There's a lot going on at Harvard Book Store in May, but before we kick it all off, join us for Independent Bookstore Day on April 30th. Learn more below, but first, check out our lineup of upcoming ticketed events this spring.
Upcoming Ticketed Events
» After Hours at the Bookstore for Independent Bookstore Day with Samantha Hunt and Kelly Link (Apr 30)
» Angela Duckworth with Amy Cuddy (May 4)
» Sidney Blumenthal (May 13)
» Nathaniel Philbrick (May 15)
» Siddhartha Mukherjee with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (May 18)
» Cass R. Sunstein (May 23)
» Eric Ripert with Kelly Horan (May 31)
Online pre-sales (ticket + book) on sale now
» Mary Roach with Deborah Blum (Jun 8)
Tickets on sale soon
» Chuck Klosterman (June 9)
Tickets on sale soon
Independent Bookstore Day
Join us as Harvard Book Store joins bookstores across the country for Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, April 30th.
Join Us for . . .
Blind Date with a Book
It's back! In February we joined bookstores and libraries across the country in setting up readers on "blind dates" with great books -- here at Harvard Book Store, handpicked gems from our beloved Used Book Department. Our customers and staff loved it so much (
even the Boston Globe weighed in) that we're bringing it back for Bookstore Day.
Our booksellers' "Biographies in Books"
Come explore an epic display of our bookselling staff's "Biographies in Books" -- milestone books that have been important to our reading lives, showcased in the store with personally handwritten bookmark recommendations.
Homemade Cookies and Treats
Snack on treats baked from the
Cook's Illustrated Baking Book. We'll be raffling off a copy of the book, and snacking throughout the afternoon!
Bookish Selfie Station
Take a selfie with a favorite book at our selfie station and share your #bookstoreday pride.
Twitter/Instagram Promotion
Share your #bookstoreday visit on Twitter (tag us @HarvardBooks) or Instagram (tag us @harvardbookstore). You'll be entered to win your choice of a gift card, mug, or tote bag.
Litographs Literary Tattoos
Pick up a free literary temporary tattoo from Litographs, and become a part of the
World's Longest Tattoo Chain.
After Hours at the Bookstore
Join us after we lock up the store and turn down the lights for an exclusive, ticketed event -- featuring readings by Samantha Hunt and Kelly Link, refreshments, late-night browsing by flashlight, and 20% off all purchases!
Find tickets and details here.
Partners
1369 Coffee House
Our friends from
1369 will join us in the morning here in the bookstore selling iced coffee to aid your browsing.
Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage
Stop next door at the famous
Bartley's Burgers for a special "Bookstore Day"-themed burger lunch!
Grafton Street Pub
Order and enjoy a special literary cocktail just around the corner at
Grafton Street Pub, selected from
Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist. Pick up a special Indie Bookstore Day coaster for added discounts this weekend!
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Exclusive Indie Bookstore Day Merchandise
Learn more below about the special merchandise, books, and art prints that will be available in-store, in-person only, beginning at 9am on April 30. Quantities are limited.
Only at Harvard Book Store
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Harvard Book Store Illustrated Storefront Tote Bag
illustrated by Spencer Hawkes
$12.99
12" high and 3 1/2" deep, with sturdy 12" handles.
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Our iconic storefront, beautifully illustrated by Harvard Book Store staffer Spencer! 100% cotton canvas and made in the USA. We're debuting this new bag on Independent Bookstore Day, and will begin processing web orders for the bag (for delivery throughout the U.S. to book lovers near and far) on Monday! Order here.
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For Neil Gaiman Fans
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The Neil Gaiman Coloring Book
by Chris Riddell
$14.99 paperback 44 pages
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The Neil Gaiman Coloring Book includes 20 pieces of black-and-white art by Chris Riddell and quotes from Neil Gaiman -- taken from the pages of Coraline, The Graveyard Book, and Fortunately, the Milk. This limited edition coloring book features perforated pages of singlesided illustrations and colorable quotes, perfect for tearing out and framing or sticking on the fridge. You won't want to miss out on the chance to own this coloring book and, as Neil Gaiman says, "make good art."
