The Iliad Bookshop

I remember years ago visiting the Iliad Bookshop when it was on the corner of Vineland and Lankershim blvds in North Hollywood. It always has been a wonderful used bookstore. In looking for the link for their homepage I was reminded why they are named Iliad, not because of the great Greek story, but because they were located next door to Oddessy Video. So the name was a play on words. About 10 or 12 years ago they lost their lease and moved further east to Cahuenga and Chandler Blvds. A much larger space. I have often driven by here, why it took me so long to walk in, I don’t know. Probably because I’ve been seduced by online stores, as well as the Kindle and even the ability to check out ebooks from the library.

I finally rectified that mistake. I went in. First of all, the exterior is beyond wonderful, look at these books. These are just a few of the murals on the outside of the building.The interior is so gorgeous!!!!Do you see the pile of books on the floor? While walking by, I saw a paperback by Josephine Tey, I have read a number of her books and really love them. The Daughter of Time is her most famous, debunking the story that King Richard III was an awful person. Anyway, she died in the early 1950’s, her books are still in print. But how fun to find one of them here, perfect for this weekend when I will be sitting next to a pool and don’t want to read on my Ipad.Like all good bookstores, they have cats, I saw at least two. They do allow small dogs on leash into the store, but do ask that people give them a chance to corral the cats if need be.There is a Disney section and a very large section about every aspect of the film world. From biographies, to manuals on filming or how to get into the business. Of course aside from a very large room dedicated to fiction, they have every other topic you can imagine. All very well laid out, it’s not just a jumble of books.If I were still designing fabrics, I would have grabbed all three of these books. I actually already one book on fabric from the 50s, these are an incredible resource. They don’t have a lot of craft books, but boy did I luck out.Look what I found on the $2 table! Yes, I love an excellent book on quilt history, this is one of them. What a great example of early 20th century Crazy quilt. My mother had plenty of art books, really good ones, to ship them back here from Israel would have been quite a chore. And to be honest, as much as I love art, I have more of an affinity to crafts these days.These three will be part of a birthday gift for Eyal, so what if they are gently used, they are gorgeous books. They have quite a collection of beautiful childrens’ books, I will be back.

Outside on the sidewalk they have boxes of books for free.  This book was published in 1978, which means that many of these Painted Ladies in San Francisco may not be standing anymore. Once again, for me, this book is an inspiration, in color and design.

Have I mentioned how much I love Los Angeles?  So many treausres right in my backyard.

Leah

2 thoughts on “The Iliad Bookshop”

  1. I love bookstores. There is one, Wallace Books, a couple of blocks from my home, which is jam-packed with a wide range of topics.

    Iliad looks like a treasure. Thank you for sharing.

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