Pegasus Books

Pegasus Books is a hidden gem located in the heart of Berkeley, California. This independent bookstore is a book lover's paradise with its impressive selection of new and used books, as well as a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. Upon entering Pegasus Books, you're greeted with the sweet scent of well-loved books, and the sight of shelves overflowing with literary treasures. From classic literature to contemporary fiction, non-fiction to poetry, Pegasus Books has something for everyone. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and always willing to help you find the perfect book to suit your taste. Not only is Pegasus Books a great place to shop for books, but it's also a great place to unwind and relax. There are comfortable chairs scattered throughout the store, inviting you to sit down and lose yourself in a good book. Overall, Pegasus Books is a must-visit destination for book lovers. Whether you're searching for a specific book or just browsing, you'll find something to love at Pegasus Books. If you're in the area, make sure to stop by and support this wonderful independent bookstore!

I am really hesitant to write this review as I really want to support my local bookstore but I really had a difficult experience with a book I had pre ordered and had been hotly anticipating. It’s a long story with many details I’ll spare, but I think what really cements the poor experience is just unfriendly staff. I finally did get the book 11 days later the expected date. When I went to the store to check in on it, I was abruptly cut off and told to look in the front. I wished to clarify if it was the standard or deluxe edition as initially ordered and I was again abruptly directed to the front. I never received any final notice that my book had indeed arrived and was met with really cold and uppity staff (this book is romantasy genre). I am bummed to report I will be taking my business elsewhere.

Could spend hours here, could go down a million rabbit holes. Wonderful selection of both new and used books - felt I picked up exactly what was needed in the moment. Very friendly, very lovely, absolutely recommend stopping here - metaphysical and Buddhist selections (Jung as well) off the charts.

Great place for used books and some new, plus gifts. I had a long list of book recommendations, and I was able to find 2 out of the first 3 books on the list!

Nicely managed relatively large store, convenient location, the car parking spot might be a headache. I wish this store had at least one computer for customers to use. Also, the saddest part is this store was almost empty. Need to find the new way to attract more people to visit this nice store.

Loved it here so happy I stopped in! They have a little of everything and the pricing is so good for used books. I bought 3 books, if I didnt need to leave for another event i would have been here hours honestly and would have def left with more books! I live in Palo Alto but next time I'm in Berkley I will def be making time to stop by! Staff was helpful and polite and it was just an overall nice vibe

We dropped into Pegasus books on a whim and were not disappointed. The store is open and inviting. Staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable. New and Used books both are available in this store. There was a section for everyone and every genre. If you are looking for Leather-bound or older books you will need to do some digging but all part of the fun.

Support local! This book store has been around for decades, this is the kind of place that makes Berkeley still cool.

I pre-ordered Mark Danielewski's "Tom's Crossing" from this bookstore and when I did so, I left a comment in the order to pack some art overlays that may come with the pre-order, and an employee, Kali, responded that they'll include the overlays as well as some blurbs written by another employee, Bee, which i really enjoyed reading, by the way! It's obvious the workers here love to read and appreciate their customers, and I love coming by another MZD fan as well! Come shipping day, and I get another email informing me they received signed copies, and they'd pack it for me!! I would give them 6 stars if I could, FOR SURE. I'm SO excited to read this book. It arrived a day after shipping but granted, I do live somewhat nearby.

I love this place and have for two decades. Consistently friendly and helpful staff, great book selection, comfortable place to hang out, and good prices. What's not to love? They even have generous open hours. I try to order all my random books through Pegasus. Protip: their frequent reader card is a great deal and they'll let you combine individual cards if you forget to carry them with you when spontaneously buying books.

This is a nice cute store with a nice cute selection. It's not as big or as extensive as others and the book categories have a lot fewer books, but just coming in and looking around is quite nice. I forget about them, because they are on the edge of the action, but I have bought stuff here and it's been good. The people who work there are nice and knowledgeable. That goes a long way. And while nothing beats their annual calendar shindig, they do have little gems. You just have to look hard for them. They are also much nicer when they are going though your books to buy them. Ahhh, to have someone turn you down without telling you how old your books are and insulting you in the process. Insulting, because I am a book nerd and they talk about my books as if I've messed all over them on my way to the sale. Not a chance. But these people are quite nice, and I'm sure that's why they will still be around when the other store is gone!

