Harvard Book Store was founded in 1932 by Boston native Mark Kramer with $300 he borrowed from his parents. Then, as now, Harvard Square was a magnet for students, cultural enthusiasts and intellectuals. Mark chose to start his bookstore at the center of this vibrant community. Two years later, Pauline Kramer, Mark’s new wife, joined him in running the small bookstore offering used and remaindered books to the discriminating Cambridge community. In 1962, at the time of Mark’s death, his son Frank Kramer took over the family business and he has actively directed the bookstore’s activities since that time.

The theme of quality bookselling expressed through a broad inventory and personal service was established early by the Kramers, and it remains the primary goal of the company. Today, our expanded bookstore is a Harvard Square landmark and a destination for visitors from all over the world. We provide a comprehensive and provocative selection of new, used and bargain books. As one of the few bookstores in the nation with an academic emphasis, we feature authoritative sections in philosophy, fiction, cultural and critical theory, cognitive science, politics, and African-American studies. We also feature the ability to special order books not available in our store. This web site is our latest effort to make our selection and services available to book-lovers around the world.

In 2002, our seventieth year of business, Harvard Book Store’s excellence in bookselling was recognized nationally when we were awarded Publishers Weekly’s Bookseller of the Year.