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Balfour Books
Category: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Bookstores Bookstores [Edit]
468 College StToronto, ON M6G 1B5
Neighbourhood: Palmerston
(416) 531-9911
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 12 pm - 11 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
10 reviews for Balfour Books
10 reviews in English
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Review from A V.
Toronto, ON
4/10/2010
Great book store. I love the racks with pocket sized paperbacks. You can always find something interesting in them.
The philosophy section seems to be dwindling though.
Sorry to hear about the dog. It was always nice seeing it in there. -
Review from Matthew L.
Toronto, ON
11/17/2011
I was here just about 12:30 today while shopping in the area to pick up a book and grab a nice quiet lunch somewhere ( I dont like eating alone unless I have a book handy) And to my disappointment they were closed still ! I knocked on the window and no one was around. So the selection looked good from the window but unfortunately thats all I can offer for now !
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Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
2/27/2009
How can you not love a book shop that marks its sections using scrabble tiles?
[A][W][E][S][O][M][E] = 12 points for Balfour! And the crowd goes wild!
Great books, attentive service, and a great smell: the store that symbolizes the cool grandpa. -
Review from Mike S.
Toronto, ON
10/17/2008 1 photo
I really do love used books, while I do think that many of the main arguments of the "green" movement are laughable, I love recycling books. Balfour Books is one of the nicer used book stores I've been in. The floors are wooden and creak slightly when you walk around, the whole store smells of old books and potential. Like many things it's the details that make Balfour special, the sections are spelled out using scrabble pieces and while that may not appeal to most people it does appeal to people who like reading. When I was in the store I was strongly tempted by the do it yourself book entitled "How to make early American Colonial Furniture:" but some how I managed to abstain. This is the kind of store where you can easily lose time browsing and while the time is lost it is not wasted. I highly recommend this store to people who love books and the stores that house them.
Like the review? Check out the link to my blog on my profile. -
Review from Jennifer L.
Toronto, ON
2/7/2009
Along with the back walls and racks of dusty Penguin classics and contemporary reads, Balfour books has a great selection of used art books with prices that are nice. I've found many artist books here that I've been searching high and low for, as well as discovering and unearthing other curious and intriguing names. The staff knows what they are getting.
I still regret not picking up a book of nude photographs of Madonna from the late 70s. -
Review from Dardana M.
ON
12/31/2008
I agree with those finding the place a little crowded, and sometimes tough to navigate. I'll admit that my constantly working at "new" bookstores for the past 8 years leaves me with little reason to frequent used ones (since i usually get my books for the same price or cheaper). I already have more books than the time to read them, but browsing a store like this is always fun.
Anyway, Balfour is a great choice to feed this particular habit . It looks the way you (or I) want a used bookstore to look- yes, I too *love* the scrabble-letter signs, and the inside is bright and cozy. It's also in a smart location, being in a pretty bookstore-less neighbourhood.
My last visit found me rushing in (in a snowstorm, no less) to find a copy of Brideshead Revisited for a secret Santa gift. As I said, rushing does not really work at a place like this, and I was taught my lesson by leaving empty-handed. The lady who worked there (deeply engrossed in her own reading, which I happen to like in a bookseller) knew right away that they were (probably) lacking a copy, which they were, and which I gotta give her props for (knowing, and all). -
Review from Alejandro A.
Toronto, ON
12/4/2008
A long time fixture of College St, Balfour Books is a used book shop that, in usual fashion, is bursting at the seams. Using Scrabble letters to identify the different shelves (brilliant,) there's a good chance you'll find what you're looking for, assuming you can actually find it. The store itself feels a bit disorganized, but only in certain parts.
For example, the 'literature' section is properly set up with an alpha by author organization, but my beef with this is that I'm never quite sure what constitutes 'literature.' You'll find certain classics on small shelves throughout, but you actually have to look through each individual shelf to find anything that's not on the top, making it a difficult and often discouraging process.
One thing I've always liked about this store is its art and art history section. They've got a plethora of books on these subjects and you can easily get lost in the books (in a good way) by simply browsing. -
Review from Jimi S.
ON
1/7/2009
balfour seems to be a bit of an institution in toronto. it has been around for a long time and it carries with it a certain venerable elegance. in large, slightly bulbous gold letters atop a dark green backdrop sits its name. beneath it, behind the storefront windows, lolling about without ego are a brethren and sisterhood of books on art, novels, cooking, politics and so forth.
when i arrived one of the middle aged owners seemed to be pressuring his female counterpoint to get a coffee, or perhaps it was a bagel. i was looking generally and looking for classics. surprisingly, there was a no show on the great gatsby. but there were recent finds like margaret atwoods new book on debt for a good price.
i didnt find it hard to stroll through this place at all and like all other used book shops they are overflowing with books, but the owners are veritable encyclopedias of their stock. in fact i think it might have bothered her a little more than me that she couldnt find the fitzgerald, because she knew she had it...somewhere...around....it was just here...
i think this is a great bookstore that keeps intense collections of classics, new books and it takes much care in its display and knowledge of its stock. -
Review from Jason R.
Toronto, ON
8/1/2010
Overpriced, period.
Not sure why people like this place. Sure, it has that lived-in feel, but in the end it's a store, and they want your money. Nothing wrong with that. However, their mark-up on books is nuts. They often obscure the original price only so that you can't see how big their mark-up is. I managed to rub the marker ink off the original price on the book cover; it was 12.95. How much did they want? $10...and it was remaindered (with the ink swipe on the bottom). And this is par for the case. I mean, $4 for a 1960s yellowed Pan edition of Agatha Christie, because....because....gee, I dunno...I suppose they think it's "funky" or something. I've got another word for it: rip-off.
Coziness is overrated, and so is this place. It is indeed sad to see bookstores go out of business. If this one does (I see they are moving) it is their own fault. -
Review from Betty D.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 1/29/2010
update: dog is dead :(
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/3/2010
I like this bookstore because it's pretty organized. If you ask if they have a book they know where… Read more »
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