards and novelty items. Worth a stop.

The best game store in Boston. Blake is a great owner who tries his hardest to make all customers feel welcome and appreciated. For such a small footprint they have a great amount of stock and are more than willing to put in custom orders on your behalf.

Google says the average visit here lasts 45 minutes. I dont know how you could explore past the front entrance in 45 minutes! Found this place wandering around New Years Eve and wish I had no other plans for the night.If you are into maps or older books, I recommend budgeting a few hours and visiting!

Cutest little bookstore. Got some great used books and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere!

Great used book store! Like any used bookstore, I recommend not going in with a particular book in mind, but rather browse and see what strikes your fancy!

Love to wander and browse the stacks here. Quite a large history section and the staff is very helpful. Oh and best of all is the orange cat whos always snoozing on his cushion in the stores front window. You may see him wandering the aisles too. Quite a friendly little fellow.

Nice little bookstore stacker floor to ceiling with mostly used and old books. Also contains an interesting collection of maps and artwork which are for sale.

Great selection of old and collectible books. Decent selection of modern stuff, especially local interest.

Just off of the well traveled Freedom Trail, in Spring lane, you can find this wonderfully old school book store featuring a jumbly assortment of used books, antique volumes, and old prints and maps. Sometimes you find a great bargain, sometimes you just browse through strange and unusual books, sometimes you salivate over rare and expensive classics. Its got something for everyone and its always worth a browse between other downtown errands and expeditions.

This place is what I imagine when I hear vintage book store. They have so many older books ranging in price from a few dollars to much more. They have several rare manuscripts on display that can also be purchased. If you want a unique book buying experience definitely visit here.

Very expansive collection of works and very cozy atmosphere. Very similar in spirit to their sister location in New Orleans (Crescent City Books), if youve been there

Love love LOVE that I found this book store. Tucked away in an alley is a treasure trove of great and rare books. On my second trip to Boston I drug work mates in here, was so excited to visit again.

Love cooking. some amazing collection they have on cookery.

A beautiful hole in the wall kind of store. The store clerk was friendly and so was the cat working/sleeping there. The store clerk knew where everything I needed and wanted was located and was incredibly friendly about it. They even ship books to you that you cant carry! I could hardly tear myself away.

Nice, small and quaint bookstore, nestled on a cobblestone street. Have a great array of non fiction, but not as much fiction. It was crowded, but not overwhelmingly so.

Tucked away in the corner of an alley in Downtown Crossing, this local gem is a fun place to peruse through lots of old, rare and unique books of all sorts. If you love the smell of old books this is the place to stop by when in the area!

I love bookstores, so this was a great to visit for a few hours while I was in Boston for work.

Awesome little bookstore that I try to visit every time I come into the city. Also, it was very cool to see it in the Equalizer 2 with Denzel Washington!

Lovely book store hidden in downtown Boston. Tons of books and other interesting maps, works on paper, etc to purchase.Great atmosphere and if youre travelling, they ship books too!

I could have spent forever in here. Stacks and piles and shelves or so much interesting work. I wish Id had more time.

This is a booklovers paradise if you love old books. There are also plenty of old maps and photos to purchase. I bought an old map of the north eastern states and had it framed and it looks great. A definite place to visit if you are ever in the area.

Nice used bookstore but no AC inside apparently, hotter inside then outside.

Very nice bookstore. Fun to shop in.

Another stop on my book tour-you can get a map of all the remaining book stores in Boston too. A small, but nice kids section too. Very helpful staff as well.Two store locations and close by.

Cozy space packed with lots and lots of books, as any used bookstore should be. Youll do a little better if youre looking for nonfiction works. And make sure you say hello to the cat.

Oh man, wonderful, quirky packed wall to ceiling, out onto the floor antiquarian and used book store. This and the Brattle are the 2 remaining such stores in Boston. Brattle has polite staff not so keen on conversation. Commonwealth is a bit harder to find, but persevere. Some really great finds no matter your subject. Staff knowledgeable book people.

Lots of rares and hard to find books. Helpful owner who loves books as much as anyone.

Commonwealth is a super great book store with a large selection. Books are mainly historical but they have pretty large fiction and poetry sections.

Adorable hidden spot in an alley off the main street. Huge selection of strange and fascinating books!

Commonwealth Books is a surprisingly large little bookstore with a fantastic selection of small press and letterpress chapbooks. I could spend hours here. Ill be back.

Used book store with the classiest used books. Worth a browse or three!

One of the stores that makes Boston a great place to live (along with the magnificent public park nearby, and the hustle and bustle of the general area) Boston is a jewel in the crown of the USA and if you visit or live there you should check out this used bookstore.

Im in love😍😍😍

I love bookstores and this one has its charm.

Amazing spot. Found an 1864 Diagram of the Tallest Mountains and Longest rivers by continent. Pikes Peak was thought to be the tallest ON EARTH at the time. so cool.

Great bookshop to get lost in. Spent almost 2 hours in here, so many books I wanted to buy! Staff was very helpful, and the cat Dusty came to say hi a few times. There are some hidden gems here. Will definitely go back when I visit Boston again.

Great selection of books, but I was here February 18, 2018 and the bookseller was completely uninterested in selling books. He could not have been less helpful, interested in helping, or caring of whether the bookstore made a profit or not. THIRTY minutes before the store closed he began trying to get customers to leave, and every 5 minutes kept repeating the store is about to close. I have a daughter who is ten and reads on a college level and said she was going to see if she could find a young adult section, rather than trying to tell her books she might be interested in he said your not going to find anything. Who doesnt want to sell a book? He could have recommended art, music, asked what she was interested in to sell product, but he just looked at her as if she didnt belong. I was looking for a book on the Plantagenants and asked if they had any books on the subject. The reply, If its not on the shelf we dont have it. He couldnt have been less helpful or more rude. For this reason I could tell he was not the owner, didnt care about selling books, and someone who couldnt wait to get off and leave to do who knows what. When I asked if he was the owner he said no...I wasnt surprised.