Moe's Books

My favorite used book store! I always try to stop by when visiting Berkeley. The selection of math and physics textbooks in particular is unparalleled.

Excellent, large, multi-floor bookstore with a great mix of new and used (and many rare) books. Pretty eclectic place. Very helpful staff. Great place if you like unique and classic bookstores rather than the more typical Barnes and Noble sorts of places. Loved their selection of old posters, too.

Popped into Moe's books today for a favor completely unrelated to the store and the staff were incredibly welcoming and kind. The owner then went out of their way to help me with a last-minute Christmas gift. Strongly recommend, can't wait to go back and delve into the book collection!

One of the better bookstores I've been to. Despite its size, it is extremely well organized. Nice selection of material including a strong nonfiction to fiction ratio.

Walking into Moe’s is like embarking on a journey into a realm where the freshness of new ideas and the soundness of ancient understandings combine to both inspire and confirm one’s possibilities. Whether you are seeking the newest philosophy, gardening du jour, oldest shoe fashions or a new take on humans (do we really need them?) Moe’s intelligent staff and delightful atmosphere will make sure you leave with happiness in a book bag!

They have a lot of books on multiple floors. I found a minimal selection of used decent horror/sci-fi books. (Horror is just mixed with sci-fi here). Nice clean store.

Excellent, classic-style bookshop with incredible range of titles, at unbeatable prices, with friendly staff. Good mix of both popular and more uncommon titles. One of the must-visit bookstores of the San Francisco area!

Four floors of books is insane. This store had a huge selection of used books, posters, and other fun little things. The third and fourth floors are a little harder to access, the stairs are steeper and the hall is a little dark, but after getting through that it's a fun place to hang out! Bring a friend and look for some gently used books here.

This is one of the best bookstores I've ever been in!!! Located on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, this place has multiple levels, accessible by stairs or an elevator!!! There are literally books everywhere, new and used!! And you will find people all over the place in here reading. They greet you when you walk in, very friendly, makes you comfortable from the start. Also, the books are very reasonably priced,. I've been to Telegraph Avenue lots of times and never had checked this place out, definitely gotta come back and spend some more time in here!!

The book buyer was condescending and awful. Told me that my books were "new age fluff" and barely looked at my books. The owner was pretending to be nice. I did get a good parking spot though!

Several floors including an open and well lit basement lower level of books, rare journals, rare publications, and comics await here to be found! I had heard about this place from another local bookstore owner so decided to stop in when I was in town. There's metered parking available on the street or on nearby side streets depending on which direction you're traveling in from. Upon entering the store, the store owner's little dog smiled up at me as I paused to decide which level to explore first. On the lower level, I discovered interesting music magazines from the 90's, art journals from many years, and rare comics. Each floor offered great book selections at every price level. SO glad I found Moe's!

What a fantastic bookstore! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with a warm and cheerful hello. Bonus points for that! We explored every floor, amazed by the wide variety of genres and the thoughtfully curated selection. We even found the most adorable Kiki's Delivery Service journal... too cute to pass up! I'll always support local businesses, and this place is a perfect reminder of why. Skip the corporate giants and shop small!

Vast selection of books on art and architecture This shop is well kept, organized and the staff is very attentive and helpful. I spent quite a bit of time just wandering and exploring the many options on the table tops as well as the various floors. It's a great neighborhood staple and i would recommend stopping by especially if you park in the garage next door. I believe you can enter the shop from the back way and exit onto telegraph It's worth the stop :)

I could spend all day here. Each floor is organized by subject & there is definitely something for everyone!

Moe's books is an institution in Berkeley! Love them multiple levels and layers of books, the staff is always so kind and friendly, and we really appreciate that at their front door. They share pre-release books with their visitors for no cost, what a sweet and gentle Way to share access to books!

Super helpful staff. Found a old, semi rare book for me and set it aside. Great price. Super easy experience

Excellent book store. Devendra really agent out of their way to find my book and call me back twice to make sure we found the correct one. 5/5 customer service 5/5 atmosphere 5/5 selection. There's a reason this place has been in business forever. Love it and will be back many times.

Moe's Books is like that person who never talks but when they do it's like a mic drop every time: super cool. It's freakin amazing how Moe's has FOUR STORIES of books and to get each floor, you take this secretive staircase (I think they have an elevator too). But each floor has their special genres and some used copies. I liked how all the new stuff and merch is on the first floor. People were super nice too.

