The Press celebrates Independent Bookstore Day with a look inside our very own MIT Press Bookstore—and get 30% off all regular-priced books in store on Saturday, April 29, 2023, 12 pm to 4 pm
Since 1962, the MIT Press has been a leader in university publishing, innovating at the intersection of science, technology, art, social science, and design. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the MIT Press Bookstore—and for Independent Bookstore Day, we take a closer look at our own indie store.
Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day and get 30% off all regular-priced books in store at the MIT Press Bookstore on Saturday, April 29, 2023, 12 pm to 4 pm
Located at 314 Main Street in the heart of Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Bookstore remains one of the few stores owned and operated by a university press. The Bookstore’s mix of eclectic offerings reflects the Press’s publishing program; shelves are stocked with books and journals published by the MIT Press as well as a curated selection of other publishers’ books in related fields, including art and architecture, computer science, cognition, neuroscience, and linguistics.
“When people come down the staircase into the store, their demeanor undergoes a change,” said Rebecca Conn, manager of the MIT Press Bookstore. “There’s a moment where they pause on the steps, look around, and their faces light up. For some, it’s the embrace of the familiar, a bookstore they’ve cherished for years. For others, it’s an instant of discovery, basking in the technical and specialized books they’ve perhaps never seen on the shelves of another store before. And for still others, it’s a combination effect: They’ve been to the Bookstore before, but didn’t know that it has a beautiful children’s department, or science fiction, or cookbooks until that day.”
Now back at home in the heart of a shifting and developing Kendall Square, the future has never looked brighter. “The Bookstore is positioned to become a destination of discovery and connection for the community, where they can pique their curiosity with smart, insightful books and events with world-class authors, artists, and thinkers from MIT and beyond,” Conn said.
A look inside the Bookstore
