Rain Dog Books and Cafe

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

This combination antiquarian bookstore and coffeeshop excels in both departments.. The Cafe
Take a seat at one of the small round tables on the first floor and watch the human traffic on Michigan Avenue. There's the usual assortment of espresso drinks and bakery goods, plus some good strong coffee. The staff is reliably perky but unobtrusive, and the atmosphere--classic jazz, plenty of light through tall windows and lots of books--simply can't be beat.

The Books
Even though it's a used bookstore, you wouldn't necessarily go into Rain Dog just looking for a cheap read. It only carries about 10,000 titles--most of the business is in finding and selling rare editions to private collectors. But the selection it does have is a solid one. Downstairs is fiction, mostly good-quality paperbacks ($7-$9). The real treat is upstairs, though, where shelves are lined with gorgeous art history texts immaculately preserved, with covers encased in clear plastic.