Las Vegas Weekly

Rick Lax’s noncomprehensive local bookstore guide

Bauman Rare Books is expensive, but awesome.

Photo: Christopher DeVargas

Assouline Assouline is both the store and the publisher. The books are clever, big, gorgeous and pricey. So if this story brought you joy and you want to return the favor, you know where to shop for a thank you gift. Crystals, 795-0166.

Amber Unicorn Books The used books go from floor to ceiling. Rare books and signed copies are up front. Stop by to get a new read, sell an old one or just talk books with Lou and Myrna. And please, tell them I say hi. 2101 S. Decatur Blvd. (in the Trader Joe’s plaza), 648-9303.

Dead Poet Books They’ve got plenty of new age and plenty of Westerns, but overall, the selection isn’t great. Don’t come with something particular in mind; come with an open mind. And while you’re there, enjoy the cool atmosphere and the cool chairs. 937 S. Rainbow Blvd., 648-9303.

Bauman Rare Books This used bookstore is so expensive it makes Assouline look like a thrift shop. Prices are in the tens of thousands and upwards. If I’m buying a book for that much, it better be a first-edition Bible signed by God. Still, it’s fun to walk in and pretend the place is my personal library. Shoppes at Palazzo, 948-1617.

Borders at Town Square The layout is perfect, and the store is consistently filled with attractive women. If only the cafe’s Internet were faster than a Dostoevsky novel. 383-6734.

Borders on North Rainbow The best Young Adult section in Vegas. Though, the magazines could use more-frequent updating. Some are dated by months. And no, I’m not talking about the seasonal ones. 2190 N. Rainbow Blvd., 638-7866.

Borders on Sunset The best bookstore cafe in Vegas. Plenty of windows, plenty of space. I’d live there if I could. 1445 W. Sunset Road, 433-6222.

Barnes & Noble on Rainbow I spend a lot of time at this store. Often, I stop by the World Market, which is next door, for a treat, which I then eat at the B&N cafe. Don’t tell my baristas, though. I think it could be some sort of health code violation. But do ask Crystal Perkins for a book recommendation. 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd., 631-1775.

Barnes & Noble on Maryland Bonus points for being so close to so many cheap lunch places and to UNLV. But why does the men’s restroom door have to stay open at all times? Actually, I don’t want to know. 3860 Maryland Parkway, 734-2900.

Barnes & Noble Henderson The store took over the adjoining Starbucks, so now you can take books into the cafe without setting off the alarm. It’s a friendly, quiet store. 567 N. Stephanie St., 434-1533.

Barnes & Noble Summerlin The cleanest bookstore in Vegas—vigilantly so. Sometimes I’ll get up from the cafe to use the restroom, and when I get back, my books are gone, replaced with a bedtime mint. It’s also the most costly store—not because the prices are higher than those of other Barnes & Noble stores, but because it’s next to Whole Foods, and, well, you know how that works. 8915 W. Charleston Blvd., 242-1987.