Bookman's Alley

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Joined 10 years ago

A fixture in downtown Evanston for nearly 20 years, is cavernous but cozy.. The Scene
If strolling through Bookman's Alley makes you feel as though some eccentric, erudite great uncle has emptied his attic for a garage sale, it might be because the shop is indeed located in a garage--several, in fact, strung side by side. And sprinkled among the numerous shelves of books are artifacts of Americana: a doughboy's uniform here, a toy zeppelin there, a printing press in one corner and a toy train in another. None of the artifacts are for sale, but all of the books are.

Ths Skinny
Proprietor Roger Carlson professes to be a generalist, although he obviously has a deep interest in rare and collectible books. He has shelved about half of the 60,000-volume inventory, the vast majority of which is hardcover. In addition to the books, Carlson sells vintage sheet music, records and magazines--most of which are long out of print.