MIT Press Bookstore

This place is great. Often you find yourself wanting more out of you bookstores then just the everyday novel and magazine shelves. The MIT bookstore is about as far from that type of place as possible. This place gives you some quite intriguing titles that are primarily educational and/​or psychological stimulating. Nearly everytime I’ve stopped by here, I’ve either read something or bought something. Minus 1 star for the size and lack of seating. Still recommended nonetheless.
Pros–
Hard to find titles
Stimulating reads
Friendly staff
Location
Across from CO-​OP
Near station
Cons–
Small
Limited seating
Crowded

You know those times you are looking for a book that will help you grow and teach you something new rather than mainly repeat what you already know? Well this bookstore curates books that will do exactly that. Each book in it can help you identify an avenue of inquiry you did not even realize you were missing in your life. I love this place!

The Good:
This place has a small but excellent collection of books. I wanted to read almost everything I saw, which is a dangerous situation for my wallet.
Located right on the Red Line so you can crack open your new books right away and read them on your way to your next destination.
The Not so Good:
On rainy days, people will crowd the doorway area, effectively blocking the way for anyone who wants to enter the store. A small sign requests that people not block the doorway, but we all know that nobody reads/​heeds signs.
There’s nowhere to sit, or even to lean, in the bookstore. That’s fine if you’re making a brief visit, but if you want to peruse a book or two before deciding to purchase, it’s kind of a pain. The lack of seating is also not friendly to folks with back pain or other problems who really need a place to sit down.

Every time I walk into the MIT Press Bookstore, I feel this overwhelming need… to buy every book! What an amazing selection of reading material, from computer science to culture to philosophy and neurology… I love seeing the gorgeous books lining the shelves happily. This book store is one of my favourites for non fiction in the world! Whenever I’m in Boston, I can’t resist paying a visit and seeing what’s changed since I was last there!

This place is awesome! MIT Press is a well-​curated bookstore with the best books and everything is arranged perfectly for browsing. They have a good sale section, and I’m looking forward to their famed loading dock sale. Although MIT Press specializes in tech-​related books, social studies-​minded folks will have a blast here.

AHHHHHH I love this bookstore.
I used to come here all the time as a student and leave with a stack a foot high of books usually from their sale section — they have some great discounts, especially during the loading dock sales. When I was a student I felt like I fit right in here — their selection is tailored to the science-​minded person — even their food books and their business books have a science point of view to them.
Now that I’m a few years out of grad school and working in industry I have to say that this bookstore made me feel a bit dull. Mostly because I’m wandering around it and thinking about how all of these topics used to be a large part of my everyday life and now I spend most of my time doodling product designs. No worries — a quick refresher (and a stack of smart books) will help me reignite my passion for science. Thanks, MIT Press!

What a cool bookstore, if only there were such an interesting place to buy books near my home I could ease my Amazon addition.

This is the best bookstore of my life.

Sehr guter Buchladen für Erzeugnisse der MIT Press und anderen Verlagen

This is the best academic and technical bookstore I’ve ever been to. It’s hard to find a bookstore that specializes in academic publishers, much less one that specializes in science /​engineering academic books. The MIT Press bookstore is a rare, special place.
I spent a few hours here and I was amazed. Literally, every book here is an idea. I found so many interesting books that I had to write down all the titles. They have books published by the MIT Press, but also titles from other academic publishers. Whoever curates the selection is outstanding.
They always have a few sale racks, for good deals. And people have already mentioned the Dock Sale. MIT alums get a 20% discount on MIT Press books.

This is my favorite bookstore in Boston.
I spent over 1.5 hours yesterday. I would probably stay over there much longer. It has fantastic book collection. Every time when I come to the store I find something interesting that attracts my attention. Plus the location is very good.

Warning! Do not visit!
If you do, especially during the Dock Sale, you will walk out with piles and piles of books! You will take those books home and you will read them! And all your time will disappear, engrossed in their very interesting books.
The problem is as an MIT Undergrad, I just don’t have time to read the books.
I think my interests and the MIT Press’ coverage overlaps pretty closely. I would probably enjoy reading every book in here. Also check on the MIT Press’ catalog online for books they recently published themselves.

One of my favorite bookstores in town! Whenever I’m in the Kendall Square area and have some spare time, I have to stop by this place and browse. It’s an academic store, so many of the books they carry are technical, but they have a lot of books that would appeal to the general public as well. They have an awesome collection of remainder books in the back at great prices. Even better, try to check out their loading dock sales and feel the thrill of hoarding books while standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow bookworms!

Oh man I love this place. I can find almost any book.

Wandering around the new neighborhood on a day off from work I noticed a book rack outside. I perused the sale items and meandered inside. I can’t quite put my finger on why I like this place so much, but I like it. I just get a good vibe from the place. So interesting books, a good number of books on sale and a friendly staff make this a 5 star place. i choose 2 books from the sale table and went on my merry way.

