Moe's Books
| Company type | Independent bookstore |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (Books) |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Founder | Moe Moskowitz, Barbara Moskowitz |
| Headquarters | Berkeley, California , United States |
Area served | San Francisco Bay Area |
Key people | Doris Moskowitz (owner) |
| Products | New and used books |
Number of employees | 25 |
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Moe's Books is a notable bookstore situated near the University of California, Berkeley on Telegraph Avenue. Spanning four levels, it offers an extensive collection exceeding 200,000 volumes of both new and used titles across multiple genres. Established in 1959, it is widely recognized by various media outlets as one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most historic and culturally important bookstores.
1959–2020: establishment, move to Telegraph Avenue, and book theft incident
Moe and Barbara Moskowitz founded the bookstore in 1959, initially opening on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, California. The genesis of the store was partly motivated by Moe Moskowitz’s dissatisfaction with trade-in prices at other American bookshops. During the 1960s, the store relocated to its present address on Telegraph Avenue, where it once shared premises with Print Mint until that business vacated in 1966.
Moe Moskowitz managed the bookstore until his passing in 1997, after which ownership passed to his daughter Doris Moskowitz. In recognition of Moe Moskowitz’s legacy, the Berkeley Historical Society installed a commemorative plaque outside the store in 2014. Doris Moskowitz honored her father and the bookstore’s history by authoring Radical Bookselling: A Life of Moe Moskowitz in 2016.
That same year, a van containing rare books valued at approximately $350,000 belonging to bookseller Lawrence Van De Carr was stolen in Oakland, California. Upon reporting the theft to the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America, an alert was sent to nearby dealers. Two individuals, Joshua Anderson and an unidentified partner, attempted to offload some stolen rare editions—including first prints of No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy and Pylon by William Faulkner—at Moe's Books. They claimed these had belonged to their uncle. Staff members at Moe's Books, aware of the alert, directed them to the rare books section while discreetly notifying law enforcement. Anderson was apprehended after trying to exit through the front entrance; however, his accomplice escaped via the rear.
Several prominent personalities have been associated with Moe's Books or Moe Moskowitz himself. Steve Wasserman, publisher at Heyday Books, reflects on his experiences with the bookstore in his memoir Tell Me Something, Tell Me Anything, Even If It’s a Lie, crediting Moskowitz with shaping his knowledge of bookselling and literature. Additionally, both Bob Baldock and Jonathan Lethem spent several years working at this iconic bookstore.
2020–present: COVID-19 and union
In 2020, Moe's Books launched a GoFundMe campaign aiming to raise $100,000 to sustain operations amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Later that year, on March 9, the bookstore employees organized and formed a union under the Industrial Workers of the World, motivated by concerns over workplace safety measures. After an unsuccessful attempt to unionize ten years earlier, the staff benefited from advice and support provided by colleagues at Elliott Bay Book Company and Bookshop Santa Cruz.
Following some conflicts between management and workers—including an episode where a newly hired employee was dismissed after being instructed not to engage with union members—owner Doris Moskowitz ultimately acknowledged the union and formalized a contract in 2021. In 2022, Kalie McGiurl, a unionized bookstore employee, documented the journey of Moe's Books union on the Verso Books platform.
Despite pressures from e-commerce and ongoing urban decay along Telegraph Avenue, Moe's Books continues to operate as one of the few remaining bookstores near University of California, Berkeley. With a vast inventory exceeding 200,000 volumes and employing approximately 25 staff members, it stands as the largest bookstore within the San Francisco Bay Area.
Media
AFAR magazine recognized the bookstore as one of their preferred independent bookstores located in California. Numerous media outlets, such as Alta Journal, East Bay Times, Sacramento Bee, CBS, and 7x7, have featured the bookstore on their curated lists highlighting notable bookstores throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Additionally, the bookstore is featured in a scene from the 1967 motion picture The Graduate.