Left Bank Books Collective

I've been a volunteer at Left Bank Books for a some time now and I don't intend to leave anytime soon. Left Bank captures the true spirit of righteous livelihood and commerce with conscience. Before I became a volunteer I was a regular customer and not long after I was invited to join the staff. We have an extensive fiction and political selection (new and used), but my most favorite part of the store is the books on Spirituality (we have books on wicca, buddhism, hinduism, taoism, freemasonry, atheism et al..). I love the fact that when a customer spends a good amount of money on our store (at around $100) we give him/her a free (no sweatshop, US made) shirt and some other random knickknacks like our uber cool bumper stickers and such. (when was the last time you spent $100 at Barnes&Noble and got anything for free???) When you walk in you are greeted by a group of happy people. We're ecstatic to see our customers not because we have a shift manager who orders us around to act like we're really happy to see our customers but we do it for the love of it. We have about 7 paid "workers" and about 30 volunteers. Most of the paid workers have been at Left Bank for years and they're not burned out and grumpy because they're doing what they love to do and they're helping the community as well (we are also connected with Books to Prisoners and some of our members are active volunteers of Food not Bombs). If you find yourself inside Left Bank Bookstore do everybody a favor and refrain from asking these questions (not in particular order): 1. where is the news stand? (duh, it's right across the street) 2. where is the closest Barnes and Noble/Borders? 3. where's the restroom? 4. do you know who wrote this book? it was released earlier this year and i can't remember the title or the author.... 5. is this everything you have? (this one will guarantee to extract gangrenous comebacks from my good pal, collin) Anyway, help save the indie bookstores in the Northwest. We're booksellers with hearts, we've been in the same location for more than 30 years and I'd like to thank the people who do their business with us. Namaste!!! more

Left Bank is the first thing in Seattle that made my head turn once I got over the beautiful mountains and that weird space-needle thingy. Imagine being surrounded by people who are down with terms like "FTM" and "anti-oppression." Imagine a place where a dialogue can go on behind the counter about what can be done to end genocide in darfur, or how the oil industry has caused wars in central asia, or how great that show lastnight was.... And don't be surprised by the toy box right next to the multi-cultural kids books. Then check out the books on queer parenting. Or all the knitting and gardening books. The books on punk rock and french hip-hop. All the zines. The "how-to-build-an-eco-house" section. The race and culture section. World history (divided up by part of the world) and an entire wall of politics and labor and economics books. There's just so much to see.... LEFT BANK BOOKS COLLECTIVE, I LOVE YOU! (no wonder I started working here!) more

This Seattle bastion of lefty information is a rare and wonderful shop. You can find hot indy fiction, magazines you won't find anywhere else and hundreds of used books carefully organized. Don't let the dejected anarchist sales clerks put you off. I mean hell we are living in some dark times. Tons of non-fiction used and new. Best place to find books on labor/womens/gender studies. Cozy small and INDEPENDENT! more

This is one of the best book stores in seattle, not for its size though, which is quite small, but for the sheer number of books you probably won't be able to find anywhere else. If you want books to open your mind and make you think, this is the place to go. Also they have some of the funniest and best political T-Shirts and bumper stickers ever! If you lean at all to the left, you will love this place. And if you are undecided, please check it out! more

if you remember red and black books on capitol hill, then you'll love left bank books located at the pike place market!if you want a book by mumia abu jamal, and are disappointed that there are none at your local chain, you can find them all here, and if they are sold out they will be happy to order them for you. they have thousands of books by poets, activists, political prisoners, and everyday people. there are stickers, calendars, books on cd, t- shirts, postcards, etc.. there are books outside the store, that if you buy, the proceeds go to books to prisoners! great place to hang out on a rainy day. this shop is small, but definitely worth the visit. don't forget to look around upstairs! more

Left Bank Books is a great bookstore. You can find an excellent selection of progressive, radical books. The store is a cooperative and the volunteer staff is friendly and intelligent. I would highly recommend shopping at Left Bank Books and then heading down to the Pike Street market for some potato salad. more

This is a great bookstore for the lefties and progressives. They carry all the left-wing independent publishers. They also have a great selection of magazines. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. Near Pike Place Market, so makes a great place to stop in before picking up your groceries. They could have more places to sit. more

This bookstore is the only bookstore I know of that has whole sections serving a duel purpose as a lending library for those of us who don't believe in paying(anarchists) and as a bookstore for everyone else. They also have a great selection of pamphlets on various ideologies and causes as well as bumper sticker section imprinted with leftist slogans and quotes. The staff are helpful and the atmosphere encourages reading and browsing. They also sell mainstream books here for those so inclined but the selection is small. more

This bookstore is part of the Pike Place Market, but it is not really a touristy kind of spot. It is a great place to find books about all kinds of issues on the left, including a great women’s studies section. They also have a big section of free papers and another one of newspapers you wouldn’t find anywhere else. more

If you are looking for an alternative viewpoint on an array of issues and topics, look no farther then Left Bank Books. This small store at Pike Place Market stocks titles I have not seen on the shelves anywhere else. The staff is outstanding at guiding you towards books that will interest you, and unlike the large corporate store up the street, I think these guys have actually read the books they are recommending! A great place to browse and shop. more