Real books. Real booksellers.
New, used and rare books, vinyl and board games on Grand Avenue — hand-picked by a staff that has actually read them.
Fri–Sat 10–9
noon – 5 pm
Fifty-plus years of browsing on Grand Avenue.
Just down the block from the Grand Lake Theatre, under a restored vintage neon sign, you'll find aisle after aisle of new releases, used treasures and a rare book room upstairs.
We buy, sell and trade — so the shelves change every day. Can't find it? We'll order almost any book in print and have it ready for pickup in one to three days.
Something on every shelf.
From Booker Prize winners and Scandinavian noir to picture books, LPs and Wingspan — here's what you'll find inside.
This season's reading lists.
Hand-built lists on Bookshop.org — every online order supports Walden Pond Books just like shopping in the store.
Witches, Witches, Witches!
Board books, picture books, graphic novels and middle-grade & YA reads for the spookiest month.
Browse the listVampires!
Sink your teeth into our pick of the very best vampire fiction ever written.
Browse the listThe Hugo Awards
Six terrific fantasy & science fiction finalists — and this year's winner.
Browse the listWritten by Women, for Everyone
The Women's Prize for Fiction longlist, the world's most prestigious award for women's fiction.
Browse the listFiction Set in Oakland
Novels, short stories and children's books that put our city on the page.
Browse the listMicrohistory Books
Books that focus with intense concentration on just one thing — salt, cod, the color blue.
Browse the listYour books deserve a second chapter.
Moving, downsizing or just ready for something new? Bring us your books and records — we pay cash or store credit for the ones we take, and we make house calls for large collections.
The Rare Book Room.
First editions, signed copies, fine bindings and books that are simply… interesting.
Recent finds include a first printing of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and a 1927 Hogarth Press To the Lighthouse in its original Vanessa Bell jacket. We're a Top Rated Plus seller on eBay with 100% customer satisfaction.
“This is what a bookstore should be.”
4.8 stars from 639 Google reviews — and a shelf full of local awards.
★★★★★“Much more akin to scholars in classic literature than people you would find at a big chain. These guys know their stuff. This is what a bookstore should be.”
— Erica G.
★★★★★“This bookstore feels like home. The staff recommendations are always amazing, and the staff is lovely.”
— Kacie J.
★★★★★“A paradise of great books and music and magazines of all kinds, a wonderful children's area, awesome recommendations, and a friendly and knowledgeable staff.”
— Jahan S.
★★★★★“I have described books in the most vague terms and they've been able to help me find them.”
— Nikki C.
★★★★★“Very knowledgeable staff that take pride in their expertise without the ego.”
— Chris H.
★★★★★“Always friendly, actually answer the phone, and usually have what I want.”
— Jennifer S.
Out in the community.
Best Bookstore — again
Oakland Magazine readers named us Best Bookstore in the 2026 “Best of Oakland” awards.
Bay Area Book Festival
Author signings at our booth outside the Marsh Theater in Berkeley.
Noir City at the Grand Lake
Find our noir tables — new, used & rare — at the world's most popular film noir festival.
Say hello to the dogs.
Generations of Samoyeds (and a few smaller friends) have greeted customers on Grand Avenue. Amos, Kip, Scout, Diego, Mandy and Brody are local celebrities.
Meet the dogs
Staff picks, signings & sales — straight to your inbox.
A few times a year we share what we're reading, new rare-book finds and the occasional sale (like our biggest-ever Independent Bookstore Day).