Dawn Treader Book Shop

As someone who is pretty organized, I thought that this store would drive me crazy. But there’s something about it that makes me absolutely adore it. It must be that I feel like such a local whenever I visit.
The store is organized by genre, but most of the shelves are spilling over with books. This makes it quite difficult to find a particular book, but I enjoy browsing anyway. I could spend hours in this store!
My favorite thing is that the books are way marked down. My most recent purchase was a hardcover for only $ 7.50! The condition of the books vary. A lot of them have clearly been used, but others are in pretty good condition. I don’t care much about what my books look like, as long as I can read the content. If you feel the same way, this store is for you!

Just left this store. Only reason I gave one star is there isn’t an option for no stars. Older gentleman at register was terrible. He knocked over a stack of books and I helped him pick them up and he never said thank you or anything. A young gentleman asked for a bag for a purchase he had just made and he continued to ring up a large order and he looked with a glare right at the gentleman and shook out two bags twice and loaded the woman’s purchases. Then when the lady was done he handed her a receipt and then her daughter came up with more books and she said she would take those. He then began to ring her up again even though I was next with just two books and he still didn’t give the other gentleman a bag! Worse customer service ever! I will never return as I am sure he doesn’t want my business anyway.

Dawn Treader is «LITERALLY» my favorite store to pick up used books.
What I like about Dawn Treader compared to other used shops in the area is that the books are actually organized.
Sometimes I’ll go to a used book shop and ask for something like a Presidential autobiography and they guy would say that they are in the 4^th row of books towards the middle, and that book shelf row would be like 150 feet long and 20 feet high (nothing marked or in a particular order).
With Dawn Treader, everything is easy to find; I think they have a computerized system.
Another thing I love about this store is that it doesn’t smell like cat pee. There’s one store in Ann Arbor that smells of cat pee, I’m not sure of the name of it, but I really don’t need to remember it as Dawn Treader is the only AA bookstore for me!
Dawn Treader provides a nice atmosphere of intellectuals seeking a good read, avid book collectors looking to add to their collection, men and women of all ages and gender (it is Ann Arbor), and of course a few group of stoners looking for a little amusement by the vast selection of cool materials.
I am a lover of this store’s vast collection. The books are all in really good quality and not ratty or missing any pages for the most part. I think their travel section is top notch and as far as poli-​sci stuff, they actually have some really amazing and interesting books that you would never known existed. That’s what I love here is how hodge-​podge everything is and that there’s always something that can appeal to most everybody.
The last book I picked up here I stumbled upon while waiting for my friend to decide upon a purchase he was going to make. It’s called «500 Things to Eat Before It’s Too Late» about regional US dishes that you can’t find in other places but that specific region of the country. I pick that thing up every time I travel in the US as a reference; only paid $ 8 for that thing!
It’s amazing little accidental finds like this that makes this place a true Ann Arbor gem.
Besides the amazing staff and relaxed atmosphere, where readers can enjoy and browse without being rushed, I am really fond of their rare book collection. These books are displayed in a museum-​like setting with prices on them for those interested in purchasing them.
One book that really caught my eye was a hardcover edition of «Necronomincon.» The price was a little steep at the time, but comparing prices on the Electronic Bay, it was actually better than fair. If they still have it, I may have to scoop it.
***TWO SCOTTY TIPS***
1) Dawn Treader doesn’t have a really loud atmosphere, so if you are walking around Ann Arbor and you are being nagged to death by the old «ball and chain,» stop in here and it may calm your significant other’s annoying face.
2) Located by Necto, last time I went clubbing there, D Treader’s had a cart of free books for the taking. What a nice public service!
Thank you Dawn Treaders!!! 5 Easy Stars for this Iconic A2 Gem: D

