A wide variety and great selections! Owner is very knowledgeable and can help you find whatever you need.

Such a fascinating bookstore with a maze of interesting books, prints and posters. Louisiana history, politics, even childrens books. Theres an entire section of books written in French. The owner speaks French and is very helpful to French tourists.

The place smelled of old books right when you walk in, and the owner was absolutely delightful!

Awesome place to pop in--- is it going to disappear like Brigadoon? Is it the room of requirement? Check it out if you stumble down Orleans during your French quarter weekend- you will not be disappointed!

Unorganized. Don’t go in here if you’re claustrophobic.

A bookstore straight out of a fantasy novel. Books stacked as high as possible, you would think magic is holding the stacks from falling over. Nice collection of old, rare maps, and signed copies of books about New Orleans architecture, food, gardens, history etc. Dont miss this great French Quarter treasure.

This place is so cool! It’s just a room piled with old books. While is may seem overwhelming at first, there is a loose system of organization that you pick up after browsing for a while. It was, as mentioned in other reviews, the only place in the French Quarter where I heard French spoken.

This is a bookstore for book lovers seeking a bargain: the search is big part of the fun (there is an organization of sorts, with shelving and piles organized by genre). Russell was quite friendly and helpful - not getting upset when my youngest knocked over a stack (said happened all the time). I was able to score Beverley Nichols for only $20. My kids (ages 10 & 18) were enthralled with the search and each got several books.

I love bookstores...And this bookstore is very unique. I found 4 great books among the thousands of books in the store. Ill be back again very soon!

Amazingly packed with a wide range of topics

My absolute favorite bookstore ever. A must visit if youre in town. The owner is very knowledgeable and friendly. I visit every year!!

Found just what I was looking for. Books on Louisiana birds.Owner was friendly and informative.

Wow this place is a treasure trove of information and history! I wish I had a year to browse this terrific collection of polyglot literature. Mr Russell Desmond is an interesting man with thorough knowledge of his collection and makes great recommendations

This is a gem if you like old books and prints.

They don’t make bookstores like this anymore. It is always a pleasure searching for treasure in this spot.

Who is the guy sitting in the chair inside to the right of the door?Go and see what I’m talking about.Stacks of books? doesn’t begin to describe the floor to ceiling, back to front and most walkable spaces in between. Don’t put your phone or keys down. You’ll never find them.Novel setup to circulate air.... fan jammed between stacks of books. I think the piles are growing. Purchased 3 books just thinking he might need more space.Will return out of sheer fascination with this place.Go with 5 friends.I dare you.

I found many random books and I wish I could grab a lot and somehow maneuver myself back to the front! You could spend hours looking through the shop! But definitely be careful. Narrow paths and tight corners. Stacks of books everywhere, books holding up book shelves, new and old.

I wish I had an entire month to comb through every book in every nook and cranny of this bookstore. I am a true bibliophile - and someone who is desperately working to someday be able to speak French - so this store is my heaven. The owner gave me a great deal on the lot of books I wound up purchasing. I hope to make another trip to NOLA, if for no other reason than to simply visit this store again.

The place has a really nice and cozy bookworm paradise vibe to it. The guy (I dont know his name but hes a little older and speaks French) was really nice, too. Interesting choices, some books are cheaper than others so you have to look for them. Be careful when walking around or youll knock something over!

This place is the best for history and culture nerds. The owner is said to be off but he is a wise and reliable man. The place is tight and cluttered with so many books on Louisianas culture, food, people, folklore, cajuns, history, creoles, Isleanos and anything about New Orleans.Think of it as a Harry Potter scene for books. It just fits well with the location and where is it at. I was able to get several books here and bring it back to add to the American French Geological Society in Woonsocket, Rhode Island to add to their Acadian and Louisiana records and collections.Glad I went here.

Great hidden gems at this store. They only drawback is that the store is so small and packed it makes it hard to find anything. However, the gentleman that works there really knows his store and where to find things.

Lots of cool finds in here, but a bit difficult to maneuver and definitely requires digging. If you’re bothered by a lack of organization or cramped spaces, this might not be the spot for you. That said, my boyfriend and I spent probably an hour in here just exploring and had a nice time.

Super cool place. Now this bookstore does have narrow walkways and books stacked to the ceiling, but it’s an experience. This place is a gem and has a all kinds of novels!! Must see

Such a cute store! Could spend hours wandering around and looking at all the books there. Friendly owner as well!

Easily the coolest bookstore Ive ever been in. I always wind up getting a couple of really interesting books every time I come here. The gentleman who runs the store is really wonderful and helpful.

Piles, and piles, and piles of books! Amazing shop-keep that can somehow find what you are asking about in the massive stacks. A haven for the literate.