It's always great to see bookstores in Berkeley, and Pegasus is one of the few left. I came here to support Ellie Yang Camp when she had an author event here to promote her book "Louder Than the Lies: Asian American Identity, Solidarity, and Self-Love." As the audiobook narrator of the book, it delighted me to see her host an event in the East Bay, and what better than a bookstore right by our mutual alma mater, UC Berkeley? The staff was really wonderful and were happy to engage in conversations about their bookstore and offerings. My friend who came with me even asked about potentially joining their book club. As we walked out the bookstore, a book on motorcycles caught my eye on their $1.00 cart outside, so I snatched that book, ran back inside, and purchased it. A gem of a bookstore!

How many books can u read. How much sushi can u eat How many Sundays do u go to church How many houses can u buy

When I'm in Berkeley, this bookstore is pretty much the same. It's laid-back and always stocked with everything you might need. You might even find something you weren't specifically looking for. I like that. They're old-fashioned--still using paper, no apps to download for discounts. On this visit, I picked up a cookbook and a magazine. October is triple points month, so stop by and pick up a book.

I come by here every once in a while, and I went here yesterday to browse before the board game night I run at Berkeley library West branch. I still love all of the different sections of books, some that you expect, and some that made me grin (like the direct action section!) The books are reasonably priced and well organized, and they have a little bit of a lot of different things which is fun if you aren't looking for something in particular. The staff were very friendly and helpful as well!

This is one of those great bookstores you can immediately tell will be a hard-to-leave treat. It's got a pretty radical selection, new and used. Heavy on the social theory, which I'm always in search of, but I can tell there are plenty of other well-rounded genres available too. Some hard to find books, two of which we bought. This isn't a frilly place that's trying to give you an emotional experience. It's a solid, fantastic bookstore with very friendly employees, a broad and eclectic selection, and high value.

When traveling I always Google "best bookstores" during my research/planning so naturally Pegasus Books popped up as a must visit in Berkeley. Oddly enough, I walked right past it on my last quick trip to the city without realizing! This time, I scored a parking spot right out front and stepped into the indie bookstore stocked with both new and used books. I was thrilled to find a used copy of Ocean Vuong's latest bestseller, The Emperor of Gladness. Prices were fair, staff were patient and warm, and the browsing experience was delightful. Nothing like the smell of a great bookstore. It's definitely the kind of shop that makes you want to sit and read - highly recommend!

Varied, well-organized, and reliable! Can always count on Pegasus to have a myriad of new books that actually pique my interest! The store is very clean and well-organized. Only wish they had more resale books to choose from! I especially like their critical/radical studies selection and their philosophy, spirituality, and personal development sections! I definitely spent a couple hours in the store deciding on what books to get because there were too many ones that sparked my curiosity!! Also, shout out the employees for helping me find the nearest public restroom; there are none in the store but one very nearby if you ask (:

The outside of this building is so cute and modern with all the large windows. I enjoyed seeing multiple of genres so it felt like a maze trying to see what was offered at this bookstore! The workers here were so nice too!

Great independent book store vibe with a decent collection of books, cards, and gifts.

Picked up a calendar here this year. Mostly bought books at this location over the years. They also sell cool magazines.

Excellent boos store in an easy location to get to. Not just latest books but good staff recommendations. Local bookstore that has an appropriate wide variety to give anyone what they are looking for in the area. Easy to go into Persia g mode and talk away with a number of good selections s each time. Love that the offerings are wide in scope. And the book bags have great patterns. You will find one you can't resist.

Love coming here to browse around for next-reads & gift ideas, which I can always find. There's also a section for local books/authors.

I love the book store . It's so much fun to read and learn and enjoy the books I suggest that you come to this place

Loved it here so happy I stopped in! They have a little of everything and the pricing is so good for used books. I bought 3 books, if I didnt need to leave for another event i would have been here hours honestly and would have def left with more books! I live in Palo Alto but next time I'm in Berkley I will def be making time to stop by! Staff/service was helpful and polite and it was just an overall nice vibe

Such a cute book store!!! I love the carts outside with heavily discounted books. Found 2 completely new hard cover books for $5. There's also a sale section inside with half off books. Love the selection and prices here!

The service was good, and the value was fair. I will definitely go back again. The parking was challenging but as long as you pay for enough time on your meter you will be fine to browse at Pegasus!

