After you’ve lived in Las Vegas long enough, strangers inevitably ask you funny questions about the city and seem surprised to learn that we have schools, libraries, and bookstores. Although Las Vegas locals of the past have been known to claim the city has no culture, this mindset has shifted since indie bookstores made their way into town. Now, they’re an anchor for the literary scene in Las Vegas.

Here are the coolest bookstores in these Las Vegas neighborhoods.

Photo courtesy of The Writer's Block

Downtown

Downtown is known for its enclave of small local businesses that have made their home around vintage casinos, Las Vegas City Hall, and Zappos headquarters. In this neighborhood, you can find everything from historical home tours to brunch spots to art galleries, and the history of the neighborhood goes back over 100 years. 

It’s impossible to make a list of the best bookstores in Las Vegas without including The Writer’s Block, which has become a major anchor in the Las Vegas literary community. Known for its artificial bird sanctuary and bookstore bunny named The Baron, The Writer’s Block sells new books for all ages and offers book clubs and reading series that bring famous writers to Las Vegas on a regular basis. The bookstore even offers residencies to writers, translators, and designers. Although The Writer’s Block is currently housed in Fremont East, there are plans to move to a different location within the neighborhood.

Also in the neighborhood is Janco Books, which just opened last year and is already a community success story. Offering a mix of new and used books, owner Christina Benton curates the selections and also hosts regular events featuring musicians, artists, and authors in the neighborhood.

The Strip

It’s quite possible that Bauman Rare Books is the only bookstore on The Strip. Without a doubt, Bauman is among the most unique bookstores in town for its comprehensive collection of first-edition and rare books. It’s the type of place where you’d be just as likely to seek out a first-edition of “The Great Gatsby” as a Caxton manuscript of “The Canterbury Tales.” Whether you like Modernism or Medieval lit, this is your place.Because the only other headquarters are in Philadelphia and New York, you won’t find books like these elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of BooksOrBooks

Spring Valley

Dating back to 1984, Amber Unicorn Books is Las Vegas’ oldest bookstore. Touted by locals as one of the best used bookstores in town, Amber Unicorn Books is known for its sizable collection of cookbooks that aren’t the usual fare that you’d find in a big-box store. Amber Unicorn also sells first edition and rare books alongside fiction, mystery, and romance. The bookstore also made headlines last year when beloved co-owner Lou Donato passed away.

Centennial Hills

In Centennial Hills you’ll find Dragon Castle Books, a family-owned bookstore established in 2014 that carries sci-fi and graphic novels along with comic books, audio books, and general fiction. Dragon Castle Books also has an impressive online shop that includes antique and vintage finds as well as a wide range of books under $20.