All Books

All Books … all over the place, all the time. Literally floor-to-ceiling, corner to corner, spilling off tables, stacked here and there. If you’re an avid reader, serious book collector or merely someone in the mood for an obscure read, look no further than this hidden gem at 327 Rideau Street.

Owner and Manager Mark Tracy opened All Books 20 years ago with some secondhand bookcases and a desk, a few newish Ikea bookcases, a well-used cash register and of course a bunch of books. He sought to provide “a place of refuge where people can gain knowledge, ideas, thoughts, awareness and experience through the world of books … over and above the routine or mundane.” Mission accomplished.

Arguably one of the best used bookstores in Ottawa, this shop specializes in used, rare, and out-of-print books in pretty much every genre, and they put the emphasis on literature, philosophy and academic publications. You’ll find hard and soft cover, contemporary and classics, fiction and nonfiction, all at very reasonable prices, and always with deals to be had on certain books.

Mark shares a funny memory, “I used to have my cat there at the store (when he was a kitten) and people’s reactions were funny, like, not so much concerned with what book they were looking for, but ‘Is Thomas here?’ Or they wouldn’t see him but suddenly he would appear out of book case they were looking at. People would also come in specifically for group photos with the cat.” #BookstoreCatSelfie

Stop by this cozy shop soon to pick up a few titles for your reading list. Mark is super knowledgeable about books and remarkably, given the inventory, he knows exactly what he has in store!

All Books | all over the place, all the time
#DowntownRideau #WhereLiteratureLives