Sometimes you just have to pick up a book, flip the pages, and look at the price before you go to your Amazon app and order it at discount. Isn't that the typical bookstore experience these days? It's a pity for mini-indie chains like Pegasus who have survived in their consistent service and sheer grit. This is the sunniest of the three bookstores and the corner location makes it particularly inviting on a lazy Saturday when you still have elbow room to browse with conviction, even in the wide open section where all the leftover calendars are on display well into 2019. Bring your boxes of used boxes in if you want to make a last run at a few shekels for your past purchases. RELATED - Browsing for books? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2Hteupo

Had a great experience here today! I called before coming to see if they had a romance novel I was super excited for that was just released today, and they did. Upon entering, the cashier recognized that I was a student and also gave me a small student discount which was very sweet since I hadn't even asked. They also had the cutest dog at the counter, which I know isn't necessarily part of a bookstore, but totally adds to the charm of the place.

I love any brick and mortar bookstore because there are so few left. I don't think we'll ever see those giant Barnes & Noble type stores anymore but stores like this are great. I'm so glad this is still around. Been coming here for years when I'm in the area. Keep supporting your local bookstore.

You could spend half of my life here. The books are in good condition and they have an excellent selection of books of all different genres. The staff is very friendly. If you love books you will enjoy this place!

I have a special affinity for bookstores w/ cats as Pegasus Books in Downtown Berkeley has a resident cat so 5 stars for that alone. I have long been a cat person. There are a few bookstores in the Bay Area w/ resident cats such as Aardvark Books in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood. The first bookstore I saw w/ a resident cat was in the Pacific NW in Seattle where I was traveling back in 2003 coming across a bookstore there w/ a resident cat. In these Modern Times of Bobby Digital it is great to see bookstores still holding it down as Berkeley has quite a few stellar bookstores including here. Smart & well curated selection of books here from New books to Used ones. They even have a selection of signed & first edition collectibles for all you fan boys. One that caught my eye was a signed first edition of the late BKS Iyengar's memoir "Light on Life". Iyengar is probably one of the greatest yoga teachers in the 20th century. I met Iyengar at his Iyengar Institute in Pune, India a few years back as I was checking out his personal library where students there were studying & he was working on his 24th book. He said hi & later sneezed which I though was cool! I also saw Iyengar give a keynote address at the Yoga Journal Conference in Estes Park, CO back in 2005. I love the Eastern Religion & Eastern Philosophy books here as that genre is of particular interest to me. They also have a great selection of staff picks that adds a nice personal touch. The local books here are quite alright w/ walking tours of Berkeley & hikes etc. They have a Music section w/ Vinyl, cassette tapes, & a large smart selection of CDs that are organized in alphabetical order as Spotify doesn't offer liner notes or booklets! Besides the friendly staff, resident cat, awesome books, & music I especially like the vibe of the store as it features clippings from Oakland Sports teams such as the Warriors & Raiders along w/ cool collectibles on the wall including a stellar Gary Snyder signed by the nature poet Gary Snyder. Gary Snyder was immortalized as Japhy Ryder in Jack Kerouac's classic Dharma Bums. Be sure to pick up a smart black t-shirt w/ a white winged Pegasus Horse on it along w/ Established in Berkeley in 1969 while here. Long live the bookstore. If you are a bibliophile or a book lover in Berkeley ....go!!!!!!

If you decide to close early. Take down the times you are open in the window as online. I drove across town to support an independent books store and now I'll be purchasing elsewhere. Also why not just ask if I could make it quick? I knew what I wanted- and you would have made some money. Poor customer service-

A total gem of a bookstore downtown that seems perpetually busy! They have a nice variety of books - every genre from most recent best-seller to total obscure. I appreciate the local Bay Area section and I recently popped in to pick up a bday present for a little boy and they had a ton of kid options including a whole sale section (score!). Speaking of presents, although they don't wrap, they do offer free DIY gift wrapping. They have some calendars, gift cards and the sorts, but I would strictly go for the books!

Great selection of new and used books. Nice best sellers, kids, young adult, zines, comics. If you have the time, great to peruse their new used books section and the carts where they have cheap markdowns. Found two books in the used book sections that were newer releases, granted they're not that much cheaper, the hardcover was about $10 than the cover price, and the other one was $5 less than cover. But did find other awesome deals for less than $5.