Become a Facebook fan of MIT Press and you get some seriously great info/​articles and comments. Nice going, MIT Press Bookstore.

Very complete for a school bookstore.

This bookstore is one of the reasons I miss Boston. I have been known to walk in and not leave for several hours. It is filled with a great selection of books from a variety of technical, philosophical, and just darn interesting topics. Plus, the prices can be really great. They have good sales and have always been quite helpful helping me find books in whatever new interest I might have.
Woohoo! This is as good as it gets!

I went here on the Loading Dock sale last year and found absolutely the best deals on books that I’ve been searching for. The places was beyond crowded, but with staff easily helping people get through the chaos, I had a slight ease to everything. The books were well categorized and easy to figure out the prices.
After scoring some great deals I ventured into the main book store to realize that everything was marked down due the sale, STEAL… I snagged up a book i’ve been eying forever at a great price.
This place cannot contribute any more awesome intellectual and education perspectives on life. It’s a must go and must buy place… I love it :) Thank you for making my brain explode.

The MIT Press Bookstore is one of my favorite bookstores in the Boston area and one of the best in Cambridge. The store carries all the best that the world’s leading scientific lights have to offer, all of which exceeds my not inconsiderable powers of comprehension. I just quickly browse those sections and try to look like I belong, which isn’t hard, given that I’m nearsighted, spastically awkward and, thanks to my allergies, have a tendency to snort.
The MIT Press also carries a fair amount of social criticism, which I find immensely – if laughably – enjoyable. There’s nothing like the academic tendency to search for «The Meaning» in everyday life and reduce every ephemeral and commonplace event to a «text,» thereby missing the whole point of, well, everything. But such books are fun to read and help me talk the talk when I want to be snobbish around strangers and lower-​level acquaintances.
What else? Well, there’s the art and design section, where you can pick up books with lots of pretty pictures; the «management» section where you can find lots of good information on honing your career skills – the sort of stuff that goes way beyond the platitudes espoused in «Who Moved My Cheese?»; and the bargain section, where you will find just a little bit of everything at a fraction of the list price.
Yesterday, I spent twenty-​six bucks for:
–«Glitter Stucco & Dumpster Diving: Reflections on Building Production in the Vernacular City» (A criticism of the mostly tacky architecture and design elements of apartment buildings and homes in my native Southern California. Bedtime reading. $ 6.98; originally $ 35.00);
–«Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90’s» (Having lived through the alternative music explosion of the 90s, it will be nice to know how I should have been experiencing it. T reading. $ 3.00; originally $ 17.95);
–«Engineering an Empire» (A 4-​DVD History Channel documentary on the engineering feats of historical civilizations throughout history. Gift for my father but really for me. $ 14.98; $ 49.95 on
).
An hour at the MIT press invariably evokes contrast to my other favorite Cambridge bookstore, the Harvard University Press («HUP») Display Room. The obvious difference is that, while there is some overlap, the MIT Press focuses more on science and engineering topics whereas HUP is more about the arts, literature, and the social sciences. The MIT Press has a smaller display space but it carries books by other publishers. The customers in Kendall Square seem a lot more relaxed than they do a couple of red-​line stops away at Harvard, but maybe they’re just more introverted or are busy working on a cure for cancer in their heads. Finally, the employees at the MIT Press are actually pleasant. They even speak like real people and not like they have an «H”-stick shoved deep into their bowels.
That’s not to say I don’t like HUP. I like it very much but I like the MIT Press better, although that might be because I have a social science background but have always wished I had more of an aptitude for the hard sciences. In any event, the MIT Press bookstore gets five stars. If I were totally objective, I might have given it four but my natural inclination compels me to be a contrarian and rank it higher than the Harvard University Press just because. Go Yankees!

Okay, this is my third time editing this review. I just have so much to say about this store.
First of all, it’s rather tiny. I’m guessing it’s no bigger than 750 square feet. However, I spend the same amount of time in here as I would the Co-​op. Why? Because the MIT Press Bookstore means quality. Every one of their books, from the Press or other publishers, is top notch. Of course it’s almost exclusively centered around sciences, they do have a section devoted to «pop culture.» These books have to do with topics like feminism, politics, religion and the lack of it. Even if it’s lacking in size, there is SO MUCH to see.
Like I said in my previous review, originally, I gave the MIT Press Bookstore a 4 out of 5. After visiting a second time, I changed my rating to a 5. I don’t think I’m ever buying design or technology related books anywhere else. I spent 112 dollars for 12 books that retailed for over 400 dollars. One book retailed across the street for over 50 dollars; I bought it for 6. These are brand new, up-​to-​date books. MIT, I love you so much. Thank you for not ripping me off like the MIT Coop would.