Ravenswood Used Books
4226 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625 (map)
773.593.9166
hours: Mon-Sun 12-6pm,
Sun 12-5pm
store website
Lincoln Square, like so many Chicago neighborhoods, is rapidly changing. New storefronts with their bright illuminated placards seem to be continually either going up or coming down. Amidst this flux there resides a store with comparatively modest signage. Simple and to the point, the small black and white sign above the door reads, “Books.” You may have passed it without noticing but if you have visited, you would surely remember Ravenswood Used Books.
Once inside, tall aisles of densely packed bookshelves give that cozy feeling I like so much about intimate bookstores, namely, being surrounded or perhaps embraced by literature. Though not recommended for the claustrophobic, this shop is one of my favorites in the city.
Proprietor Jim Mall worked as an antiques dealer for 25 years before he decided to turn his Lincoln Ave. warehouse into Ravenswood Used Books and sell books full time. The store has been open for over three years now.
The shop is about half fiction with a smattering of just about every other type of book including drama, history, dance, philosophy, art, and cooking. The store is organized into sections but each section itself is not quite perfectly organized. The fiction collection can be especially difficult to navigate if you are looking for a specific title, but if you just enjoy browsing and getting “lost in the stacks” this is hardly a bother. If you are looking for something in particular, Jim is very friendly and knowledgeable and has a keen recollection of what he has in stock.
On the subject of online bookselling, Jim commented that the internet has changed things dramatically. “It is more difficult for independent bookstores to make a living because it’s much easier for people to shop naked,” Jim said, smiling. “Though I’ve encouraged that in the store, it hasn’t happened yet.”
Jim has generously offered to give papermustache readers the following deal: Buy 4 books and get a 5th book (of equal or lesser value) FREE when you mention papermustache.
Books Purchased:
- ZIP: A Novel of the Left and the Right, by Max Apple. The Viking Press; 1st Editon, hardcover, 1978. ($8.00)
- All-Japan: The Catalogue of Everything Japanese, by Oliver Statler et al. Quill, 1st Edition, softcover, 1984. ($10.00)
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