Livra Books
“eclectic. cozy. serendipitous ”
What’s the story of your store’s origin?
The owner of Livra has been in the book trade for 5 years mostly selling books online. 3 years ago we started selling books in a backyard, creating a small but locally well-known event in Hyde Park. Then in September 2024, we opened the doors of our first brick and mortar used and rare book shop.
What makes your store special?
The way we run our bookstore is inspired by the old school bookshops found in Mexico City, which are run by analog inventory systems (pen and paper) and extremely knowledgeable staff (some of our staff are PhD candidates/ graduates).
We also source our inventory from all over the country, including the Latin American continent ( Mexico + Argentina.) We have relationships with booksellers from all over and participate in the international rare book trade in addition to the everyday used book trade.
We also buy your books!
What are a few of your store’s favorite books from the past year?
We have sold fascinating books lately. We sold the first guide ever published on Big Bend National Park, which was written by a woman traveler. Other great books we have sold this year include: a first printing of The Great Gatsby, early important pamphlets of the Taliesin School founded by Frank Lloyd Wright, but some of our favorite books are ones we haven't sold yet! Such as the first book ever published on how to properly use opium (1701) or a book on surgical pathology with images of funky medical maladies (1679).