Used Bookstores~ In Search of Alice

On the hunt to add to my burgeoning collection of vintage Alice in Wonderland books I have come across some of the best used bookstores in Vancouver. As a literature major I love books, especially old ones. When I first started at UBC many a moon ago my absolute favourite place to hang out (or nap!) was buried in the dusty stacks in the old Main Library. It seriously broke my heart when I re-enrolled many years later only to be back on campus and find the Main Library was basically being torn apart and renovated. Some people say updated... I say ruined. But that's neither here nor there. I love old books as much as I love old libraries. The musty smell, the beautiful fine print, the leather bound covers. There is so much history and character in old books in comparison to ones nowadays. 

Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is incomparably my favourite childhood book so I'm scouring the city for the prettiest old volumes of it I can find. You can stumble across so many interesting finds in a used bookstore and it's the mystery of it I love. Plus the markdowns are a great bonus! 

If you're looking for the latest best seller or wanting something with a little more time behind it try one of these three fantastic used bookstores:

Canterbury Tales Secondhand Books

1990 West 4th Ave. (at Maple) 

604-733-1130

Characters Fine Books and Coffee Bar

8419 Granville Street (in Marpole near the Safeway) 

604-263-4660

Tanglewood Books

1553 West Broadway (between Granville and Fir) 

604-736-8876

Update: Have just been sighing over First Edition copies of Alice on ebay. Now that would be the most amazing gift ever! Any great First Edition actually!