Duttenhofer's Books: Eclectic and Antiquarian Books in Cincinnati

By Jordan Neff on April 2, 2008 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Duttenhofer's Books has been a staple of Clifton Heights for 33 years, though it's hard to believe it's only been that long. As soon as you walk into the door, vast and imposing shelves of aging texts confront you. They command respect, and for a moment, you might think you've entered a wonderful museum that lets you flip through every exhibit. Turning to the left, you'll find Russell Speidel, owner and operator of 22 years, happily perched behind a counter containing such oddities as a phrenology-diagramed head. He is happily at home amongst the many texts, "We have about 40,000 books in the store, give or take 4 to 5,000." There are no new books, which allows anyone to walk in and do some good old-fashioned impulse buying. "We don't carry textbooks," Russell told me. "We just want to provide good, quality books." This you'll find plenty of; Duttenhofer's has two floors filled with books on Literature, History, Biography, Art, Architecture, and some fun pop culture inspired items.

It's almost hard to imagine a bookstore near campus with actual shelves and sections; where you can actually browse, instead of being handed a box full of "required texts." The tall shelves and compact quarters immerse you (quite literally), and you'll find yourself alone with hundreds of books on whatever topic you choose. Duttenhofer's is far from archaic, however. Russell maintains a prolific Internet business, where he deals and appraises such rare books as a first edition Gone With the Wind and a second printing of A Christmas Carol. We at BuyCincy encourage you to go and check Duttenhofer's out for yourself.

Perfect For?
Anyone looking for a good read, or even a specific, hard to find text.

Where to get it?
Duttenhofer's is off of the UC campus at 214 W. McMillan Street/ Cincinnati, Ohio 45219. You can also check them out online at www.duttenhofers.com.

How Much?
Duttenhofer's books usually sell in the range of half of their new price, though some of the rarer books garner a price tag of several thousand dollars.