Popped into Moe's books today for a favor completely unrelated to the store and the staff were incredibly welcoming and kind. The owner then went out of their way to help me with a last-minute Christmas gift mission. Strongly recommend and will definitely be returning!

If you like "underground" culture, history specially local history, banned books type of thing, just browsing for a nice read, Moe's got you. Every single time I wanted Sylvia Plath or Jack Kerouac, they're there. My favourite section is the cooking section. Very simple to browse as they break subcategories down. For cooking, there's Asian, East Asian, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, etc pretty much every cuisine is almost represented. And I have to love the little sale tables. Everything is very organise, by category, new books, and pretty much nearly everything under the sun. You got at least 3 full floors of good stuff. The history here is phenomenal, especially for the area. Even if you got nothing in particular, it's always fun seeing the sale items and discovering something new. As a french major I didn't find much. I mean there's plenty but huge plethora of classics and essays. Every time I stroll around on a nice day I pay Moe a visit and then some lunch on a sunny day while I enjoy my content. Posters and postcards are something that is worth looking as well, as a postcard collector. Thanks Moe! AC Transit 6 is easily accessible as well as the 36, 51B, and 79 are adjacent. Nearest BART would be downtown Berkeley and perhaps Rockridge

I have loved Moe's since moving to the Bay Area in 1978. I was turning in books that I have had in the areas of literature, philosophy, psychology, art, etc. I brought them about 6 full boxes. They told me that they would send them to someone who would evaluate them and pay me for what could be used, but I would have to accept not getting any of them back. The rest would be given to some charity. They did not buy one book, and reconfirmed that they could not return any of them. It was shocking and very depressing. I later looked up items and found that many of them were actually significant value on Ebay, etc. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR BOOKS. Really shameful behavior on their part. Maybe even a scam. DO NOT TRUST THEM. DESPICABLE BUSINESS PRACTICE.

One of the best bookstores ever built. I always find something to take home. I always seem to find something unexpected and wonderful every time I visit.

The best book store in the Bay Area. I loved frequenting when I used to live in The Bay. Excellent selection of rare books and poetry. They also host great poetry readings. A great place to spend hours browsing. Guaranteed you won't leave empty-handed!

This is the absolute best bookstore I've been to -- they have every book you're looking for (new fiction is in the basement) as well as 8-10 books you didn't know you were looking for :D I love browsing and could easily spend a couple hours getting lost in everyone's cast-off UC Berkeley required reading texts. Highlights include an extensive history section, obscenely large philosophy section, and curated new fiction. I'm so grateful Moe's has survived through the years. Every other bookstore's closure emphasizes the value of Moe's in the community. We always visit when we are back in town, are grateful they still have a restroom for customers, and spend freely knowing we are supporting an institution.

I have loved Moe's Books since the time of Moe. I used to go there quite a bit in the 90s and periodically thereafter, having happily returned again recently. With a few floors of books, a great space, and friendly, helpful staff, it's a wonderful place to spend some time and get some more books that you may not have expected to get.

Moe's is legendary. In a town filled with intellectuals, authors and even more readers, this is book store A number one, the top of the heap! A great place to buy books. What a selection - four floors of books! I used to have more leisure time and spend hours in bookstores. It's a little sad that I'm zipping and dashing everywhere all the time, but this would be a great place to lose yourself in the tomes if you are so inclined. Moe's is also a fantastic place to sell books. You can receive cash or a store credit. They didn't take most of what I brought in on today's visit, but I did leave $28 richer. I guess you could earn more if you were hocking them online and shipping them yourself. But did I mention that I don't have a lot of leisure time? But it's a lot easier to make time for spring cleaning when there's cash at the end of the rainbow. Love the staff. Very knowledgeable literary folks. They know a great deal about almost any of the books I ever inquire about. And they're good for recommendations too.

This store is a national treasure. It ranks with Powell's and the Strand. There is a good selection of new books and a great selection of used ones.