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For Cat Lovers
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Bookstore Cats Zippered Canvas Pouch
designed by Out of Print
$14.00 pouch
9" x 6"
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This handy 100% cotton canvas zippered pouch (perfect for pencils, make up, cash, and other sundries) features portraits of real bookstore cats hand drawn especially for Independent Bookstore Day.
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For Bookstore Lovers
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The Care & Feeding of an Independent Bookstore
by Ann Patchett
$6.00
saddle stitched booklet
limited printing: 1200
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The first in what is sure to become a favorite IBD series,
A $6 Story: The Care & Feeding of an Independent Bookstore by Ann Patchett includes 3 instructive essays: "The Bookstore Strikes Back" (originally published in
The Atlantic); an original piece titled, "Things No One Told Me About Owning a Bookstore," and a booklist titled, "52 All-Time Favorite Books from the Year I Turned 52." Each beautifully designed, saddle stitched booklet is SIGNED by Ann Patchett.
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For Foodies and Bourdain Fans
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Anthony Bourdain's Perfect Burger Print
art by Giacomo Gambineri, text by Nathan Myrvhold, signed by Anthony Bourdain
$20.00 signed print 10" x 24" limited printing: 750
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A beautifully illustrated guide to making the perfect burger. Each gallery quality print is SIGNED by Anthony Bourdain.
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Rad American Women for Vinyl Fans
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X is For.... Vinyl Record
by Kate Schatz, Miriam Klein Stahl, and Carolyn Pennypacker-Riggs
$10.99
7" (45 rpm) vinyl record in a shrink-wrapped cardboard record sleeve
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This companion record to the
NYT bestselling
Rad American Women A-Z (City Lights Publishing) was created just for IBD. Side A features "X is For...", an original alphabet song by Carolyn Pennypacker-Riggs of Bouquet. Side B is a lively, inspiring and poetic reading of the X chapter from the book featuring the voices of ANGELA DAVIS, REBECCA SOLNIT, CHARLENE YI, ALICE BAG, and many more rad women. Includes a poster with lyrics and chords, and free digital download instructions.
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Draw Me! For Kids 6-12
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Draw Me!: How to Draw Your Favorite Characters, Plus Treasure Maps, Flip Books, and Other Cool Stuff!
$16.99
paperback
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Draw Me! includes step-by-step instructions on how to draw characters like Mo Willem's Pigeon, Raina from
Smile and
Sisters, Curious George, Fly Guy, and many more. Also includes instructions for creating a flipbook and a multi-panel comic book. Practice sketch pages included after each instruction.
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Special Edition of Raymie Nightingale
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Raymie Nightingale
by Kate DiCamillo
$16.99
limited printing: 2,500
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A special edition of the new novel by two-time Newbery Award winner Kate DiCamillo. In addition to being SIGNED and numbered, each special edition includes a bound-in personal letter from Kate about the joys of books and bookstores.
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Duck & Goose Print
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Duck & Goose Print
by Tad Hills
$12.99
limited edition print
17" by 11"
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A wonderful pro-reading, pro-friendship print drawn especially for Independent Bookstore Day by Tad Hills, the bestselling creator of the Duck & Goose books. All 400 giclée prints are signed and numbered and suitable for framing.
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"Read with Me" Curious George
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Curious George Plush Doll
$15.00
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A collectable Curious George plush doll with a t-shirt that reads READ TO ME on the front and the Independent Bookstore Day logo on the back. Curious George (R) and (C) 2016 HMH Publishing Co.
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Literary Tea Towels
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Literary Tea Towels
with quotes by Anna Quindlen and David Mitchell
$20.00
limited printing: 1,500 sets
set of two 18" x 25", 100% cotton, flour sack tea towels
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This set of two 100% cotton flour sack tea towels feature quotes on reading: "A half-read book is a half-finished love affair. --David Mitchell" and "I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. --Anna Quindlen."
