Book Thing of Baltimore Inc — Attraction in Baltimore

Do you like reading? Do you like books? Do you like browsing for new books to read? Do you like taking books home for FREE without having big guys in uniforms chase and tackle you to the ground?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, Go to the Book Thing of Baltimore! It's run by volunteers on weekends. There is a wide array of books, sorted by category. The largest section is hardback / paperback fiction, but there is a section for everybody (e.g. US history, world history, business, politics, US presidents, Sci Fi, Self help, Health / Medicine, Religion, Reference, Kids books, Biology / Chemistry / Movie and TV / Classics / adventure). The great thing about this place is that new books are placed on the shelves continuously as you browse!

What does that mean? Well, after I perused the entire fiction + classics section once, I went back to where I started - and a bunch of new books had been shelved! As people take books, others replace them. It's easy to end up spending a few hours there. It's not air conditioned, but there are a few fans - don't come in your Sunday best unless you're prepared to sweat a little.

If you forget to bring a box or a bag, they have boxes for you to put books into and take home!

The one drawback that should be mentioned is: parking. The rear parking (the parking spots by the mural) are not available for parking, and you will be towed. Don't park here! Park on the street, or in one of the few spots available on their property by the door. When I was leaving, I noticed a scratch on my car. It was likely from the car that was parked adjacent to me when I arrived (parking is tight). I was a bit disappointed about that, for sure. However, that doesn't really affect how I feel about this place in general. It's not the Book Thing's fault that people cannot drive carefully in close quarters.

In summary: Go here to get FREE books! 10 / 10 would recommend Great for people that are in need of new books to read, teachers, etc! Parking situation is not great, but that is a small price to pay.

The attached picture shows all of the books that I...

I packed up my family of 4 this morning and drove over an hour to Book Thing. We found nothing specific that we were looking for...but boy did we find books that we might have otherwise not considered reading. And I think that is the real magic of this place. Yeah, it would have been great scoring a Stephen King or Michael Crichton book, or the Betty White book that's I oddly enough am obsessed about reading lol, but I didnt... and I am totally ok with that!

I can not wait to read my new finds.

I was amazed by the cleanliness and organization of the Book Thing. You will have to search for books (we were there for about an hour. I would have stayed longer if not for my meddling kids 🤣), but the genres are pretty well defined. There was more than enough space to accommodate the midsized crowd. People who love to read and have an appreciation for books seem to follow a code when it comes to browsing. This crowd was no different than one you might come across in a paying book story.

There were large fans to help with air circulation. I can imagine that it could get plenty stuffy otherwise. I was most surprised that there was no weird old book store smell! Nothing! I've been driven out of used book stores by rancid smells lol.

Parking was tight but not impossible. We found parking on our first pass. If you have the option of driving a sedan rather than an SUV, go with the sedan. Note: Do not park behind the building with the paintings of the ASL hands. That is a tow-away zone. Signs are placed around the store but they are not glaring.

We will definitely be returning. Next time we will likely make a day of it and visit the harbor.

8/3/19- Just got back from another trip to Book Thing! I got there right at 9am and found most of the books on my list...then treated myself to a few indulgences lol....

💚💜💚💜💚 love book thing since back in the book farm days. I was so sadden to hear it had a fire but so ecstatic to hear they are back . Left baltimore for a while and not to long ago came back and when I heard about what happened and that you guys were pretty much ok and are back I had to come by and visit . Things are a little different from when I last came but again that was alloott of years ago , I was so happy to see so many ppl there as well. Congratulations and welcome back. 💚💜Thank you for keeping on 💚💜 Now for anyone who hasn't been here before in a nestled little nook lies a treasure trove of lands and ppl you know and some you don't , creatures big and small , odds and ends and everything in between and also a few different languages to try ;) Here you can find anything , if you have a topic , a need , a question, or you just want to see if they have a national geographic you saw in middle school years and years ago , I am sure they will have it and you will find it. In this labyrinth of pages you will find it all . Now while I am a little sad something have gotten smaller I do appreciate them still being there at all , so thank you for that, and yes everything is free and what's the catch , there is none, genuinely, none, so go there , but remember on the weekends, dive in and try not to get swooped in , if it wasn't for my fiance I'd probably still be there from last week 😂 Have fun and save some stuff for me , I'll...