Marginalia is a pop-up used bookshop.

Upcoming events

FARO CAFE

October 1st, 8 am - 4 pm

5 Arrow Street, Cambridge MA

The pop-up shop is back at Faro Cafe.

Come by, say hello, shop, and bring donations!

WHY BUY USED?

✣ Sustainable

Buying used means fewer books in landfills and fewer remainders being pulped by publishers.

✣ Affordable

Short of going to your local library (which we highly recommend), buying used books is a great way to stock your shelves on a budget—most of our books are more than 50% off the list price!

✣ Surprising

Used bookshelves are always a gamble, but that’s what makes it exciting. You might encounter a rare edition, an out-of-print find, or take a chance on an unfamiliar author.

✣ local

Shopping used means you’re supporting a bookseller in your community!

Instagram

some end of year book content from over the holidays! happy new year, thanks for being here 📚
thank you @faro__cafe for a lovely sunday 🌹
we're taking donations and selling books at faro cafe this sunday ⚔️
many many thanks to @faro__cafe for hosting such a wondering community event and to everybody — friends, passerby, neighbors — who came out to support our first day as a pop-up bookstore 🖤
our official closing date is July 30th! please come by and visit us before then 🖤
🖤
Troilus & Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer, Ed. Walter Skeat, trans. Stewart Boston, illus. Peter Brookes
rare to have so many personal favorites in the store at one time! if you want some gay lit, you should brave the rain and come say hi ☔ ps. last book is my current read but the others are on the shelves ✨
really happy with some of the picks in our gender studies section today! if you want to brave the gray day, we're here till 6 pm ☔
The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio, trans. Richard Aldington, aquatints by Buckland-Wright (2 vols)
Kachinas: A Hopi Artist's Documentary by Barton Wright, illus. Cliff Bahnimptewa

FAQs

WHAT KINDS OF BOOKS DO YOU SELL?

We currently sell fiction (mostly contemporary fiction and classics) and poetry.

HOW MUCH ARE THE BOOKS?

The books vary in price and all are priced as labeled—most are 50% off the book's list price and often less than that!

WHAT PAYMENT DO YOU TAKE?

We take cash (exact bills only, please) and Venmo.

DO YOU HAVE AN ONLINE STORE?

Maybe someday! But not currently.

CAN YOU SHIP BOOKS?

Not at this time, but USPS can ship books very affordably if you specify "media mail."

DO YOU BUY USED BOOKS?

We're a pretty small operation at the moment, so we'd prefer to rely on donations from the community for now!

We only take books that are in like-new or good condition.

Please don't donate books that are damaged, dirty, mildewed, or are missing pages/covers.

If you'd like to donate, please reach out via our contact form - we can arrange local pick-up if you're in the Cambridge area.

Do you recommend books?

Yes, absolutely—it's one of our favorite things to do. We usually love to hear a bit about what you like to read (genres, similar authors) before making a suggestion.

DO YOU HAVE (INSERT BOOK TITLE HERE?

Unfortunately, the nature of used bookselling means that our stock is very unpredictable. If you're looking for a specific title, we can add it to a list of books we keep an eye out for and reach out if we find it.