Ann Arbor, MI · Since 1998
New and used books, chosen by people who read them
Marginalia has been on Lindenwood Lane since 1998: staff picks, a children’s corner, local authors and a back room of used books. Come in, or order online for pickup or shipping.
- Since 1998On Lindenwood Lane
- 25,000+New and used books on the shelves
- Every SatStory time at 10:30
- 3rd ThuBook club at 7 pm
At Marginalia
Everything a bookstore should be
Come for one book and stay for an hour. The booksellers are in the aisles, the kettle is usually on and the cat is in the window.
New books
Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels and a wall of cookbooks, with new arrivals every Tuesday. If we don’t have it, we’ll order it.
Shop new books
Used and out of print
A back room of used hardcovers and paperbacks at fair prices, with new finds put out every week. We buy used books, too.
Selling your books?
The children’s corner
A low shelf, a rug and Marisol’s picks from board books to first chapter books. Story time is every Saturday at 10:30.
See story times
Local authors
A shelf of books by writers from Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and the Huron Valley, with readings and signings all year.
Meet the authors
Staff picks
Every one of us keeps a shelf of books we won’t stop recommending. Ask for ours, or read why we love them online.
See staff picks
Special orders and gift cards
Any book in print, usually here in two or three days. Gift cards in any amount, by email or on paper, and they never expire.
Special orders
Fresh on the front table
Order online and pick up at the counter in about two hours, or have it shipped. Shipping is free on orders over $50.
The Orchard Under the Lake
$28.00Marguerite Aldous’s quiet, strange novel about a drowned apple orchard and the three sisters who inherit the shore. Nell’s pick of the fall.
Choose formatBartholomew Counts the Stars
$17.99A sleepy bear who can’t get past “seven” tries to count the stars before bed. A lap book for ages 2 to 5, with Marisol’s seal of approval.
See detailsHuron Bend: Poems
$16.00The second collection from Ann Arbor poet Celia Wren, about rivers, rentals and growing up three miles from where she lives now. Out November 5.
See detailsBlind Date with a Book
$14.00A used hardcover chosen by one of us, wrapped in brown paper with three clues on the front. You pick the kind, we pick the book.
Choose what kindBirds of the Huron Valley: A Field Guide for the Distracted
$22.00Priya Nandakumar’s pocket guide to the 90 birds you’ll actually see here, with notes on where, when and how not to confuse them.
See detailsMarginalia canvas tote bag
$18.00A sturdy cotton canvas tote with a long handle and room for a dozen paperbacks. Screen printed in town.
Choose colorNine Lamps on Packard Street
$17.95Anil Raman’s debut follows nine neighbors on one Ann Arbor street through a single winter power outage. Our November book club pick.
See detailsMarginalia gift card
From $25.00A gift card for the shop, emailed to you right away. Good in the store and on this website, in any amount, and it never expires.
Choose amount
Our story
Twenty-eight years on Lindenwood Lane
Nell Hargrove opened Marginalia in 1998 in a former dry cleaner’s, with eleven shelves, one used-book cart and a hand-painted sign. She named it for the notes readers scribble beside the text, because the best part of any bookstore is what people say to one another about the books.
We’ve grown a shelf at a time since then, but we’re still small on purpose: four booksellers, one buyer and a lot of opinions. Every book on the front table is there because one of us read it.
Coming up at Marginalia
Readings, book club and story time, all free, with no sign-up. Come early for a chair.
Costume Story Time
Saturday, October 31, 2026 · 10:30am – 11:15am
Come in costume for three not-too-scary picture books. Everyone in costume gets a free bookmark.
Celia Wren reads from Huron Bend
Thursday, November 5, 2026 · 7pm – 8:30pm
Ann Arbor poet Celia Wren launches her second collection, Huron Bend, with a reading and a conversation with Theo.
Saturday Story Time
Every Saturday · 10:30am – 11:15am · Not on Dec 26
Picture books, songs and a rug, every Saturday morning with Marisol. Ages 2 to 7, and everyone is welcome.
What neighbors say
- ★★★★★
“I came in for one birthday gift and left with four books and a bookmark. Walt remembered what I bought last spring and had the next one in the series waiting.”
Karen D.Regular, Burns ParkReview on Google - ★★★★★
“My daughter has asked to go to story time every Saturday since August. Marisol does all the voices, and she never once rushed the kids who wanted to talk.”
Amir S.Story time parentReview on Google - ★★★★★
“Best used-book room in the county. I sold two boxes, got a fair offer and a stack of store credit, and walked out with a book I’d been hunting for ten years.”
Lucia M.Sold and bought used booksReview on Google
Come in, browse, say hi to Pickle
We’re open every day, with free parking, a children’s corner and a window cat who supervises from the new arrivals table.