While Cambridge itself is home to many literary treasures, there are also some fantastic bookstores just outside the city limits that deserve a visit. Whether you’re in Somerville, Boston, or even a short drive away, these spots are worth checking out.

Brookline Booksmith

📍 279 Harvard St, Brookline, MA 02446 A legendary indie bookstore with a strong community presence and great author events.

Trident Booksellers & Café

📍 338 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115 A bookstore-café known for its extensive selection and delicious brunch.

Beacon Hill Books & Café

📍 71 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114 A charming bookstore with a cozy café.

Brattle Book Shop

📍 9 West St, Boston, MA 02111 One of America’s oldest antiquarian bookstores, featuring a famous outdoor book sale lot.

Commonwealth Books

📍 2 Milk St, Boston, MA 02108 A cozy used bookstore specializing in literature, history, and art books.

Papercuts J.P.

📍 60 South St, Jamaica Plain, MA A small but mighty bookstore focusing on independent and underrepresented authors.

Porter Square Books: Boston Edition

📍 50 Liberty Dr, Boston, MA An extension of the beloved Porter Square Books in Cambridge, with a fantastic children’s book section.

Blue Bunny Books

📍 577 High St, Dedham, MA 02026 Founded by children’s book author Peter H. Reynolds, offering books, toys, and art supplies.

The Concord Bookshop

📍 65 Main St, Concord, MA 01742 An independent bookstore featuring a great selection and local author events.

All She Wrote

📍 75 Washington St, Somerville, MA 02143 An intersectional queer and feminist bookstore with a curated selection of books.

The Book Rack

📍 13 Medford St, Arlington, MA 02474 A beloved independent bookstore with a fantastic selection of used and new books.

Newtonville Books

📍 10 Langley Rd, Newton, MA 02459 A beloved indie bookstore offering an excellent selection and a strong focus on local authors.

The Used Book Superstore

📍 256 Cambridge St, Burlington, MA 01803 A massive selection of affordable used books in a wide variety of genres.

Montague Bookmill

📍 440 Greenfield Rd, Montague, MA 01351 Housed in a historic 19th-century gristmill, this unique bookstore offers a vast collection of used books and a serene reading environment by the river. Its motto is “Books you don’t need in a place you can’t find.”

Belmont Books

📍 79 Leonard St, Belmont, MA 02478 An independent bookstore offering a wide selection of books for all ages, along with a cozy café.

Maxima Book Center

📍 1717 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02420 A family-owned gift and bookstore since 1997, offering a curated selection of unique gifts and books for all ages.

The Elephant’s Trunk Children’s Bookshop

📍 1764 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02420 A full-service independent bookstore specializing in children’s literature, featuring weekly story times and a variety of events.

Omar’s World of Comics

📍 20 Waltham St, Lexington, MA 02421 A comic and game store offering a wide selection of comics, graphic novels, board games, and regular events for enthusiasts.

Why Supporting Local Bookstores Matters

When you buy from an independent bookstore near Cambridge, you’re not just purchasing a book—you’re investing in a community. These shops:

✔️ Support local authors and publishers

✔️ Host literary events that bring people together

✔️ Offer personalized recommendations you won’t get from an algorithm

✔️ Keep the spirit of independent bookselling alive in an age of mass-market retail

Cambridge has always been a city that values ideas, and that’s reflected in the bookstores that thrive here. When you visit them, order from them, and tell others about them, you’re keeping a vital part of the literary world alive.

Final Chapter: Your Bookstore Adventure Awaits

Cambridge, MA isn’t just a place—it’s a feeling, a mindset, a way of life. It’s the books we read, the conversations we have, and the places that shape our identities. The independent bookstores near Cambridge, from Brookline to Somerville to Boston, are more than just shops; they’re cultural hubs that remind us why we fell in love with books in the first place.

So go ahead—explore beyond Cambridge, wander into one of these incredible bookstores, and support the places that make the Greater Boston area a book lover’s paradise.