The Dawn Treader Book Shop — Local services in Ann Arbor

As a book-lover, I so wish I had better things to say about Dawn Treader! Alas, while I love the books they offer, I have many gripes about this place. Here are the big five:

The selection is deceiving. This place is so packed with books it's claustrophobic (and an actual fire hazard... how they're passing city inspections, I do not know). Nonetheless, whenever I go in to find a specific book they do not have it. Whether fiction or poetry or sci fi or science, they always seem to have everything aside from the book I want. There is also no online database patrons can search before coming in, and when I've called to ask about a certain book the staff has been very unhelpful.

They're expensive! You pick up this ratty old copy of a book and think, "Awesome! This can't be more than 50 cents." And then it's $7.

The expensiveness of the books is upsetting when you go to sell books to them and you see how little they're paying for the books they're then selling for quite a bit. For example, a few years ago I brought in a box of popular books in gently used condition and was offered something like 25 cents for most of them. Some of the books I offered were on their shelves in identical condition being sold for closer to $10. So it feels like they rip people off when places like Powell's will give you a much fairer price.

They fight you on paying with a credit card.

As mentioned briefly above, I tend to find the staff unhelpful, if not rude.

So why even give them two stars? It's a store FULL of books. Even with everything I've said above, it's still a store...

So if you are looking for that old book or a signed book or a first edition, this is the place to visit! The staff here are so friendly and accommodating. They are willing to help answer any questions you may have about books like how to tell if something is a first edition or if it is worth anything. And they are passionate about books!

This is one of those stores where when you first walk in, the smell of old books just hits you. You know, the scent of ancient leather, aged paper, and older printer ink. The smells that take you back to the days when libraries were for reading and learning. And then as you weave your way through the maze of shelves and stacks of books you know the hunt is ON! There are markers to give you a general idea of what you are looking for but the joy is in the search. And the reward is when you find that one, last, OOP novel that you have been searching for your ENTIRE life for and you found it!!! Plus, the price is exactly what you want to pay! The rush! The thrill! It is better than an amusement park!

If you are in Ann Arbor and you are looking for someplace to find a book - to read or collect or just to say "I own that!" - this is the place to go. And if you don't see it, just ask one of the staff. You may never know, they may have exactly what you are looking for without even knowing that was what...

Classic hole in the wall dust on the cover book store! It's larger then it seems from the outside and they have a nice selection of books. Buying used books is alot like thrifting for clothes -it's the search not always the final purchase which is the most enjoyable. The best thrift stores have convoluted systems for sorting and organizing their wares, because once you've cracked the code the store becomes a personal experience where your ability to find what you would like comes from a dedication to the store itself and a love for the hunt. Dawn Treader is no different, they are organized, but it will take a bit to figure out what's where and how things are sorted. If you are looking for a classic used book store I feel you will enjoy the dusty covers and crowded shelves of the...