Books: Rare, Medium, Well Done

Rare, Medium and Well Done Books is an "awesomely unorganized bookstore" in Lincoln Park, Chicago. If I'm ever in the Windy City, this will definitely be a place to visit.


A fantastic photo by Doug Oldham [photo.net]


Photo: deeeeaaaan [Flickr]

It looks either like a fire death trap or a treasure trove of a bookstore with a great sense of humor ...


Lovely! One could spend a happy day digging for treasures and rarities, have a cuppatee or five, and then continue treasure hunting... oh yeah!
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I've been going there for years, and have found some great stuff. Just make sure you have some time. The art book section is the most infuriating. The books are just stacked on the floor in a series of 3'-4' towers.
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I love stores that are willing to be unique like this. Some of my best purchases were made at yard sales/flea markets, and having a store set up (or, not set up I should say) makes me more interested in finding the hidden gems
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There is a book store like this in my neighbourhood. It is an unorganized mess of books to everyone except for the owner who, if you ask him for a book, knows if he has it and its location in store.
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Looks like my Russian friends apartment. While I am not a neat freak, I used to be a librarian and it drives me up the wall to see books like that.
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I think that this bookstore is on Webster and Clark. My favorite memories in here were finding a huge stack of books about schooners and then sitting on a pile of Voltaire.
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I've been there numerous times, and can vouch that you'll need several hours at a time to fully enjoy this bookstore. As an earlier commenter said, it's not a very well-organized shop but it's filled with unusual title - that just adds to the pleasure of finding a rare book! The name of the shop is "Bookman's Corner" - googlemaps link here: http://tinyurl.com/65u59k
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Now added to my list of places to visit if/when I make it to Chicago. My luggage would be a bit heavy for the return flight though.
One of my favorite local used book stores is a four bedroom house furnished only with books and bookcases.
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Shouldn't the title of this blog post be "Rare medium, well done" not "Rare, Medium, Well done?" The commas change the whole meaning of the store's name. :)
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It is one of my favorites! I have mentioned it on my goodreads profile several times. It is closed on wednesday, and he does not sell you books, if you plan to cut them up for art projects! He told me last month, he is looking to sell the place, due to age--he is a WWII vet. He is chatty, if you sow some respect, and smile. No, he does not know his stock, for it is free flowing --in and out all the time. Prices are good to great. Dusty and no A/C! Ladder usage at your own risk sign is here and there. Prices are good--I love hunting. Last itme i forgot my hubby at the car for 3 hours! Metered parking along Clark--2 hours at a time. Duke of Perth --Scottish pub and eatry down the street ablock or so--Great fish and chips!! Salad with poppy seed dressing from scratch. Soups are wonderful too.
I live in NW IN, but dated my hubby up there. Bookleggers is on Broadway-nice clean shop-little higher prices, but I find things there all the time too. You just walk wellington or is it webster to Broadway, and you should see them across the street. Both shops buy/sell.
Thanks for posting this-It gave me a huge smile today!
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interstellaroverdrive --try Powell books-Near univ of chicago. They also have another location. Also Myoptic books. Yelp.com--pick chicago, and it will help you find most anything you want in the city. Aslo if you like strange new books and magazines-Quimby's is cool and shocking too. Not for the delicate person. They have a website too, so you can google them. They carry the largest selection Zines in the city.
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I talked to the owner about a year ago and he said he was trying to get out of his lease. He has been giving away books lately and I think he wants to get out of the business. So if you want to go, go soon!

Personally, I love used book stores and I have bought books there, the prices are great. However, don't try it if you're clautrophobic. I've had to step out a couple times because I had a sudden fear of death in there.
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I lived down the block from that place a few years ago. The owner is amusing and a bit mad and sometimes smells like he hasn't showered in a week. It's on Clark St., a few blocks north of Fullerton, near (as others have said) the Duke of Perth, La Creperie, and the Century 10 Movies. Not reeeeally Lincoln Park -- more like on the border between Lincoln Park, the Belmont/Clark district (which really is its own world) and Wrigleyville. The history, art and poetry sections are absolutely brilliant. Fiction is a little spotty. There are two other excellent used bookstores in the neighborhood -- one on Belmont between Clark and Sheffield (tremendous classics, science fiction and literary criticism sections); and another on Clark further north, near on the western side of the street, about halfway between Belmont and Wrigley Field. It has an excellent collection of art books and antiquarian editions.
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I work in a Special collections at a College. If I want to see rows and rows of rare books I'd just walk in the closed stacks for a while. There is a book store near my house that is similar inside. Over flowing stacks and stacks of books.
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the original shot of the window has no comma between the words "rare" & "medium". I take this to mean that the shop owner(s) are calling attention to the "rare medium" of books which are "well done"
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