If you enjoy browsing the shelves in a bookstore or library, you must head over to
Cliff's Books in Pasadena immediately! I am very sorry to report that Cliff's is not long for this world. I stopped by over break and learned that the 50% off sale is indefinite; the store is going to close. If you haven't been there, you should know that Cliff's is not your average used bookstore. First of all, it's wonderfully messy and unorganized. In many sections of the store, there is no rhyme or reason to the way books are placed on the shelf. This may frustrate those looking for a specific title, but for the bookstore browser it's heavenly. Every time I am there I stumble upon a book that is really special. Sometimes it's a book that takes me back to my childhood or college days. Other times it's something unexpected or even a little strange, like a single volume from a Charlie Brown encyclopedia set published in the 70s, the other volumes nowhere in sight (we bought Volume 3 quite happily, planning to spend the rest of our days seeking the others). I honestly don't know what the staff of Cliff's was thinking when they purchased some of these books from people who walked through the doors, but I'm so glad they did! The ramshackle collection of paperbacks that takes up a third of the space is enough to cause a person to lose track of time. One could spend an entire day wandering through the stacks at Cliff's, marveling at the yellowed pages of a book of Pac-Man humor (yes, this is a real book, and I did buy it), or a children's book about maps from the 1940s, or an owner's manual for a 1981 Buick sedan. Cliff's is a cave, a labyrinth, and a treasure chest. It is guarded by a delightfully grumpy and wholly un-helpful man (is he Cliff?) who sits next to a rack of old, used postcards for sale. I can only assume they were found inside the books, and it is such a pleasure to leaf through them and read the short messages from strangers written on the back.
Cliff's will be gone soon, like so many used bookstores that have closed in the recent past. If you love the smell of an old book, the feel of its pages, and the surprises that can be found on the seemingly endless shelves, you must visit Cliff's before it's too late. If you've never been to such a place, please go. Please go, because there are so few opportunities left to do so. Please go, not because Cliff's is the best used bookstore out there (it's not), but because it is there, and it is full of books, thousands and thousands of books. And soon it will be gone.
Cliff's is open until midnight every day of the week. It's right by Vroman's, the Laemmle, Tender Greens, etc. You won't be sorry!
Other used bookstores in the area:
Bookfellows mystery and imagination (SciFi and Mystery shop)
Cliff's bookstore is closing thois week and they have a giant sale with up to 90 percent off and $1 sale Sunday.
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