Bookstores Draw Bargain-Hunters And Browsers to Harvard Square

In Harvard Square, intellectuals lurk in unexpected places and in all sorts of guises. Even the flakiest nose-ringed punk or that guy huddled in the corner at Au Bon Pain could probably discuss the latest nonfiction best-seller or the works of Virginia Woolf.

No wonder, then, that Harvard has an impressive array of bookstores to feed the minds of Dan Quayle's cultural elite. Browsing is a sport here, and the Square, with more than 25 bookstores in a 10-block area, is the best arena around.

Harvard Bookstore, on mass. Ave. across from Widener Library, is a two-level peruser's dream-come-true, and a dangerously easy way to waste time. Its window displays lure patrons into a roomy shop with an especially sizable nonfiction collection.

The Harvard Bookstore's huge remainders section offers fiction and nonfiction for under $5. Downstairs, used books--also inexpensive--line the shelves. Among Harvard Bookstore's weaker spots are science fiction and children's selections.

For these genres, a better bet is Wordsworth Books in Brattle Square. The recently-expanded Wordsworth is still a little cramped, and its shelves have been likened to a labyrinth, Still, it has a good collection and a knowledgeable staff, as well as an interesting shelf with British imports.

The Coop, the three-level bureaucratic hell that has a monopoly on textbooks, is a common source of student complaint. But only the top level (where the textbooks are shelved) is a disorganized mess. The other two floors have a selection comparable to a typical mall bookshop, with sizable collections of children's books and travel books. The hardcover collection takes up most of the first level, with a somewhat smaller selection of paperbacks upstairs. The poetry selection is excellent.

When waiting in line to pay for textbooks, be certain to check the shelves--some of the books for other classes are tempting. In a store that orders limited supplies--and takes weeks to reorder--it's a dog-eat-dog world.

For The Well-Read Yuppie

Barillari Books, one of the newer yuppie shops that is the only Square bookstore to house an espresso bar, has two levels of books. Although the supermarket-like atmosphere is far from cozy, it's worth checking out this store first: every book is always discounted 25 percent, making it the cheapest spot for new books in the Square.

The oft-forgotten Reading International Bookstore on the corner of Church and Brattle is much smaller than the other general bookstores, but its interesting organization makes it a great browsing spot. There are shelves reserved for Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, as well as a section with local authors.

The magazine wall is the real showpiece, featuring obscure but fascinating academic and special interest periodicals. Reading International also has great outdoor weekend sales, with new books at inexplicably low prices.

Specialty Books

The Square also has its share of specialty bookstores. Wedged next to Harvard Book-store is Grolier Books, which specializes in poetry. A tiny store crammed to the top of its high walls with poetry books, Grolier is also well-known for its mascot of sorts, a sad-looking, mild-mannered dog who usually sits in front of the store's Plympton Street entrance.

Sky Light Books on Mt. Auburn St. sells new-age books, crystals, and other Shirley McLain-esque fare. Globe Bookstore, tucked behind the Coop, features travel books and maps.

For the Well-Read Red

Subversives can Haunt Revolution Books on JFK St. A walk through Revolution Books an a glance at the posters with Marxist slogans ("Mao More Than Ever") is probably a healthy experience for every bourgeois at Harvard.

For foreign language books the nationally known Scheonhoff's, on Mt. Auburn Street, is the place to shop.

Asian Books' collection, on Bow Street, features works by renowed East Asian Experts, poetry, Chinese Classics in translation and even Mao's Little Red Book.

Used Books

For used books, The Bookcase on Church Street is a fun place to browse. Bags are checked at the door, and the somewhat disorganized stacks in the cramped basement are stocked with an eclectic--and inexpensive--collection. Star Bookstore underneath the Lampoon castle also specializes in used books.

Pangloss, located on Mt. Auburn, known for its warm fires in the winter months has a cozy atmosphere and is known for a wide selection of out-of-print books.

One caveat about books in intellectual Cambridge: by the time most students graduate from Harvard, they have accumulated towering piles of paperbacks, many of which they have never even opened. A cheap copy of Thoreau on overstock or the latest book on pop psychology is always a tempting purchase.

But time is precious inside the ivy gates, and Harvard is generous with her distractions. Reading every book you buy--or even all of your required texts--is probably a pipe dream.