WOW!!! South Congress Books NAILED the curation of their books. There was a shelf that I found 5 books on that I could not put down! I love bookstores, but usually I have to hunt for the variety that I am looking for. Not at South Congress! In an hour I left with a stack of books that I cannot stop reading. Such a wonderful variety of older published books, tons of different topics, and creative stories. My partner loves reading about Buddhism, and they had a selection that we havent been able to find anywhere else, even online! This is my favorite bookstore Ive visited--and we often travel the country to go to specific bookstores.

One of the best bookstores Ive ever visited. Its small but extremely well curated, with helpful and kind staff. Will stop by again soon!

The cutest Littlw bookshop on S. Congress 🤍📚

This is a perfect little bookstore with limited but lovingly selected new and first edition books, mostly fiction. They have many collectible signed first editions. Great place to pick up that gift for someone very special.

Clean, organized, cute shop.It was strange to see books priced almost uniformly in a $20-$25 range.

Good sample of old and classic books on different subjects.

Friendly helpful staff and all books in very good condition.

This place is so cute. They have a great selection of books. I purchased 3 books for my kid and they were amazing. Ill be coming back to get more from here.

Cannot beat the selection. The most Loeb Classical Library books I’ve ever seen in the wild.

They have a state the art selection of books but unfortunately the snooty atmosphere was so overwhelming I had to leave before I could really look around

A quaint little bookstore just a few miles from the capitol building. Parking can be a pain but this bookstore is worth the visit. They also sell records and prints.

Great place, also next to a very good pizza shop! You can find many collectible and signed books here. I have been here twice and plan to keep coming. Great history and Mystery book sections. Honestly one of the best bookstores in Austin. Love it!

A place where you can appreciate the love of reading.

Seriously my favorite book store

Called to check for a title on the off chance they had it. They didn’t, but were amazingly friendly on the phone!

Friendly staff, unique collection, and great atmosphere!! Absolutely loved visiting. Purchased a signed first edition for my collection and I could not be more excited! They have a lot of collectible editions, signed copies, and rare finds. Definitely worth a visit!

Good mix of newer and older books. They also have a good number of one-off books, which was nice to see.

A great, cozy bookstore to check out. Helpful staff, interesting selection with an offering of Texas focused books.

Great collection of vintage, signed and first edition books. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly. Yes its cheaper online... But this is a business I will support. Such a cool store.

I love this place. Huge variety and very clean place.

The place is nice, it is so quite and peaceful, many genre options for the books

Wow, what an amazing & magical place full of wonders. the staff were beyond helpful and so passionate about books and the bookstore. i walked away with two beautiful pieces of literature. thank you so much to those at south congress books.

Tasteful collection and indoor decor. This bookstore is truly a gem🌟

Good selection and friendly. They have a signed book by the best president ever, Bill Clinton

The books smell nice. Reminds me of my ex wifes dads library.

One of the best collection on rare tomes that i have seen.

Nice shop, clean and tidy. Just dont expect to get any deals as the prices are pretty high. Youll be paying more than original list price even if its not rare.

Wide and wonderful collection of rare and collectible books and ephemera. No $0.25 romances here. This is the good stuff.Helpful and friendly staff. An Austin treasure.

Incredible selection of 1st editions and signed copies. You may find otherwise hard to locate or out of print books here. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. This is a high quality book store, well organized , it is easy to see that the employees take the extra time and effort to ensure that the atmosphere is maintained. One of my favorite bookstores to stop and browse in, Ill pick up that 1st edition as soon as I have an extra $300 laying around

I love the smell of books stores. Cool spot to check out gently used books. They even had some sweet vinyls.

Unlike most second-hand book stores which are hit or miss this is a genuine place to find antique pieces and originals (a lot with autographs). Any book lover wpuld love this shop, even though theres not much method to the madness of the shelving the owner knows his way around the shop.

