Harvard Book Store

Harvard Book Store is an independently owned and locally run seller of used, new, and remaindered books in Cambridge's Harvard Square. As of 2004, it is the only independent general bookstore remaining in the neighborhood that once claimed the greatest number of bookstores per capita in the world.

Harvard Book Store was established in 1932 by the father of current owner Frank Kramer and originally sold used textbooks to students. Often confused with the Harvard Coop by tourists and visitors, the store has no affiliation with Harvard University or the Coop, Harvard's Barnes & Noble-managed textbook distributor. Focusing on an academic and intellectual audience, the store offers a unique selection of titles and a knowledgeable staff that is repeatedly honored by local publications and surveys.

In recent years, a well-attended author event series has hosted Al Gore, Salman Rushdie, Haruki Murakami, John Updike, Madeleine Albright, and Malcolm Gladwell, in addition to a number of local writers and academics.