Dawn Treader (DT) is a survivor. The last of four shops in the State Street heyday of used bookstores. One by one the others dropped like flies (Kaleidoscope and State Street Books) or relocated to a less desirable location (David’s Books). Once upon a time DT occupied a damp leaky basement across the street from the present location. Back then it wasn’t uncommon to maneuver through the maze the store was and dodge drip buckets in the middle of the aisles. At some point in the early 90s Bill, the owner, moved across the way from the subterranean spot to a larger and more user friendly storefront. This facilitated better organization, but it also raised prices noticeably.
However, after being away for a long time and visiting town and DT four or five times I have made a number of observations. First, some books are still there in sections I like, and prices are the same as they were in 1999. I don’t know if this means the sections are picked through and newer releases are grabbed up, or if people avoid selling books due to past observations that they lowballed you. When I worked at David’s Books people always came back to us after getting an estimate at DT. That was then, but the playing field is different. DT is extremely well stocked and the special collections room is stuffed to the gills. If Bill is associated with extraordinary high prices it’s in this room. Nevertheless, he knows his stuff or else he’d gone out ingloriously like the competition.
This store is what keeps Liberty Street from being dominated by corporate crap. You might not always find what you are looking for, but like collecting records, patience and frequent visits are required. On a cool rainy day I enjoyed my browse and landed a good book for a fair price I thought, especially since it is out of print. Dawn Treader is a fixture and I hope people realize its importance and take time to discover the many hidden treasures within.

The books are pretty well organized, and I found a few that I liked. Each paperback that I considered was $ 7.50. This wasn’t much of a deal for used books, and I didn’t want to carry them around to my other stops. So I decided not to buy any. I would have felt obligated after browsing for so long if they had said hello to me, but I guess that isn’t the Ann Arbor way.
I might go back if I’m in the area for something else. But I wouldn’t make a special trip.

It’s organized and has lots and lots of books. The problem is that really they have too many «secondary» books and few of the really good essential books. So in common science fiction series, they’ll have books 2 – 5 of the series but not book one. Or they’ll be missing essential classics. Even in classic social science and history the common book I asked for, they did not have. So it looks like a situation where they’re clear of the essentals, but have accumulated more and more stuff that no one buys. If you like really obscure stuff that no one buys then it’s OK. Does not compare favorably with the Strand in NYC or Powells in Portland. Even with all that I found a few books to buy.

I adore this place. It is, hands down, the best used bookstore in Ann Arbor.
They have not only more SF pulp than you could ever mow through, but also an impressive collection of beautiful rare books. Dawn Treader is a wonderful place to browse, and a pretty reliable place to find exactly the book you were looking for.
In my experience, the staff has been wonderful as well. The manager was willing to help me search for an elusive title and didn’t mind chatting for a bit.

A local treasure!!! Every time I walk in here I completely forget what I was looking for because there’s so many amazing books I never knew even about. For a primarily used bookstore they have a surprising amount of newer books too. The sci-​fi/​fantasy section is my favorite though. There are so many choice picks from across the decades. I’ve been meaning to look for pet-​training books, might go tomorrow :) oh also you can easily leave with like ten books for less than $ 20. End rant.

This is my favorite bookstore in Ann Arbor! It’s also by far the largest used book store around Ann Arbor! You will be amazed at how far back the shelves go. Every now and then, like today for instance, I drop in and see what has changed on my favorite shelves since last time. I’ve been able to get a lot of books from my favorite authors over time. You’ll love it!

The worst used bookstore I’ve encountered, anywhere in the U.S., for getting a fair price on used books. We’ve taken in three shopping bags full of used books and left with a mere $ 10 in cash. The manager at the counter is weirdly hostile. You will do considerably better by selling your books yourself at half dot com, and if that’s too much effort, I highly recommend Books by Chance, in Ann Arbor, who has moved a lot of my used books.

The best used bookstore I have ever had the pleasure of spending time in. Between all the books are random pieces of art and history. Love it.

Love this place. A dying breed in a time of digital duress. I can spend hours being lost in all the books. Thank you for being here all these years. Always a pleasure.

Would really like independent businesses to thrive, but the way things are going here, this one will likely not even survive. The reason: attitude. I’ve been in here both as a buyer and a seller, and each time I was treated as though my presence was a major inconvenience. Friends report the same thing. No hellos, thank-​yous, or any sense of appreciation that a customer deigned to stop in and part with his/​her money or books.
At first, I thought the guy was just having a bad day, then it happened again and again. The kicker is that, when I finally asked him if he was the owner, He replied: I’m the manager.
Message to store owner, if you are out there: Your surly manager is quickly driving your customers away.

If I could give this place zero stars I would. I went in to sell some books because I’d heard decent things about the place. I had four huge boxes of books in my car that i was looking to sell.
I took one of the boxes, which wasn’t light by any means, and walked down numerous flights of stairs in the parking structure and to the shop. When I got there, the guy behind the counter looked as if I was a major inconvenience to him. He didn’t offer any help even lifting the box onto the counter for him to go through. He said maybe four things to me the entire time and was very unpleasant even though I tried to be kind the entire time I was there.
I was incredibly displeased with the amount he was willing to give me for my books, especially with the prices I saw on their books for sale. I was disgusted by the way I was treated in there and I will never go in there again. Very rude and unfriendly.

