Torcon area tour: bookstores

Nicholas Hoare bookstore.


Today's Blatherings focuses on my favorite neighbourhood bookstores, most within a 10-15 minute walk of Torcon.

Nicholas Hoare (45 Front E, Toronto,†ON†M5E1B3 (416) 777-2665) may not have as wide a title selection as chain bookstores like Chapters-Indigo, but it has a lot more personality. I love the fireplace and couches, high ceilings, library atmosphere. Knapsacks and other large bags must be left with the front desk clerk.



Inside Nicholas Hoare.


Pages Bookstore (256 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 1Z8 Canada, (416) 598-1447) is another of my neighbourhood favorites, with a much larger selection of small and alternative press titles than other bookstores. Further down the street is David Mason Books (342 Queen St. West, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON Canada M5V 2A2 (416) 598-1015), a wonderful used bookstore with creaky floors and narrow aisles. A good source of out of print and rare titles. A stroll along Queen Street West will also take you to Steve's Music Store, Silver Snail (367 Queen St. W. Toronto, ON M5V 2A4 (416) 593-0889) for comics, and other interesting shops (more on this in an upcoming Blathering).



Pages bookstore.


And of course there is the mega-bookstore, Festival Hall - Chapters (142 John Street, Toronto, ON M5V 2E9 (416)595-7349), which is located beside the Paramount movie theater at King and John as well as beside one of our favorite brunch restaurants, Milestones. Neil Gaiman is signing copies of his latest children's book, The Wolves in the Walls, on Aug. 30th at 1 pm at this Chapters store.

Another mega-bookstore is World's Biggest Bookstore (located on Edward Street, one block north of Yonge and Dundas), now under the Chapters-Indigo umbrella. About a 20-30 minute walk from Torcon, much shorter by TTC.

If you're interested in a much longer walk (or are willing to take the TTC), you should also visit Bakka Books (598 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4Y 1Z3, (416) 963-9993), Toronto's oldest SF bookstore. Bakka's past employees include published authors such as Robert J. Sawyer, Tanya Huff, Cory Doctorow and Michelle Sagara West.

The Cookbook Store(I'm mentioning this for the avid cooks out there) is located at 850 Yonge Street (at Yorkville), phone 1-800-268-6018. You'll have to take the TTC unless you're keen on a 45 minute walk.

To you other Toronto residents: do you have other bookstores to recommend?

To get a map of any of these locations:

Just type the address into Mapquest. If you want to include the location of Torcon venues like the Royal York hotel (100 Front Street West, Toronto, ON M5J 1E3) or Metro Convention Center ( 255 Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2W6), use the "Add Location" feature.

Some other online resources:

Here's a map of some local bookstores I found online.

'Show Me Toronto' Toronto bookstore list (appallingly incomplete).

Toronto: A Writer's Tour by sf author Robert Sawyer. Excellent article, written specifically for Torcon attendees.

August/2003 comments: Read | Post | LJ