Essential Books

• World famous destination for book lovers since 1959
• We have hundreds of thousands of titles in our ever changing stock
• We Buy & Sell & Trade books all day, every day
• We always pay fair prices for quality books

Since its inception back in the heyday of the Beatnik era, Moe's Books has managed to become more than just a great bookstore--it has achieved the rarified status of a beloved landmark institution as well. Situated just four blocks from the University of California campus, Moe's has managed to mirror the often turbulent and triumphant times that have come to epitomize all that is exciting and unique about Berkeley.

Founded in 1959 by Moe Moskowitz and his wife Barbara, the original site of the store was a small shop on Shattuck just north of University Avenue. As the early 60s dawned, Moe moved his expanding operation to Telegraph Avenue, closer in to the hub of the UC campus. By that time UC Berkeley was about to explode into the national limelight as the focal point of the burgeoning Free Speech Movement. As the decade lunged forward and the Viet Nam War raged on, Moe's Books found itself at the center of numerous confrontations with the Berkeley police and the National Guard. When local authorities called for city-wide curfews, Moe refused to close his doors, asserting that people should be free to walk the streets. When an occasional tear gas canister would roll down the sidewalk, many protesters sought refuge in Moe's Books--one of the few safe havens willing to remain open during a time fraught with imminent danger. Clearly this was a revolutionary period in our history that defied comparison, and Moe's Books under the fearless leadership of Moe Moskowitz, led by shining example.

Moe Moskowitz began a revolution of his own, one that altered the landscape of the used book business. By simply assigning specific values to mass market paperbacks and trade softcover books, customers would now know exactly what rate of exchange they would be receiving. Before this, most used bookstores would literally buy by the pound, giving little or no value for the books they took. Today, the percentages are virtually the same as when Moe worked them out over forty years ago. Moe's was also one of the earliest online bookstores, with its Art and Antiquarian department (More Moe's on the 4th floor, specializing in books on the fine and applied arts) establishing a prominent presence on the internet back in the early 90s. Gradually, as the very nature of the book business has changed, Moe's has seen fit to radically readjust its sights. With many long-time independent bookstores falling by the wayside, Moe's continues to blaze new trails into the twenty-first century, providing book lovers not only in the Bay Area, but now all over the world, an opportunity to shop one of the country's finest bookstores.

Moe's Books is in the same building on Telegraph Avenue that was built for it some thirty years ago. On any given day, its four floors hold upwards to two hundred thousand books in all subjects, from time-worn classics to the most scarce and desirable rarities, from vintage sheet music to collectable paperbacks and highly sought after pulp magazines--virtually anything can be found at Moe's Books.

Interestingly, Moe's doesn't just sell books, the people who work here occassionally write them! The most notable ex-staffer is Jonathan Lethem, who wrote and sold his first novel, Gun With Occassional Music, while working at the store. Joseph Fischer, who left academia thirty years ago to work at Moe's, has written a number of books about Indonesian art and textiles, the most recent, The Story Cloths of Bali, was published by 10 Speed Press in 2004. Current employee Owen Hill is a well known local poet and author of The Chandler Apartments, his well-received mystery novel.

Hundreds of used and out-of-print books are added to our inventory through daily purchases. If you have a library you wish to sell please call one of our buyers at (510) 849-2133 or e-mail us at moe@moesbooks.com.