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:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. They fight you on paying with a credit card.
5. 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 full of books.

I love this place. I’m such a sucker for books, and this place has a TON of them. It’s deceptively big and looks like a magical dusty bookstore out of a movie. There are books everywhere!
The prices are pretty decent and the staff is normally friendly and helpful. I’ve spent a lot of time and money here.

This book store is overflowing with used books. It’s really a unique place and worth walking through at least once while you’re in Ann Arbor.
In the back is the sci-​fi/​fantasy section. They have strange and interesting decorations like a sarcophagus.

Lots of paper media, nicely organized. Not much I haven’t seen before, but could be interesting to a newbie. I do wonder why everything was covered in a thin film of dust. Because the door is always open? Or no one has time for housekeeping? Books need love, too!

Bookstores warm the cockles of my heart, and I feel a kinship for shelves bowed under vast tomes of knowledge. Had I endless money and patience, I’d own a concept bookstore myself.
A recent trip to Ann Arbor put me on the Dawn Treader’s doorstep by happy circumstance. I practically ran inside, eager to see this staple of A2’s literary community.
It’s not exactly what I expected: the typical, very cramped and quasi-​organized bookshelves teetering high overhead and slathered in dust. My nose started itching within a few steps from the doorway. Bookstores like these give me headaches from dust and information overload trying to locate things. I need to update my reading wish list more to compensate for the A to Z confrontation waged in sections.
Dawn Treader is a long shop filled by non-​fiction and fiction sides, teen and children’s sections, and plenty of first volumes under lock and key including ample sci-​fi/​fantasy. With a name akin to Narnia, no surprise there! The fantasy and sci-​fi sections overflow with books jammed sideways, topways, on the floor and in roughly alphabetical order. Finding specific authors is challenging without moving boxed sets and various things out of the way, and I was afraid to actually touch the books in case I disturbed their fragile equilibrum and paper flew out at me like a bad Jim Carrey comedy.
Death by a thousand (paper) cuts is not what I want on my tombstone, thank you.
Neat art pieces lend a zany feel. I perused the slim British section, finding travel guides next to cultural treatises and non-​fiction reviews of castles. Australia had a surprisingly vast area and I nearly bought the Aussie English pocket dictionary on a lark. Evidently A2 has many Australian expatriates or someone who really finds the topic intriguing.
Staff was unobtrusive and friendly, but I ducked out of here after my temples started throbbing and I couldn’t find a few staple authors. Lots of Star Trek, not so much in the vein of favourite Aussie or Brit fantasy authors. They do carry off-​beat items but I didn’t have the inclination to sort through a bunch of drek for a jewel. To each their own.
Prices are a bit high, stock and quantity are variable. I saw thumbed over Girl with the Dragon Tattoo paperbacks next to a fascinating 1972 edition of a style magazine and a girl in an awkward stiff pose. Imagine if Lisbeth Salander was on a white daïs in a triangular red dress. Oh, the giggles!
Dawn Treader is the sort of store you spend an afternoon perusing in no particular hurry.
** PAID PARKING **

Ever wanna feel like Alice in Wonderland where she goes thru the rabbit hole and then thinks. WTF?
Yes this would be a newcomer walking into the book shop. You go in thinking it will be small or compared to the front area of TKwu next door you rightfully can assume that. and then you go in.
This is really how you should be wasting your afternoon opposed to be asked at borders if you need help every single moment when you just want to walk around the aisles and hope to find something new to learn, read, or peaks your interest.
It keeps going and going. I bought cooking books (willams and sonoma! woohhooo), business books, and some random other books here. They have TONS of books, comics, any subject you can come up with. I like how it is VERRRYYYY organized and they can tell you if they have it or not among these thousands of books. and where you should be looking. If its not there. its not there. Move on to something else! So many unique books or authors here.
Street parking on thompson is pretty easy and free on sundays. Don’t bother with the parking structure unless you know you are just stopping by for a few mins. I doubt that.
The people are super helpful and perky… YAY for those who don’t need plastic bags to carry their books. there have always been atleast 10 other people when I go into this place. The prices aren’t bad and the new popular books are in the front.