Best used bookstore in the Bay. The only other bookstore that rivaled Moes was Black Oak. But, it closed. Moes has been my refuge for 20 years. My area of study is philosophy, ancient Greek in particular. They have texts in multiple languages. Great section for Greek, Latin, French, etc. I went yesterday and bought another treasure trove. Please continue to support this gem rather than the big bookstore.

they lied and said my book was damaged on the return to the store via USPS. It was overpriced to begin with, a 1990 publication. What I paid in a reduced refund and mailing would have paid for the book . I had trouble with them before and I have decided after 11 years of buying online to just go back to normal and walking into a store instead to purchase what I need. I have had it. Online vendors are getting more and more greedy and creating new ways to save them money (aka profit) and exploit us

Still a great bookstore after all these years -- new and used books. Very good collection of social science titles on upper floor. Lots of books about the movies on lower floor.

I'd heard about Moe's from a local friend who shops there often, but you can tell as you walk up that it's a beloved local institution. I was there while orange tier restrictions were in place. They had an assistant at the door keeping track of numbers and they ask you to use hand sanitizer on the way in. There was space for a line but we walked right in. It's split across a few levels, with the till at the ground floor level. Feels a bit like an old record store. They have a great used selection with all kinds of categories. I mostly browsed fiction. I quickly spotted a pristine looking copy of a novel I bought new that morning. There was also a good selection of classics. They're obviously careful about what they buy in - nothing looked too tattered - which I appreciate in a used bookshop. Downstairs there's a nice new selection, not very large but decent curation. There's also a couple of displays of discounted books which are in new condition but mostly priced around $7-10, about half price. Nice store, and I can see why the locals enjoy it so much.

I cannot leave here without spending at least $75. It's a problem. It's a really good problem. Huge selection of used fiction and nonfiction (including some deep cuts in history and religion), all at reasonable prices. New fiction skews literary, and used SFF skews pulpy. Art, science, and music sections have a consistently broad range of good choices. Their stock is regularly updated, so even though I am a frequent visitor, I always find new things. I always pick up a handful of weird postcards, too.

This store has been around forever and I like coming here. It's not new looking like HPB, but it is a little tired looking. But I love books, so for me it's a great place. The prices are OK and honestly, I like to come here because of nostalgia. I miss Shakespere and some of the other used book stores that existed. Occasionally, I find a book to buy, but their selection of spiritual and language books are kind of lame. I do like the art and cook books, but I don't by them. And the bathroom is gross! But, I like to walk through and peruse the books. I find that some of their selection is lame because it's old and the same. I tried to sell books to them and they said that my books were too old, I had just used these books in grad school! And the musty old books they were rocking let me know that it's possible that they only accept some people's older books, but not everyones. That's why I don't buy from them.

I was recommended this place to find interesting and unique books and it did not disappoint! With four floors to explore this was the perfect activity for a nice day in downtown Berkeley. And I got a $7 book about gardening that I can't even find online! Magical!

I love this bookstore! I'm not from Berkeley but whenever I find myself in the area I am sure to stop by and get some posters or check out some books. There's so many cute little items sold here.

Pretty cool book store! It's four stories of well stories. They've got everything here for all ages and interests. It looked like they even accept books on the top floor. If you're interested you can even get some swag which includes postcards of writers. They've got a ton of stuff to look through. I ended up asking the man behind the register for his recommendation. Things are a bit pricey so if you don't want to spend a lot, try the shelves out front.

on a whim since i was nearby, i decided to visit Moe's again after a 10 year spell. elsewhere, i wasn't getting the quality of books i sought. not all book stores are fully opened. since the libraries are closed, the free libraries seldom have great books. interesting yes. Moe's was limiting the amount of people inside. i was able to get in with no problem. got 4 interesting books. lst wasn't eye opening:Asian American odyssey. it's therapy 2. Stranger from a different shore: a history of Asian Americans" by Ronald Takaki is a blockbuster tell-all 3.The Cornel west reader-sound be intereting' 4:"the New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the age of colorblindness" (Michell Alexander) articulates why the police have to be " defunded". -how "the war on terror" has especially target black and brown communities for minor drug offences. $ incentives for random stop & risk arrests by police.

Love to close early!! So frustrating. Drive down and was there by 6:45 pm and they said they were closed early because they had to avoid overtime. I think that's what happens when someone doesn't show up for a shift and someone else stays so they can be open when a loyal customer gets there while still open. Yikes!

There was a book that came out back in 1974 called Telegraph 3AM. It had pictures of some of us on the street. I considered buying a copy of it, but $20 was more than I could afford back then. Has some great pics in it.

