The Verdict
Browsing is easy at this spacious haven for the Gutenberg crowd.

Leaves of grass.

Local Hero
Black Oak is known throughout the nation as one of the best places to browse and to enjoy books. The comfortable, well-apportioned store's selection is evenly divided between new and used books, and special rooms are devoted to rare and children's books. The used literature section is particularly impressive, as are the art and design collections. The stock is very extensive but not exhaustive.

Tip Sheet One of the Bay Area's Best Editor's Winner for Best Bookstore for its dedication to the local scene. Feeling Oates During a reading here, Joyce Carol Oates told the audience that her Black Oak tote bag was an object of considerable envy among other faculty members at Princeton. Spawn of B.O. Check out the newest Black Oak, located in S.F.'s Inner Sunset District. Call (415) 564-0877 for directions.

Local Publisher
Black Oak plays a pivotal role in Berkeley's literary community, dispensing a wide selection of local newspapers and hosting free readings by some of the most luminous names in the literary world. Black Oak also publishes beautiful, locally designed broadsides of authors' works. Call and get on the mailing list to hear about upcoming readings and to get recommendations from the extraordinarily well read staff on what to read next. (June 2000)

—Mia Sara Bruch