IN-STORE BROWSING (Masks Required)

UPDATE, September 19, 2023: You don't need an appointment; you just need a mask. The door will be locked when you arrive; just knock or call 319-337-2996, and we will meet you at the door.

We continue to require masks in order to accommodate the medical needs of our staff and patrons. We also continue to use MERV13 HVAC filters and a Corsi-Rosenthal box to reduce the spread of airborne viruses (and particles from wildfire smoke). #IndoorCleanAir just makes good sense; let's all do what we can to protect each other.

If you need to minimize exposure risk, call us. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best days for you to reserve the store for yourself or your small group, right when we open at noon, with only essential staff on hand. It's important to us to provide you with a safe experience.

 

For more information about our pandemic safety measures, visit Covid Safe Network.

Social Media Update! The best places to find us are BlueSky, Facebook, or Instagram.

 

We continue to offer shipping, free curbside pickup, and free local home delivery on thousands of books, puzzles, games, and more.
Do you have favorite subjects or authors and want to try something new? Try a Surprise Me! bag! Set any budget you like - $10, $50, $76.39, it's your choice - and we'll fill it with books you'll love!
Click here to browse PUZZLES! We always have at least 300 different 1000-piece designs on hand at all times, and we have more as well, with piece counts from 3 to 3,000!

Thank you for your support and caring. Always feel free to call us at 319-337-2996, email infodesk at thehauntedbookshop.com, or drop us a message on social media. We're happy to bring things to the door for your consideration, to make recommendations or check our shelves for particular books - whatever we can make work, safely, we will gladly do.
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The Haunted Bookshop, Iowa City's oldest secondhand bookshop, carries over 40,000 used, rare, out of print and antiquarian titles in over 50 different subject areas, including poetry, fiction, plays, history, religion, philosophy, cultural studies, sciences and languages, art books, children's books, literary nonfiction, Iowa-related books, and more.

We are located in the Northside district in the historic Wentz House (1847), its rooms lined with shelves and comfortable chairs, its walls offering toys, games, cards, and more. Our friendly and quirky staff delight in helping visitors to find old book-friends and new, and we pride ourselves on resourcefulness and individual attention to our guests.

We're fond of avid readers, browsers, families, students, teachers, literary reviewers, artists, writers, and other good company; we welcome book groups and community organizations; and we delightedly encourage storytelling, reading aloud, book recommendation, puppet shows (use ours or bring your own), and spontaneous performances by visiting piano players.

We are still accepting donations of quality used books, but we are not purchasing additional inventory at this time.

Can't find what you're looking for?

Call or email us! We only have about 7,000 books and 3,000 toys/games/cards on the website so far, and there are more than 50,000 items in the store. Let us know what you need, and we'll check the shelves!

New Books through Bookshop.org!

You can now order new books from us through Bookshop.org! Here's how it works: search for the books you want, buy them, and have them shipped directly to you. If you use this link to start your search, we receive a portion of the sale. Easy! - Check back soon as we begin expanding our recommendations on the bookshop.org website!

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