I like to think that most people have been inside the typical bookstore (for those that haven’t I am severely concerned). I have certainly seen my fare share and although each store, the independent one’s that is, often have something unique about them I always enjoy exploring specialty book shops.
To review another cut and dry shop right now I felt would be kind of boring. As you know, cause I’ve said it again and again, I am interested in pursuing a masters in urban/city planning in the future. As a result of this and my search for unique stores in the bay area I stumbled across a real gem, William Stout Architectural Books located on Montgomery Street just north of Jackson.
William Stout Architectural Books
(Just so you know, the store had quite a few signs letting me know that taking photos was not ok, I thought about asking but didn’t really feel like dealing with the problems that could ensue)
Now, the name might make the store sound somewhat drab to those of you who are not the least bit interested in architecture, but I am confident that anyone could find something in there that suits them (alright, you should probably leave the kids at home though).
When I first walked in I was a bit overwhelmed. Seriously, there is a lot of stuff in there. My primary focus was finding the books on urban planning but I also just wanted to see what else they had to offer. After wandering around and seeing regional books (Europe, Africa…) and the out of print/rare books (carefully protected in plastic sheeting) I decided to just ask. The nice woman at the counter handed me a floor plan, yes a floor plan, a little wider than a bookmark, which detailed where everything in the shop could be found. Then, she pointed to the stairs (which I hadn’t even noticed) and told me what I was looking for could be found downstairs. To my astonishment the downstairs was just as big as upstairs.
Broken down, according to the floor plan, the store has 40 different sections of books. To give you a brief glimpse into some of them, here’s a very small portion of the 40: Graphic Design, Logos, Typography, Landscape Architecture, Materials, Urban Planning, Religious Architecture, Photography, Textiles, Residential and Ecological. And its not as though they have only a few books for each, they have shelves and shelves. It’s really quite impressive.
Here’s the kicker though, as I pretty much expected, these books are not cheap. I certainly found some books that I would just love to own but I really couldn’t bring myself to buy them just for the sake of having them. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to buy books there on a professional level and read them not only for myself but for my career.
If you happen to be in there area (it’s right near the TransAmerica building) I highly recommend stopping in and just having a look around. Oh, and for those of you not in the area, you can buy books online from their website.
William Stout Architectural Books