Great bookstore! BUT it shows up on a search of places in Berkeley with air conditioning. It has amazing books and ephemera but NO AIR CONDITIONING

Love this place! Four floors. Every type of book. Knowledgeable staff. It's an experience

My partner loves this store. He calls it his favorite bookstore in the Bay Area and always leaves the store with a stack of used books. We went yesterday to support after they were closed for a while during the early pandemic and left with another stack. They have new books on the bottom floor for cover price, as well as 3 floors of used books. Their collection of used books range in price from as low as $1-3 to much more for rarer books. My partner particularly loves the wall of shelves with books on philosophy/critical theory and psychology, finding a lot of old books on psychoanalysis or varieties of books about subjects that you'd be hard pressed to find in your average bookstore. This is a Berkeley landmark (been around since the 60s) and deserves all the support it can get during these tough times!

The best independent bookstore around, love supporting them! I end up spending a couple of hours at Moe's on Telegraph whenever I have the chance to go.

Last bookstore standing. With Cody's long gone and Shakespeare & Co. recently departed, this is the last literary dinosaur from my days as a UC Berkeley undergrad, and it's a treasure trove that somehow survives despite the current economic malaise. It opened on Shattuck Avenue in 1959 but soon relocated to its current Telegraph Avenue location by its founder Moe Moskowitz whose portrait hangs above the tote bags and T-shirts for sale (photo: http://bit.ly/2iTLwlq). From what I read, he was quite a character, a New Yorker who liked his cigars and had strong opinions about how a bookstore should be run, including establishing fair trade practices when it came to buying and selling used books. Moe passed away twenty years ago, but what a joy to find out that it's still a family-run business owned by his daughter Doris. There's a great photo from 1969 that shows a protester overwhelmed by smoke bombs right in front of the store (photo: http://bit.ly/2i6Rh28). With its familiar candy-stripe awning, it still looks pretty much the same after all these years. Four floors packed with books though I have to admit I spend most of my time in the basement where the new books, both fiction and non-fiction, show up with little regard as to whether they are best-sellers or not. In that respect, it's the antithesis of the Amazon Bookstores popping up everywhere where public opinion appears to be the only thing that matters. Love that the philosophy and critical theory section is just as big as the children's section (photo: http://bit.ly/2AzQhv8). Love the Berkeley needlepoint kits that celebrate the city's legacy. Crossing my fingers that it will last another sixty years.

I love this book store. Inventory goes on forever 4 - 5 floors of it. Great selections of new .& used. Clean organized. Friendly helpful staff. I can't say enough good things about this spot.

This is actually a great new and used bookstore. It has four floors worth of books. There is quite an interesting variety of books that one will not find in other bookstores. I especially like to walk through the second floor, where the art books are located. One can appreciate the fact that the books are organized in a way that one can find what one is searching for. And, of course, I also like looking through their food books. They carry some fun ones. They are sure to display the ones that make a person hungry. It is also mic that no one bothers you in the shop, so you can quietly spend time by yourself, looking through all the books. There is plenty of street parking. It just depends upon how far you are willing to walk, if it is free parking you are looking for.

I tried to sell books here and they refused to buy them basically accusing me of stealing them. They were brand new . I'm not saying it's because I'm black but. This happened 20 years ago why do I still think about this. Trauma is real. SMH

We were in the Bay Area visiting friends, and I decided to look for some vintage mushroom books requested by my relative as holiday gifts. Our first stop was City Lights Bookstore located on Columbus Ave. in San Francisco. While they had a vast collection of used books and two stories of wonderful literary goodies, we did not find the vintage mushroom books we had in mind. Without giving up, the very same day my fiance drove us up to Berkeley to Moe's Books, a used bookstore that he had frequented some times ago. I am so glad he introduced me to this gem located on Telegraph Avenue. Just by stepping in, I could instantly feel the intellectual aura and world famous destination that makes Moe's a landmark institution. The bookstore is spacious, with multiple levels. The staff are also very friendly and knowledgeable. Upon asking the staff at the counter of mushroom books, one of the guys responded with the location, bookshelf number and level without blinking the eye! One female staff next to him even chimed in to look in the mycology section. I didn't even know the word "mycology"! The staff here definitely have a breadth of knowledge of books and they do a fantastic job connecting with customers and help them find what they are looking for. For a used bookstore, the books are sorted and organized quite nicely. I also noticed several books that are more focused on NorCal, such as birds of San Francisco, trees of the Bay Area, technology of Silicon Valley, etc. That was quite interesting. The books here are rare, affordable and collectible, the mushroom books we found were all under $10 and makes for great gifts. A superb collection of literature, the sciences, illustrated children's books, art, politics, and many subjects. We look forward to visiting again, finding books and bringing them to read at Cafe Strada.