I found a blackface/minstrel vinyl in a pile of used vinyls they were selling and brought it to the front to let them know what the vinyl was. They looked at me like I was so strange for highlighting this and brought it back on the floor citing 'historical significance'. I felt very uncomfortable.

TL;DR great local book store I was on a quest to sell my collection of used college books, collected over 4 years. They accept only the recent/popular books under good condition. If no one else is interested in buying your books, they'll give you a decent offer. There was no wait to sell the books, and if there happens to be one, you have a lot to peruse through. There were a lot of calendars on sale since in was February. If you're looking for a novel for class, you will probably find it since students tend to sell their old class books here.

You could spend hours in here. Heck, I even spent 15 minutes here just trying to decide which birthday card to get! Needless to say, they have a plethora of books, gifts, and cards. I live nearby and it's my -go-to if I need a last minute card give that there aren't a lot of other options in the area. They have a large selection of reads (including new releases), and a ton of books with local focus (such as books on California plants and animals). There are always highly discounted booked out front, which is nice is you're on a budget but looking for a new read!

I'm a sucker for books! The boyfriend and I was in the area and decided to drop in and see what Pegasus Books had to offer. The layout of the store is organized. They offer a good variety of different genres, along with greeting cards, games, and little trinkets here and there. A lot of the items were priced fairly. We spent a good 30 minutes or so in the store. I can't comment about customer service, because I didn't encounter any staff members and really didn't have the need to. All in all, a chill bookstore in Berkeley. My favorite was the children's section. I came across a lot of cool kids books, as well as old throwbacks I used to read when I was like 6 years old. Happy reading!

5 stars just for the two cute cats in here. Honestly, sometimes I just go in to pet the cats and ignore the books. However, I do like it as a used bookstore. I came in to get a book of poetry for my own pleasure rather than for school and I discovered two precious cats instead. They're probably thought I was weird human for gawking and petting them, but they're just so adorable. But back to the books. The layout is pretty simple, but everything is sort of cramped together. One section is devoted entirely to kids (1/3 of the store), so it was a little awkward navigating around kids. But the staff were pretty nice and they also have a decent selection of new titles too. The books are decently priced and they have a great selection of poetry. I can't really say their other sections like philosophy are abundant, but since it's a small bookstore, I can't really fault them. Definitely check out Pegasus books to get cheap used books or just to enjoy the company of two beautiful cats.

I love Pegasus Book Store!!! Offering smart, engaging cutting-edge contemporary best sellers to vast select of classic xines. Love, love their selection of second hand books. Clever gift selections and a visit with the ancient store kitty round out this experience Beautifully.

Stopped in here while waiting for a table at La Note. Literally (see what I did there?) no better place to spend 20 minutes. They sell used books as well! Wendell Berry book count: 5 (Three of which I did not have!! But now I do, clearly.)

Love this spot, love these people. Always so patient and friendly. I have disabilities and sometimes take a moment to ask the right questions or understand new information clearly and after three visits with three different workers, everyone was sweet and patient without me having to bring any attention to my far from obvious challenges. I try to always stop in here first when I'm on a bookstore spree downtown.

I could spend hours in this place. They have an excellent selection of books of all different genres, including some rare finds! They even have adorable, one of a kind gifts. It's perfect for holiday gift shopping. Definitely recommend stopping in!

Its selection and nice staff make it a 5 star book shop at any time. Also, it's filling orders while we shelter in place! You can order online, but I did via email/phone. I asked if they could ship my book to someone as a gift within a few days, and a staff member replied in under 2 hours. Luckily they had the book I wanted and even luckier, he was going to my area anyway and was nice enough to wrap the book. So I ended up having my gift hand-delivered the same day I emailed Pegasus. What a great local shop and today, service.

Really nice place to hang out. The used books are in good condition, the place does not smell like some used books location and the staff are friendly. A lot of entertaining things to look and tons of calendars and unusual items.

They have books with marked down prices as well as newer novels. I like the postcard selection as well, it was very diverse. Their cognitive science section was also plentiful. Besides books they had small gift items you never thought you had to buy, like coin pouches that say "raking it in" and "beer money". They're playlist was spot on, literally one of the only times I've heard space oddity in a bookstore. +Theres a house cat!!