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Bad Citizen Stencil
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Bad Citizen Stencil
with quote by Fran Lebowitz
$35.00
12" by 16"
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The third edition of the collectable Bad Citizen stencil series reads: "THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK. READ BEFORE YOU THINK. --FRAN LEBOWITZ." Laser cut on 1/8"-thick red oak board, the stencil is suitable for hanging as an art piece or using as a graffiti stencil.
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And Very Limited Edition Free Items
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The Stormlight Archive: A Pocket Companion to the Way of Kings and Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson A limited-edition hardcover book of trivia from The Stormlight Archive epic fantasy series written by Brandon Sanderson. The Stormlight Archive is an ongoing epic fantasy, planned as a ten-book series.
The Hour of Land Chapbook by Terry Tempest Williams A fine press chapbook of an essay on Grand Teton National Park from Williams' forthcoming book The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America's National Parks. SIGNED by the author.
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Upcoming Events
Our events lineup over the next few weeks includes countless
unmissable book talks and readings. Browse the next week below and many more
upcoming events, now updated through the first week of June.
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Fri, Apr 29, 3PM
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Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Meira Levinson discusses Dilemmas of Educational Ethics: Cases and Commentaries.
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At Harvard Book Store
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Fri, Apr 29, 7PM
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Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annette Gordon-Reed discusses her followup to The Hemingses of Monticello, "Most Blessed of the Patriarchs": Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination.
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At Harvard Book Store
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Indie Bookstore Day
Sat, Apr 30, 9AM-11PM
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Join us in celebrating what makes independent bookstores special.
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At Harvard Book Store
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After Hours at the Bookstore
Sat, Apr 30, 11PM
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Ghost story readings Samantha Hunt and Kelly Link, browsing the shelves by flashlight, and more.
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At Harvard Book Store $25 Tickets
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Margaret Guroff
Mon, May 2, 7PM
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Margaret Guroff discusses The Mechanical Horse: How the Bicycle Reshaped American Life.
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At Harvard Book Store
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Chris Anderson
Tue, May 3, 6PM
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Chris Anderson, curator of the internationally famous TED Talks, presents TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking.
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At the Brattle Theatre $5 Tickets
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Rick Riordan
Tue, May 3, 7PM
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Rick Riordan -- dubbed "Storyteller of the Gods" by Publishers Weekly -- returns with a new series, The Trials of Apollo, Book One: The Hidden Oracle.
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At Back Bay Events Center $15 / $30 Tickets
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Angela Duckworth
Wed, May 4, 6PM
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TED Talk-ers Angela Duckworth and Amy Cuddy (author of Presence) discuss Duckworth's book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
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At the Brattle Theatre $5 Tickets
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Shawn Vestal
Wed, May 4, 7PM
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Shawn Vestal discusses his debut novel, Daredevils -- the story of Loretta, a teenager married off as a "sister wife," who makes a break for freedom with a diehard Evel Knievel fan at her side.
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At Harvard Book Store
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An Evening with Granta Magazine: New Irish Writing
Thu, May 5, 6:30PM
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Contributors to Granta 135: New Irish Writing -- Colm Tóibín, Belinda McKeon, Mary O'Donoghue, Sally Rooney, and Stephen Sexton -- discuss the state of Irish writing.
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At the Cambridge Public Library
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Matti Friedman
Thu, May 5, 7PM
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Journalist Matti Friedman discusses Pumpkinflowers: A Soldier's Story, the harrowing account of a band of young Israeli soldiers charged with holding a remote outpost in Lebanon.
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At Harvard Book Store
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Elizabeth Hinton
Fri, May 6, 3PM
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Harvard's Elizabeth Hinton discusses From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America.
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At Harvard Book Store
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David Means
Fri, May 6, 7PM
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David Means, author of four acclaimed story collections, reads from his first novel, Hystopia.
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At Harvard Book Store
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Harvard Book Store is locally owned and independently run, and has been since 1932. Thank you for your continued support.
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