Grolier Poetry Book Shop

Wonderful, historic and eclectic poetry shop in Harvard Square. They are stacked with great poetry collections from around the world and have done good poetry reading events in the past from local / regional writers. I went last month to get a gift for a friend and was glad to see they’re still doing well.

Just fantastic. What a joyful experience to visit and soak in this place. Make the effort - go, buy a book.

Some books are a must-read and some stores are a must-see. Grolier Poetry happens to satisfy both needs. James, the manager, is so kind and helpful—truly a delight to talk to. This is my new favorite shop in the area. Oh, and they are open on Saturdays!

Give the staff a mood and they’ll help you find something new to read. It’s a pleasure every time I visit.

I had a fantastic experience here. The staff was extremely helpful and witty. The Grolier is a small space tucked away off busy Mass Ave, a great find on a rainy afternoon. I highly recommend checking out and supporting the oldest poetry bookshop in the country!

The Grolier is a unique and wonderful place with very knowledgeable staff and the best collection of poetry books for sale anywhere in the area. If they don't have something you want, they will gladly order for you. The shop also sponsors a lively reading series by poets, local to internationally known.

Grolier's is not the place to go if you're looking for a particular book of poetry. But if you love poetry and want to browse, look for something unexpected, or chat with someone knowledge, this is the place to go. It's small, and many of their books are used. However, they also support the publishing of one collection a year and have a boat-load of random chapbooks.

Such a fun little shop! I found a book of Italian poetry with English translations.

I've easily spent hours here, skimming through poetry books. It's always interesting because what I end up buying reflects my mood of that day. Nice place to get inspired, and reflect and read. They have contemp poetry, a translated section, a lot from local poets, the selection feels infinite sometimes lol. The man who manages the store asked me if I was a poet once - which was cool, because I write sometimes but only for myself. The manager, himself, is a published poet. And they do readings here from time to time too. You can definitely find books in every price range. This shop is probably the best thing Harvard square has to offer. Love love love.

A bookstore for poetry aficionados... Large collection of poets, Cavafy included. I could spend days in there. It's quite inconspicuous but make a point to go there ... and don't forget to take a free poem with you ...

A small shop but worth a stop. The shelves are filled with every book of poetry I could possibly imagine. Whether you need something specific or you're just browsing, check this place out.

So cool so cool - all sorts of small literary presses included. Works that you wouldn't find anywhere else - just spend an hour or two browsing through stuff. Worst part is the hours - close at 6p some days, 7p others.

A Harvard Square institution and literary landmark. As many previous people have posted, located on a side street, around the corner from the Harvard Bookstore (indie not affiliated with Harvard). There is history here as well as a large selection of poetry and letter press books and literary magazines. A wonderful place for poets, admirers of poetry or their friends and families to purchase thoughtful gifts.

Books of poetry Line the walls in stacks and piles Worth haiku, methinks.

Grolier is an amazing bookstore. The only bookstore in the world (as far as I know) ENTIRELY devoted to poetry, and only poetry. It's tiny, but it maximizes its space, and they made some layout changes recently to make the space work even better. I was impressed on day a couple years ago when I wondered in and asked about "that poet who Olga Broumas translated" and the owner/shopkeeper immediately went to the shelf and pulled down Odysseus Elytis. They know their stuff, and they have obscure poets you'll never find anywhere else.

I had a really lovely experience here. The guy that helped me had many recomendations and took a lot of time with me. I was especially happy to be able to talk with an "expert" in such a non-judgemental environment (my knowledge of english lang. poetry is very limited). Thanks so much!

Poetry LIVES at the Grolier. An institution, my professors all reminisced about this bookstore. Located on a Harvard Square side street, I was transported to Dickinsian London what with the cobblestone road and the poems plastered in the windowfronts. This is why I moved to Boston to study poetry - the rich literary history of New England, proudly on display in the shelves of the Grolier, in the streets of this city and beyond.

Grolier is owned by a Wellesley professor of philosophy, Ifeanyi Menkiti. I loved it the moment I entered and saw the bespectacled elderly shopkeeper discussing poetry with a middle-aged lady. Grolier has some great poetry readings. It's also the oldest poetry bookstore in the country. The store itself is pretty small but has a diverse selection of poetry. Came out in an afterglow of intelligence and literary bliss.

One of my favorite bookstores, around the corner from the Harvard Bookstore (which makes that street dangerous for my wallet). I believe this one-room vault of poetry volumes is the largest bookstore in the world dedicated solely to poetry (the room is what, 650 sq feet?). Lined and stacked with poetry from a vast range of countries, time periods, and publishers. Whatever you don't find in the room can be ordered for you. If you're a poetry fanatic like me you can spend hours in here (if you don't mind standing up and reading, which I don't). Staff is unusually knowledgeable about poems, and make great personalized recommendations if you ask them to. If you have a poet or poetry lover in your life, direct them here...because as a poetry buff, it's one of those places you are thankful exists.

Thank god for the new owner. It's nice to go in here and not get accused of shoplifting because one has the temerity to carry a satchel, or wear a coat, or look funny at the owner. The selection is small and getting better - the new guy carries a more diverse selection of American poetry than Louisa did - and seems much more interested in actually working for & with customers (as well as poets). It's still a little fusty, but definitely an improvement.

Great little shop devoted to poetry. My friend jane said I was lucky as they never seem open when she walks by. In fact, I almost couldn't get in. Thinking the door was stuck, I tried to shoulder it open. Turns out it was locked. She opened it quickly for fear of me busting in!

