Old Saratoga Books

On my way home from a New York road trip this weekend, I altered my route so that I could pass through Schuylerville. I’m sure there’s more to it on back roads, but for the purpose of this review, Schuylerville is basically two main roads that intersect at a stoplight, with one road lined with local stores in old brick buildings. One of these stores is Old Saratoga Books, named as such either because it sells old books in a town that used to be called Saratoga, or because it sells books in a town that is now referred to as «Old Saratoga.»
My first impression of this store is that it’s in a gorgeous room with a brick wall and floor-​to-​ceiling bookshelves that are organized carefully (God bless the used bookstores that separate short story collections from novels!). After walking to the back of the store, I realized there was a second floor of books, which contained an enormous biography section and one of the larger poetry sections I’ve seen in a used bookstore (two full bookshelves with pretty much every relevant poet in the last two centuries). The store boasts a large Revolutionary War section, and an impressive vintage paperback section, too.
And then there’s the bathroom. As my list of reviews grows, you’ll notice a trend: I don’t give 5 stars to bookstores that have no bathrooms. Yes, bathrooms are worth a star in my mind. A good used bookstore can occupy an entire afternoon of someone’s day and as such, a good used bookstore should have a bathroom for customers. And this one has a great one. The bathroom walls are lined with newspaper articles about bookstores, bookmarks from bookstores all around the country, comic strips about books, and books themselves. Well done, Old Saratoga Books, well done.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning Sam, the store cat. He’s super soft and super friendly, and he doesn’t mind if you sign your receipt right next to him. And speaking of the receipt, the prices were all fair and, in some instances, lower than I expected. I walked out with a few books and regretting I didn’t have more time to spend inside. That’s exactly how you want to exit a used bookstore. Bravo!

I enjoy shopping at used bookstores, especially stores stocked with a good selection of travel and history books. I never know what I’m going to find and I love nice surprises at bargain prices.
I stopped at Old Saratoga Books very recently, which is located an old brick building (built in the late 1800s) in the village of Schuylerville, about 15 minutes from Saratoga Springs. The layout of the store is packed with rows of high shelves, wall to wall and up the middle, on two floors. The old wooden floors creak as you walk through the store for character. I can recall another used bookstore in Hudson, where the wood floors creak even louder. This is good for the staff to keep track of customers.
Old Saratoga Books has thousands of used books with about 90 genres in stock and many rare and out of print paperbacks and hardcovers. They carry a great selection of old history books from around the world which are located on the upper floor. The local history and travel books are located on the first floor across from the front desk. There’s also a pretty decent selection of children’s books on the first floor as well. The prices here are a bargain and priced based on the condition and age. Most books here were in average condition, some mint and some a bit worn. Used mass market paperbacks are $ 1. I spent a good hour here browsing through the history books on both floors, which I found interesting and I picked up some reading material including an old paperback book with old Soviet Union maps for only $ 1 and a book about old airplanes for $ 2.50.
Old Saratoga Books is definitely a gem.
WEBSITE:
NOTE: Please check the website for the latest hours.
NORMAL HOURS: Wed-​Sat: 10AM-​5PM; Sun: 12PM-​5PM