Full disclosure: I first ran across Bookworks a number of years ago when I was faced with the choice of either getting rid of some books or moving into my own apartment and coming to visit them. Among the local book dealers, I discovered Bookworks. The owners were friendly, enthusiastic, and offered fair prices based on market value of the books. Over the years, we’ve become friendly — after all, I’ve sold them at least one library, and bought substantial portions of another.
Bob Roschke opened the store in 1984, across the intersection from its present location. (It’s one of those Chicago intersections of the six corners variety.) Three years later, he was joined by Rhonda Pilon and they moved into their current quarters, somewhat larger, with parking behind the store.
Bookworks features an extensive array of fiction, with many volumes by writers who can be hard to find otherwise. It’s a good place to find those works by major authors that you didn’t read in your high-school or college lit classes. They also handle genre fiction, and have respectable and sometimes surprisingly thorough selections of books on art, science, languages, religion, philosophy, theater, music, a large and fascinating history section, cookbooks (also a major section, unusual in a used bookstore), and a fledgling selection of comics and graphic novels, to name just the largest categories. You can generally find works by the Beat poets and writers, which is a deliberate emphasis. They also buy and sell LPs and CDs, and often have some intriguing offerings. One thing worthy of note: the books and records are all in good condition, and hardcovers often sport plastic sleeves to protect the jackets — these are people who value books. Bookworks also offers rare and out-of-print titles, fine bindings, first editions, and even ephemera. The music selections are strongest in jazz, blues, and classical music — although there’s also quite a bit of rock — and often include the works of contemporary composers.
Unlike many used bookstores that will buy almost anything, Bookworks is relatively selective. Pilon notes that they run a lean operation, without room for filler. They’ll also quite possibly be able to offer recommendations on which other dealers might be looking for items they can’t handle. The upside is that if you’re looking for a serious book, you stand a good chance of finding it here, and if you have serious books to sell, they’ll probably be interested.
Bookworks does a large online and mail-order business, with many offerings that are listed in the online catalogues at their Web site. They also have periodic online auctions through eBay.
As for being there — it is, among other things, fun. The front desk is usually a scene of subdued and more or less firmly controlled chaos, as Roschke or Pilon are pricing new arrivals or researching books that have just come in — there are usually boxes or bags of books on the floor next to the counter, and probably a bin or two of outgoing mail orders. They and their staff are always available for questions and very helpful if you’re looking for something specific, and otherwise they leave you alone to browse, which you can do for hours if you’re not careful. There’s not much in the way of seating, although there are stepstools available — it’s not that big a space, and what there is is devoted to books and records. It’s quiet and usually quite peaceful, and a good place to find treasures: you can tell a used bookstore is a success if you find something wonderful you had never thought to look for. That happens regularly at Bookworks.
And that’s a high recommendation indeed.
Bookworks
3444 North Clark Street
Chicago, Illinois 60657
773-871-5318
Mon-Thu, 11 am – 9 pm; Fri-Sat, 11 am – 10 pm; Sun, 11 am – 5 pm
Update: As of October 15, 2016, Bookworks has closed its bricks-and-mortar location on Clark Street and is now selling exclusively online, although they tell me they will still be making house calls for large collections. Feel free to contact them via their website for more information.
