Labyrinth Books

Labyrinth was a great bookstore, but it no longer exists. So don’t try to go there.

Sadly, this gem of a bookstore closed early in the summer of 2011.

Larger selection of more eclectic and inexpensive books than, say, Atticus. Labyrinth is worth the walk from Chapel Street and you certainly won’t be disappointed. Not being a Yale student, I initially found little to no use for the various textbooks, however something else may keep you hooked for a while browsing their shelves. I’ve bought a few cook books (hardcover) from here at ridiculously inexpensive prices.

Anyone who knows me knows that my feelings toward New Haven in general are quite low. It’s rare that I fondly remember anything there, so imagine my surprise to find myself sitting here in Austin, three years after leaving NH, and thinking about this shop.
This place is certainly a gem in dreary old New Haven, but also a great bookstore period.

John Grisham came to the law school for a screening of «Rainmaker,» and though I haven’t read any of his books, I figured I would get an autograph. When I stopped by Labyrinth, which is the closest bookstore to the law school, I was informed with a hint of a sneer that they don’t carry John Grisham.
Okay, fair enough. I’m something of a lit snob, so I can’t really judge, and as it turns out, the fiction section at Labyrinth is better for not carrying the conventional hot sellers. You’re more likely to find the complete works of J. M. Coetzee or Thomas Pynchon than you are to find Stephenie Meyer (and yes — I know how to spell that name, as did my parents). The selection is really well edited, and I end up coveting quite a few titles per shelf whenever I browse. There’s also an interesting range of non-​fiction, and textbooks are sold in the dingy downstairs. I mainly stick to the fiction, though, at least for pleasure. I once returned an $ 80 textbook for store credit — the only kind of credit you get for textbooks — and had a field day spending it during a 20% off sale.
Labyrinth has a membership program that offers I believe 10% off with deeper discounts during sale events. I find that small bookstores rarely offer such benefits. There are also usually discounted books displayed out front.
Despite all its attractions, however, Labyrinth inspires little in the way of adoration. I love bookstores, and given the number of times I’ve passed by this place in the last few years, I should have spent a lot more time inside. I think my main complaint is that the place is small and difficult to browse comfortably for long periods of time. Despite the profusion of Grisham at the Yale Bookstore, I’ve generally drifted in that direction to do my idle aisle haunting.

Good
Set of
Academic
Titles and a
Small selection of discount books out front.

Before anyone reads my review further, they ought to know one thing: I worked as a bookseller in New Haven for something like fifteen years. So I have all kinds of biases. Plus I’m really snotty to begin with. So.
The first time I walked into Labyrinth’s New Haven location, I looked closely at the fiction section, and it brought tears to my eyes. I wanted to work there so badly; they had achieved the fiction section I so desperately wanted to have at the store where I worked (where I was not given the opportunity to build categories in quite the way I wanted).
Labyrinth is not a general bookstore — they make a point of not having certain categories, like self-​help (thank god), but it is one of the finest examples of what it is, which is an academic and trade bookstore. Current and classic scholarly works are available here along with an exquisite selection of literary fiction, a small but respectable children’s book section, and a really small but also respectable cookbook section.
I know many of the staff personally and they are among the best book people I’ve ever known, extremely knowledgeable in their fields.
The bargain books downstairs are all from Great Jones (a name that might ring bells for some readers) and are often great, great deals. The art selection in particular is noteworthy.
They have the Jenny the Cat books from New York Review Books (god bless you, Maya).
The location is great. People who remember 290 York Street as Book Haven, the bookstore from hell, should please visit Labyrinth and be (if they know what’s good for them) very pleasantly surprised. Labyrinth kept the old Book Haven phone number, but that is ALL they inherited… this is an amazing, amazing place.
(And if you’re looking for Library of America editions or Loebs, just get your ass over there. They’ve got it.)

One of the truly great bookstores I have known.
University presses, lots of new titles, art books, kids’ books, cookbooks and a great selection of bargains — on the carts and downstairs. All tucked into a tiny store that somehow manages to be very well organized, especially given how much they have on hand. And the staff is amazing too.
And the store is located, ever so conveniently, right next to a nice coffee shop and the Yale library (if something you’ve recalled isn’t arriving and you need it now, check here).
Please, don’t waste your time at the shamefully bad Yale/​Barnes and Noble «bookstore» — which functions more as a Target. If you like books, walk around the block and you’ll find what you’re looking for.