Cute bookshop with a great selection of new and used books. Navigating through the store with a stroller or wheels can be tricky with the narrow aisles, but not entirely problematic. Pleasant staff.

Its a bit pricey and I saw a book that was overpriced. The store wanted $375 for the books, but they didnt even have the entire volume set. Is the book hard to get? Ehh, somewhat. The entire set is valued around $700.

Great place. Really nice finds plus a wonderful conversation with Erica! +++

One of my favorite shops in Austin, not to be missed. A place to discover rare, signed books, or just on the lookout for a special gift. Fantastic selection of art, film, music, fiction, and even some cool childrens books. Staff is very friendly and will point you in the right direction no matter what youre looking for. I am a bit of a signed book collector and highly recommend rolling through if youre like minded and in town.

Magnificently curated selection of books from photography to art to fiction to jazz bios to history to children’s classics. The knowledgeable staff loves to talk about books. They even have a fine first editions/rare books section and an array of posters from 1960s and 70s Austin venues like The Armadillo. If you’re looking for a bookstore supermarket, this isn’t it. If you want to hang out and discover one-of-a-kind titles mixed with classics in an intimate setting, you’ve come to the right place. Buy a book and then go have a meal at one of the restaurants on South Congress. This place is a treasure.

Cute little bookshop to step in and take a look at all they have - lots of interesting items, old editions and rare books. A nice place to kind of chill out when youre walking down South Congress.

To the last reviewer: I’ve been to this store many many times - and the thought of any of the the employees being stuck up is just ludicrous. (And calling them Yuppies? Ok Boomer)

Awesome book collection

Loved this little shop! It has a great selection of beautiful books. I spent 30 minutes looking around and enjoying the warm and friendly atmosphere. The smell of old books and the knowledge that they contain is wounderful!

Cool location with a great selection of older and unique books. My only complaint is that I tend to spend too much money in here.

While walking around doing the tourist thing, I had the chance to stop into South Congress Books. Their selection is a wide mix: everything from contemporary paperbacks to rarities like first editions and signed books. I didnt have a ton of time to check out everything that would have interested me, but the person running the shop that day was very knowledgeable about authors and what they had on hand for special editions. I had them ship my books to me out of state, and while the shipping fee is more than what you would pay on your own, I was fine paying for the service. And more importantly, the books were well protected inside the packaging. I definitely plan to stop in again the next time Im in town.

Excellent/friendly experience, bought two books based on employees recommendation AND got a 10% discount. Would definitely revisit and recommend.

Amazing staff. So knowledgeable and helpful. Great selection of books. Definitely a spot to check out!!

While this is a good place to get rare books and first editions... everything else is incredibly overpriced. I went in to look for an art book to add to my collection, but I was disappointed to see that everything was listed at prime retail price usually $50 or more. These books are used! Save your money and buy these online.

Really friendly and they will try to help you get whatever your looking for. Even take down your name and number and call you if they find it. Only wasnt too crazy about people offering other stuff when I came for something specific but thats just me

I make it a point to stop anytime I find myself in Austin. Robust selection of previously owned books. Some true gems can be found in their stacks

Owner has a great mixture of older rare volumes, and newer titles mixed in.

Surprising collection of first and second editions. Walked away with various copies I hadn’t expected. Friendly owner to boot.

Sorry but unless you are looking for a specific title I cant recommend this store. The prices are way out of line: if its old its vintage if new youd get a better deal on Amazon.

A place that treats books as objects of great value, the physicality of the books are precious, which exalts their content. Well-selected, cared for, many first and older editions, a beautiful and awesome place.

Best bookstore in the business.fantastic, intelligent staff. anyone who disagrees is bratty and dumb.i might be a tad biased, though...

Despite not having the book I was looking for the shop was able to point me to similar books as well as recommend other independent shops that may have the book I was looking for.