I am afraid for businesses like these in hard economic times. I'm not even that big of a fan of poetry, but decided to go in and look for anything by a former professor, Gerald Locklin. While they were light on the Locklin (and Billy Collins, I might add), the guy working there told me about a poetry reading going on across the street that night at the Houghton Library. Good thing he did, 'cause the reading was amazing and I absolutely fell in love with Jeffrey Yang's Aquarium poems. I pray that places like this stay open forever ...

maybe eight of the top ten bookstores i've ever been to are in boston. this is one such bookstore. ok, i'm slightly biased because of my affection for poetry. but it is a must if you find yourself in cambridge, mass. there are about a half dozen others i would not miss if you have a day or two in this excellent city. if you are a poetry fan like me, this should be at the top of your list.

the grolier makes me happy like few places can. setting aside that it's the oldest poetry-only bookstore in america, that it frequently showcases local poets, that the funny little man behind the "counter" is outrageously friendly/enthusiastic/helpful, that nearly every time i go in there there's some kind of impromptu meeting of creative minds happening between customers, that the bookcases are kafka-esque in their height and improbable, teetering construction, that they carry out-of-print editions and hard-to-find foreign authors as well as poetry-on-tape and collector's editions... what takes the cake in infinite awesomeness is the grolier's motto: "Every moment, every day, every month, every year, we celebrate POETRY!" awww. it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I teach AP Lit, and I assigned a big poetry project to my students, so I decided to take them on a trip to Harvard Square to look for books. Grolier was the first stop, since I thought they could find some good contemporary poetry there. And that was true! The shopkeeper was very helpful, talked to all of the students about their interests, and led them in the right direction to finding poetry that they would find enjoyable. They have a lot of obscure poets, but I was surprised that they didn't have much in the way of more popular contemporary poets. Regardless, this is a great place and I will continue to recommend it to my students and colleagues.

How do they manage to have so much good stuff in such a small space? You want Galway Kinnell? AR Ammons? Philip Levine? Something obscure? They have it. And not just the popular editions. They have the older volumes that you have been looking for. The ones that you think no one but you wants. Not only that but the people at Grolier seem to actually know something about poetry, so if you say "I really like Sharon Olds," they will say "ah, and have you tried Louise Gluck?" We're lucky to have this place.

Let me start this by saying that while I enjoy poetry, I'm not very well versed in the subject. Yes I know the majors, but I don't have a lot depth. Well, I can certainly get depth here. Just going to Grolier is an education in itself. The shop is filled with all kinds of poetry books, from zines to Bukowski to Ovid. Dan the shopkeeper is very friendly and great for recommendations (recently turning me on to Edward Field). I can't ever seem to leave without buying something, even if it's a tiny small-publisher (or self-published) book by someone I'd never heard of, it's inspirational just to be in there. The store is truly a gem of ours, with I believe only other poetry-only bookstore in the country.

Great little shop dedicated to poetry, have picked up several gems here through the years. Go inside and bring your muse with you.

Not much more to say, but I love this bookstore. The only remaining poetry-only bookstore in the country, an historic landmark in the Boston literary community, and a great place to spend an hour (or three). The manager, Dan, is generous with his recommendations, incredibly well-read and great fun to talk to. They carry chapbooks, letterpressed books from independent presses, even occasionally broadsides from local readings (they host a fantastic series of readings themselves). An absolute treasure.

The only exclusively poetry carrying bookstore east of the Mississippi. If you love poetry, what more do you need to know?

I love this bookstore. It's a rareity to find a bookstore dedicated to poetry and this one truly is. However, my only complaint is the hours it's open. It's nearly impossible for someone who works regular hours to get over there.

It's really cool that Harvard Square has a bookstore devoted entirely to poetry. Unfortunately, due to the decreasing quality and relevance of poetry, it's always struggling to stay afloat. I think I'm like a lot of people in that I'd be very sad if it closed but have never made a purchase there.

It's good to see a niche bookstore managing to survive, even if only barely. My poetry needs are not great and although my taste in verse runs more towards men from Nantucket, when I yearn for a Millay sonnet or something depressing by Larkin or Spender, I know exactly where to go.

yes they have a great collection of local authors books. However it is common knowledge among local authors that they take their time to pay those local authors for their work. Mixed bag. Yes go there to shop! If you are an author, have a contract stating when you expect to be paid for your book sales.

history lives here! the best poets read here! the bookstore is exclusively poetry! it's situated in a little hole-in-the-wall behind harvard book store (which is also a fine store, but much bigger, as in they also have a warehouse and good-sized profits and things). but the grolier, like a little animal, a little mythical animal that lives in the hearts of all poets also deserves some love. so do visit. and do go to their readings. and do buy things. poetry is alive. let's keep it up.

i love this place. not only is the poetry selection fantastic, but it has the quaint and rustic charm of an old bookstore that places like barnes&noble have made a distant fantasy. i disagree w/ lacey p...i love the lady who works there--she's always been incredibly helpful and she intimately familiar with her inventory. they also carry the poetry of my favorite college professor and have his picture up on the wall!!

One of the hidden jewels of Harvard Square. It's too bad the university doesn't give them a break, but then they're serious competition. I haven't been in the area in years, but it is always a familiar universe in a tiny space. Since Boston bulldozed the Brattle Street collection of unique bookstores, this is the final oasis. It may be historical, but it still lives, and outlives generations.