One of the best bookstores in the Bay Area, Moe's has an incredible selection of used books (most are in excellent condition). There is a section for new books, and you can always ask the friendly staff to order a new title, but the fun is losing yourself for 1-2 hours drifting up and down the shop's four stories. I always come out with more than I intended, and am all the happier for it!

My beloved Berkeley has changed A LOT since I last visited but one place that hasn't is this wonderful bookstore. The employees are friendly. I appreciated the temperature checks and hand sanitizer aplenty. My daughter didn't remember her visits from when she was younger but she was impressed by the multiple stories, the prints of paintings she likes, and the vastness of the collection. Though I didn't find the specific book I had hoped to find, we ooh'ed and aah'ed over the Basquiat coffee table books and left with a small Basquiat book that we plan to share(though she called first dibs.) I may have bemoaned the ever-changing face of Telegraph Avenue but I am grateful this gem remains.

OMG I love this place! It's so great to find a locally owned bookstore that also has such a fantastic variety. Are used to go here all the time when I lived in the bay area!

Moe's is the most wonderful place on Telegraph for me. There are beautiful nature illustration prints, posters, maps, cards, books, and journals of all kinds. You can find almost anything here that would make a great gift. There are multiple floors of books, and all genres are represented here. I especially loved the selection of education and psychology books. If you're hungry after a long day of looking at books and bringing some home - right next door there's a waffle place, and nearby you can walk to get pizza, curry, noodles, pho, and Thai food.

I love bookstores like this - great curated sections, maps and posters, local interest - definitely worth a visit

Been coming here for a decade and a half. Last REAL bookstore standing. Have happily spent thousands of dollars and untold hours there. Just wish ownership would chill TF out and respect the rights and needs of the Union employees!

I bought a book at Moe's called, 'The Tiger's Wife', a book about a woman so in love with tigers that she became one. Full disclosure, 30% bought it bc I wanted to find out if there was sensual tiger/human sex. And if I ever get around to reading it, I'll update here and let you know. And before you judge me, just know that my regular life has been a real blurg-fest for the past few years so maybe just let me have this book that might contain fictional romanticized beastiality, ok, Judgey McJudgerson. Moe's is a multi-level book shop real close to the Berkeley campus. They sell books, more books, some totes, and I actually don't know what's upstairs because I ran out of time before my nearby therapy session but I still managed to grab the tiger sex (fingers crossed) book that I have yet to read, a day-planner that I've yet to write in, and grammar and punctuation guide even though I've literally never proofread anything I've ever written in my entire life (and if you've ever read my reviews you know I ain't lyin). LOVE perusing pages here and find soooo much stuff that makes me think I'm on the verge of becoming a full-fledged book-boning intellectual. If there's a book you know you want, let's be real, you prob just order it on amazon. But if you're just in the mood to be literature-ly inspired, Moe's is the shit. Sure you could maybe find the books cheaper on amazon but I like that I can come here and want/need nothing but suddenly feel like I need that book rightthisveryinstant because I couldn't possible wait for amazon primetime to make it arrive 2-days later and that's a great feeling second to maybe (probably) only tiger sex.

Moe's! It's been here forever. I was in the area only because of a YEE and I was early. Not wanting to hang out on the street (Telegraph in that area is not nostalgic, it's nasty) I went next door and found Moe's to be open (happily) for business. You might expect a 4 floor book store to be unorganized, books piled in corners, not categorized. I didn't see any of that here. Very well maintained, especially when the volume of volumes is considered. Ha! I found a book that I think my mom is going to love and the price was one that I loved. They do accept credit. A nice retreat from the street scene. And you might learn something or find some brain entertainment while you're here.

The ultimate used books store of the East Bay. The store's three floors have the best of everything for the ultimate browsing experience. Also its outside makes a one second appearance in the motion picture "The Graduate"! How can you best that?! You can't! Long live Moe's!