I spend less time at this Pegasus than the one on Solano, but when I'm in the neighborhood anyway I almost always stop in. We learned a few years ago that this location is less insanely crowded during the the January calendar sale, even on the first day. Today after lunch at Angeline's we stopped in to see if they had Panorama, Dave Eggers' newspaper. It seemed like a great Christmas gift for our friend Larry. We'd bought ones for us and for Tam at the Solano store the day after it came out, but yesterday they were out when Alan tried to show it to the friend w/ whom he had had lunch. The fellow at Pegasus on Shattuck told us they were sold out, then w/o our even asking, offered to call one of their other stores. We gratefully accepted his offer and told him Solano had been out yesterday around lunchtime. He said they'd dropped a couple of boxes off about that time. He called and they still had some. We thanked him and headed over to the Solano store, where we bought one. It was friendly, helpful service at the Shattuck Pegasus.

This Pegasus remains standing after defeating the Death Star (Barnes and Noble) across the street. Although my home Pegasus store is on Solano, I do manage to occasionally wander over to the south end of Downtown Berkeley (and usually avoiding Half Price Books entirely). This Pegasus seems a little smaller and less crowded than the Solano store, but has the same eclectic Berkeley feel, and features a nice selection of books, magazines, calendars (of course), quirky gift items, and pithy staff suggestions for this and that. You're also welcome to sit down, stay awhile, and pet the cat.

Who has time to read books? Why can't you just see the movie, or something, jeesh. If a guy is in the bookstore, I bet he is short. Shorties never date or go out, they read a lot. Also people who hate trees read books. No wonder we don't celebrate arbor day anymore. Why can't they just get a kindle? It has a built in light and saves the environment, some people... Pssshhh... 1983 called and asked for its books back. Also while we're answering calls, 1975 wants its old spice aftershave back and that awful smell of books with it. God. The only people who read are those that do laundry on a Saturday night and spend rainy days at a bar window drinking wine or whiskey with their stupid book. They might as well be an invisiblé. Most of the books those idiots read are fiction anyways. Why don't they read something educational that can help them with life? Dummies. But I guess if "books" are your thing, Pegasus is alright. I mean they have books. Might even have a signed copy of some fanciful book in black velvet called Night Circus. Or that horrible novel about Noah n Allie that takes place in North Carolina or somewhere that doesn't matter. I bet Noah wasn't a shortie. He got the girl in the end. *sigh The Notebook... Psshhhh I could watch the movie in a fraction of the time.

Really cool book shop right next to the brunch spot I visited. They had a deal of 20 percent off so I grabbed a book I've meaning to read. I really loved all the options they had here. The kids book section was awesome! Prices were really fair here and worth it to keep a local business going strong!

I dropped at one of the last few independent and local used bookstores around Berkeley. I liked the vibe in here, and they have a lot of great variety of topics and subjects of books they offer. I glanced the place around to see what and where the books are. It is still awesome to find some banned books which is hard to find nowadays. It opens and interests me in some way. Then found a huge collection of local cookbooks and other unusual books here too. This is an awesome bookstore to spend some time reading, taking look at other books. Staff were very informative and knowledgeable too.

Super neat place.. and since i am getting away from the TV more and more, I am benefiting and revisiting my love for books and magazines. Pegasus and Pendragon works well in filling that niche. Very sweet cat inside.

Charming bookstore. Good size, had new and used books, all in good condition. Had records, cds, gifts, and zines in addition to regular books. They had a lot of popular books that one might look for. And a few obscure ones that I was pleasantly surprised that they carried. Came in just because I was waiting for my car to be serviced across the street but came out with two books I had been meaning to read for some time. Good trip.

Love this bookstore. I can spend hours here. Great variety of books and topics for everyone. It's such a treat to touch books and not just have to guess and buy them online. And this place has cats you can pet. They Are totally tame!

Great books. Great Selection. Great Service. Great Ambience. (Has that amazing smell of paper books that you would get in a library) Pegasus Books has a large selection of well priced books (check out the crates out front) and friendly/helpful staff.

Surprise: Pendragon is one of the best places in the Bay for comix snobs to find handmade 'zines and cheap, used, good graphic novels. Their selection isn't enormous, and this isn't the place to go to find something specific. But if you like independent/alternative comix, you'll probably find a good read here at a really good price. The staff is really friendly, but not overly solicitous. NB: They don't carry superhero crap. Bonus points.