A great book shop! They had collectible editions including first editions and some special editions. I found a first edition of one of my favorite books which was exciting. The books are beautifully displayed and they have regular old non collectible books too, in addition to prints, framed art, and other things. I loved the staff-had a great convo with the woman about the fact that there should be an austin street art coffee table book! Someone get on that!

I do not say this lightly, but this has to be the coolest bookshop in Austin.

Quaint little book store that has a collection of old books. This is a place to go to find a unique book.

Great bookstore for those that enjoy printed books. Interesting gifts as well.

With South Congress is a street in Austin where you can get just about anything- from the latest styles, to folk art, to an outrageous Halloween costume, to a good meal- there hasnt, until recently, been a place to buy a good book. South Congress Books, which opened in the summer of 2011, has filled this gap, with a particular emphasis on books focusing on art, photography, music, and pop culture. This is a used bookstore that shows all the signs of being carefully curated (or at least just having a customer base with great taste). Its the type of place where you can come in looking for a particular book, or one on a particular topic, and end up browsing for hours and learning about topics you had never even thought about before. The store is small and, consequently, a bit cramped, but in my opinion this just adds to the charm and enhances the neighborhood book store feel. Prices are more than reasonable, and there are occasional book signings and art events. South Congress books is a great edition to one of Austins most-visited streets, and definitely worth checking out on your next visit.

Super cute shop, lots of used books.

A wonderful book store that included collectible childrens books

A truly great independent new and used bookstore. I only wish I lived nearby!

Horrible... judgemental stuck up yuppies

Good books. High price if youre just looking to get a good read instead of collecting.

This is the best used and rare book store in South Austin and is a must-visit for any bibliophile. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, the selection is great, and the prices are fair.

Best shop on Congress Ave. Help is always warm and avail to assist. Rare gem as far as Book stores & rare shops like these are!

A must see. The owner genuinely loves her literature and has built a valuable and amazing collection. Hole in the wall, asy to miss, but dont! I spend 2 hours there before I even notice. Ifbu are looking for something, she will help u find what it is u want.

I always stop in here if Im on South Congress. Beautiful selection of used books pretty enough to put on display. Theyve also always got a lot of interesting old posters and postcards.

This place had incredible and unique selections!

Great little book store. Staff are great.

This bookstore is a great place to mosey in and get lost in a few books while strolling up and down the street. Its the type of place where you can wonder in looking for a particular book - and instantaneously get lost for hours browsing through their wonderful selection.

Great collection of first editions and other rarities.

Loved browsing this store. Great for special editions and used books.

Cool book store with all sorts of options from New to collectable books

Varied selection of rare and hard to find titles. Overpriced, however, would HAVE to be to afford the rent on S. Congress Ave. Fun to window shop there.

This bookstore sells a lot of expensive signed editions. The problem is that most of these books are just regular $15 - $25 standard hardcovers with a signature on the title page. Theres no way to authenticate the signatures, as opposed to genuine signed editions that contain an authors signature on a limitation page, are specially bound, and are numbered as part of a limited print run. Sorry, but Im not paying $600 for a $20 book that someone claims was signed by Johnny Cash (thats just one of the signed books I saw at this shop).

Amazing collection of rare books, first editions, autographed and other collector items. Worth browsing for hours.

Fancy place with alot of rare signed books.

Wonderful, well organized book store. Staff is friendly and prices are fair.

Sooo... many books! Filled with great workers, and great books, so its a great place to hang out

Friendly people great prices

Cool place nice peeps.

I liked the place .. was cool

Excellent selection of collectors books.

Quant little store. Quite a few rare books

Fabulous unique book store

Always iffy about the tourist spots but this place has great selection of literature

Great book store

Wide selection of used books

For all your books needs

Small and not cheap, but some very nice gems on the shelves

Very cool bookstore

Cool place to shop

Great spot

Not a wide selection and no parking

Prices too high. No collector bargains.

Very small and high prices only

Nice section

Great variety

Friendly staff and rare finds!

Love!