Store specifics
Where is your store located?
Our store's address is 307 East Grand River Ave., East Lansing, MI, 48823.   Grand River Ave. is the main road through East Lansing, an east-west road.  The north side of Grand River is the downtown East Lansing business/shopping district, where we are.  The south side of the street is the MSU campus.  The closest cross street to our block is M.A.C. Avenue, and we're in the same block as the City Center building and the new Barnes & Noble.

How do I get there?

Where can I park?

Do you have other locations?

Store Design
How is your store laid out?
Our inventory is on three floors.  The main floor has general fiction, science fiction, mystery, children's books, illustrated books, first editions/antiquarian stock, and several non-fiction sections.  The basement has more fiction (romance, action-adventure, horror, western), more non-fiction, and old magazines of practically every variety.  Our second floor contains sports, popular music, and movie material (books, programs, and magazines).

Is your inventory computerized/If I was looking for a specific book, could you find it for me?
Our inventory is not yet on computer.  It's recommended to ask us where to find a particular title --  sometimes a book's subject matter can cover two or three different categories.  If it's not on the shelves, then we don't have it at this time.  However, working in a bookstore tends to sharpen the memory.  It's not unusual for us to remember exactly where a book is or what it looks like!

Do you sell new or used books?
The books we sell are almost exclusively used.  The Beat literature/Beat poetry section has a mixture of new and used titles.  We also carry new science fiction and mystery by small-press publishers: NESFA Press, Haffner Press, Fedogan & Bremer, Ash-Tree Press, etc.

How are your books priced?
Books are all priced individually.  Paperbacks are priced, lightly in pencil, on the first page.  Hardcover books are priced, lightly in pencil, on the last page!  If the first or last page is a dark color, the price may be on the next page in.  Some of our rarer books will not have a pencilled-in price, but a label on the outside of the clear plastic bag.

How are your magazines priced?
Magazines are also priced individually, lightly in pencil, on the front or back cover.  Life magazines all have prices in the "L" of the title.  Most magazines are priced on the back upper left-hand corner, or in a white- or light-colored area of the cover.  Any magazines with address labels generally have the price marked on the label.  If no price can be found at all, please ask a clerk for help.

Do you sell comics?
We now have some comics at our store.  Argos, our store in Grand Rapids, carries a wide variety of new and used comics.  Older comics are available for viewing by appointment.

Do you sell antiques?
Occasionally, we have a few non-book items in the store -- paintings, old toys & games, or other collectibles.  However, if you are looking for antiques, try our booths at the two Lansing antique malls.

Customer Service
A while ago, I saw a book in your store that I wanted to buy.  Is it still here?
Possibly!  On the other hand, it could be in a display, shelved in a different area, or have been sold yesterday.  If you have your eye on a book, it's best to put it on hold.  We can hold books for two weeks, or longer if we're notified.  If you don't tell us, we have no way of knowing that you wanted it!

How often do you get new books coming in?
We get new inventory every week -- sometimes whole collections, or sometimes just a few books.

Could I leave my name in case the book I want comes in?
Certainly!  Ask us for a request form.  We'd be glad to take your name and telephone number and/or email address.  There's no guarantee it will show up quickly, but we will do our best to set it aside and contact you when it comes in.

Are you able to special-order books for me?
We cannot do special orders, but can order books that are old or out-of-print.  Before you put in a book search, please check and make sure the book isn't on our shelves already!  Also, be sure to specify what kind of copy you're looking for -- a signed first edition in perfect shape, a reading copy, or anything in between.

Do you do book searches for out-of-print books?
Yes.  We have the most success with older or unusual editions.  Any book from the 1980s or 1990s usually has lots of copies still in circulation, and we may get a copy in our shop before too long.  If we do a book search for you, the book will cost more than if you had waited for it to come into the shop.

We can't do searches for: magazine issues, "anything by" a particular author, "books about" golfing or another large subject, or a book where the title is known, but not the author (or vice versa) without more information.  (It will be difficult to find the right book if we only know it's a children's book called "The Bunny" -- there could be hundreds of books with that title.)

If we do find copies available, we will contact you with price and condition information.  You can then decide if you'd like to order it.  We have the book shipped to us first -- upon its arrival, we check it over and make sure it's the right book and is as it was described to us -- so you aren't stuck with a book you didn't want.

We do have a very good success rate with our searches, and can occasionally work miracles, but can't guarantee it.  If we don't find anything on your books right away, don't worry -- we keep searches active for a year.

Do you buy books, too?

I have an old book [or magazine] -- can you tell me how much it's worth?

Other Questions
Do you sell those plastic covers for hardcover books?
We sell plastic covers for the dustjackets on books.  There are six different sizes to cover books that range 7"-16" in height.  The plastic covers are sold individually; please contact us for prices.

Do you sell bags for magazines?
We also sell clear bags for storing magazines or other paper items.  We carry several sizes for anything from postcards (3 5/8" by 5 5/8") to newspapers (15 1/2" by 25").  The bags can be sold individually or in quantities of 100; please contact us for prices.

Do you mail books?
Yes -- we mail books all over the world.  We generally ship via UPS but can ship by Priority Mail or bookrate upon request.  If you're an international customer, please specify whether you'd like books shipped airmail or surface rate.  Shipping charges are based on the total weight of the books.

Do you have any information about the Lansing book fair?

Is there a way to be on a mailing list for the bookshows?
Yes, that's possible.  We have a mailing list solely for announcing the show dates.  By default, we mail notices; if you provide an email address, we can email the information as well.  To be included, stop by our shop and ask for a form, or send a message to mmabda@curiousbooks.com.

Are there other bookshops in Michigan that you recommend?