More crowded than you would imagine, but full of great finds. Take a small flashlight so you can see the titles near your feet--youll understand once youve been...

A gem of a bookshop with hidden treasures in every nook and cranny. Russell is an absolute gentleman and very patiently helped us find what we were looking for.

If youre a lover of the scent of old books then this is your place! its crowded yet somehow they managed to categorize. Enjoy the musky couch and curl up with a pile of books.

Amazing spot full of great books, with a very unique atmosphere.

This is neither cozy, nor quaint. Books are falling on your head from all directions. A complete disaster inside there. Thatd be acceptable, if the owner was at least nice, but hes extremely rude, abrasive and arrogant. Not worth another three minutes of my time.

Books to the ceiling. Broad bodies cant negotiate this place --precarious towers of books everywhere. Yet, you can see many thousands of titles; owner will lend you a light for spelunking; its the worlds largest game of jumbo jenga. You could be killed. No kidding. Still a GREAT adventure.

It was a pleasure to find this store, and I also found an inexpensive book of short stories by Rudyard Kipling! Love that store!

I dont think it would be possible to fit anything else in the place; books of all varieties, floor to ceiling and arching overhead. Must be experienced to truly appreciate - but dont go there with a crowd, simply not enough space.

Jorge Luis Borges once said that he imagined Paradise as a library, and I say that I imagine Paradise as an old bookshop, as Arcadian Books.

This place is a hot mess, like a hoarders haven

An essential stop in the Quarter. This is the one place where I can reliably hear spoken French in New Orleans.

I bought a book here and then my friend tanner died. Rest In Peace

Awesome bokkstore!! Many wonderful books including ones about New Orleans. Owner is very knowledgeable and helpful.

Love, love, love this bookstore! A great place to browse. Amazing selection of books in french.

This is it! This is the Valhalla for second hand book lovers. Be prepared to spend a good amount of time here. It’s not a pop in and out sort of shop! Lot’s of books on the history of Naw Orlins, especially from a French perspective! If you can’t find your subject of interest ask Russell the owner he will surely know. Oh, he speaks fluent French also. Très bien!🇳🇱🇳🇱

Excellent

Very good bookstore, rare books in almost every topic

Fantastic foreign language section and a must see for book lovers - the store is abundantly filled with piles upon precarious piles of glorious books - ranging literally from floor to ceiling! Such an adventure!

Absolutely beautiful with an easy to understand organization. Nice owner

Lot of books, just really unorganized. Hard to find anything and move around.

The owner speaks very good French and he knows a lot about NOLA. If you are searching for a book in French in New Orleans at reasonable prices - its the place to go. Very few places left like that in Louisiana.

This place was such a treat! If you love a great used bookstore and the treasures that can be found in them (en particulier des livres dans la langue française) then please dont pass this place up. Owner was great and knew exactly what he had and where it was. Highly recommend stopping in here!

Most awesome bookstore in the South. And thats saying something.

Amazing place! If you love books, go here and you wont regret it

Staff is very knowledgeable. Excellent selection, although tightly packed!

This place was an absolute nightmare to try and browse through. The stacks are high and they do have tons of books, but there is no way you can look through anything without something fall down on you. Wish theyd clean it up so you can actually browse at all the books. Im sure there are gems hiding in the stacks.

If you love books...go! Its wonderful :)

Lots of books! Just be careful among the stacks.

Such a nice store and owner, but very overpriced, I got a book today for $27 and when I got home I looked up the price online with the book details and it’s going for around $15 :(

Lots of books. Near impossible to move around in store

HEY YALL.. Russell you are the man and all I want are books about the French Foreign Legion in any language. A New Orleans Landmark. Greetings from Ecuador.

Tucked away but worth finding

One of those unique collections.

Arcadian Books & Prints is a kind of cave full of books. Whats more, the owner is very friendly.

The owner really does seem to know exactly where to find everything.

FANTASTIC PLACE!

All things Louisiana history. Classics. Prints. The owner is always there with the answers.

My favorite bookstore anywhere. I could spend hours there and have!

Interesting mix of used books

Amazing store.

Been making stops there every time in NOLA since grad school at Tulane in 1990.....Latin American studies to Civil War, WWII and philosophy....

Beware of falling books

Very helpful

So. Many. Books. I, literally, got lost in this shop as Im a sucker for history and cook books. Plus, the selection of French and English books...

French books!

Very nice to be able to find some books in French in this bookstore ..In this charming place, the boss speaks French!

The trip would be quite incomplete without the purchase of a book on the Houmas Indians or on the history of the plantation Laura all in French. Acadian Books, one of the last bastions of the French language in New Orleans. Not to miss !