The Imperial Book Lodge

A while back I wrote about driving by a bookstore near my office that I'd never seen before. I stopped by recently to check it out. It's the Imperial Book Lodge, located at 2022 W. Kennedy Blvd. (813-253-2024).

Turns out it's not new at all; it's been there for several years and somehow I never noticed it until now. It's a used bookstore and their sign says that they have rare books as well. The building is a former house, so the layout makes for fun wandering. They even have books in the former kitchen.

They seem to have more non-fiction than fiction and have lots of books on art, philosophy, religion and history, plus a good selection of books on or about film. Their prices seem reasonable, although I'm probably not the best judge of that. (If I want a book badly enough, almost any price is fine; if it's the day before payday, all prices are too high.)

They don't have a website, but I signed up for their e-mail list. The employee I spoke with said they occasionally have book signings there. If I hear about any upcoming signings, I'll be sure to post the details.

The next time you're near downtown Tampa and jonesing for some used books, stop by the Imperial Book Lodge.