This place is charming and also very tight on space. Used and rare books spanning a library worth of subjects. At good prices mind you. Lots of paperbacks and hardbacks. If you cant find it on Amazon or Barnes and noble come here and mine the aisles for gems.

Not wheelchair accessible! Couldnt get to the art book section. Also discovered the owner was found guilty of stealing $8 million dollars worth of books from the Carnegie Library and Archives and received a light sentence. Ill take my money to my usual book dealers in New York City like the Strand or Ursus Art Books instead. Disappointed! Do not bother with this shop or the crook of an owner!

Great selection of books, with a wide variety of interesting genres!! Also reasonably priced. They have a whole section devoted to local poets, which is super cool.

Decent book store with good selections. have a small record area as well.

They have the coolest old books, and incredibly diverse selection, and a wonderful staff

Always super kind and amazing service, affordable prices, and an amazing selection :) I recommend to anyone who even remotely loves vintage literature, records, etc.

So good - they seem to have a bit of everything packed into this cute place. Its close to CMU and Pitt, though, so watch out for packs of undergrads.

These dishonest crooks stole millions of dollars worth of rare books and other items from the Carnegie library and sold them through their store. The owner received a very light sentence for his crimes. Some folks who bought the stolen items had to return them, and lost their money. I’m not sure why this store is still open, and I’m not sure why anyone is still shopping there. Don’t support sleaze.

Remarkable selection of art books. Great prices too

The bookstore has lots of used books in every genre. I couldnt quite find any works from many fiction authors I was hoping to find (Austen, Woolf, J. Diaz...), but Im sure people more knowledgeable in literature will find something special. I ended up settling for a copy of a Murakami novel, so I left a happy customer.

Super cool spot! Definitely check out their works by local authors!

Nice book store. Large collection and you can bargain on prices and also sell the books back when you are done! Really good deal for uni folks!

Inventory definitely does not turn over. Cute though

It is an eclectic little bookstore. With lots of charm.

Great place to buy stolen property from cultural institutions. The owner knowingly fenced stolen rare books, maps, etc., from the Carnegie Library. I would not recommend this business.

One of the best bookstores around. I visit a lot of stores across America (those that remain) and Caliban is seriously top notch. Friendly staff, great books, and good pricing. If you are in Pittsburgh, and havent been here, you need to go. Also for the serious book collector they have an amazing warehouse of treasures located not too far away.

Im always struck by the pleasant atmosphere: engaging, tastefully curated music in the background, convivial conversations overheard while browsing row after row of interesting books. Its warm, inviting and a perfect place to go down a rabbit hole in the company of other like-minded book lovers. A unique Pittsburgh experience in the heart of the university district.

This little used book store is a gem! So many wonderful books. You have to really take your time to look through all the shelves of books. The books are organized by general type, for instance, history, music, etc

Great variety and helpful customer service

The owner of this store was found guilty of selling stolen materials. The books were taken from the Carnegie Library, and people that bought them lost their money. Some works were cut up and sold piecemeal. Some have still not been found. Irreparable damage done. Smithsonian Magazine claims that some of the employees were involved but not charged. Look up Greg Priore and John Schulman. It is unethical to shop here.

One of the best rare and used bookshops in the country. A superb selection of early and first editions of American literature, specifically the Beat Generation. Great finds, reasonable prices, and helpful staff. Must visit for the book lover.

They have some interesting used books, which is natural since theyre in the middle of U Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon Campuses. But remember - the Owner was charged with stealing valuable Books from Carnegie Library.

Hands down my favorite bookstore in the world. I have purchased so many great books here. Great selection with friendly staff. Its small but you can spend all day there browsing. The inventory is constantly shifting so its always a new experience. Plus, they can order books if they are not in the store.

They have a huge and well organized selection. They even have dedicated sections for books in different languages. The staff was friendly and quick to help. Store is a little narrow but it is clean and easy to get through.

I always enjoy this bookstore! Plenty of genres, and aged books. Nothing better than finding a really old and good book. Prices are reasonable. Service is good & polite.

They have a large interesting collection of rare books. Despite this, Im sad to say I cant in good conscience patronize this store any longer. The owner of this shop stole $8 million in books from the public library down the street. need I say more? this place is built on literally robbing the public.

Good selection. Staff could be friendlier and more welcoming. Look for new arrivals to the left upon entering.

Awesome book store and the prices are amazing!

Shelf stock was clean and well and reasonably priced. If they had anything I really wanted at higher prices I didnt see it. (Im a serious collector ) The Internet killed book stores so its nice to see a survivor. Well worth a browse and you should buy something here. Great hours and a conveniently short walk from the Carnegie Museums. Better than the gift shop. If ou have the time dont miss it. 20- 30 minutes is a healthy minimum. Nice store.

Awesome customer experience. I ordered a first edition of Charlottes Web for my daughter. Good price for the quality. Anyway, at no fault of Caliban the shipping was totally screwed up. But Seth at Caliban worked with me to help find the package and track it to its eventual delivery to my house, in plenty of time for Christmas.Great service.....and they have even offered to reimburse me for the shipping cost, even though it wasnt their fault.I was a little nervous about ordering the book from a business Id never worked with before, but Seth and the folks at Caliban proved once again that the best companies to do business with are small businesses!Ill be sure and start with Caliban next time Im looking for a rare or special book. Thanks, Seth!

That anyone can do business here is beyond belief after the owner was caught as a conspirator in the pillaging of the Carnegie Library.

Quality products from quality people

Great book store! The staff is so kind and friendly, and they have a big variety of books, including some on foreign language.

All around had a good experience. A lot of wonderful vintage books priced reasonably. Some of their books are stored off site so if theres anything in their stock you want to see call ahead and make sure its available.

UPDATE: This happened a while ago, but I never updated my review when it happened--owner was caught stealing literal MILLIONS of dollars worth of precious & rare items from the Carnegie Library along with their rare collections archivist. Dont shop here! And as far as I can tell, whoever continues to run the place has done nothing to distance themselves from this. Seriously shady & disgusting stuff from someone who claims to have a passion for old & rare books? Like??? What are you doing?Guy who worked there was SUPER rude to me. Like unnecessarily rude. Made it seem like I was wasting his time by asking a question. When he decided he was done talking to me, he opened the door as if to tell me to leave. I was in the shop for about three minutes. He just had to go out of his was to be this rude. Definitely never going back...and I love used bookstores.

I have visited numerous bookstores in the US and Europe and have had good and bad experiences. The “I wish you weren’t here bothering me” attitude of this shop totally astounds me. I really tried to get to know the staff but they are condescending and rude.It disappoints me that this shop is even open considering the illegal activities of the owner. Personally, I will not patronize this establishment and wish it was sold to someone not associated with the current operation.

I love this place I went today and will be back! They also have a downstairs, plus records! Very nice and amazing selection!

Staff is top notch here! Very knowledgeable, friendly, and talented (several of the employees are musicians, poets, painters!) An Oakland gem to be sure. Selection is searchable online and includes selections that they have at their warehouse nearby as well.

This book store has such a wide variety of books, its hard not to love. The only downside is that the space was not made to accomodate so many books, so end end up squishing between shelves. The booka tend to be older, but may still be relevant, and they always come at a great price (as low as 50 cents for some items).

Simply wonderful - I could spend hours in Caliban. So many great old books, its the kind of place where you never intend to spend money, but cant help walking out with a bunch of new finds. If youre nearby, you owe it to yourself to stop inside.

Books A+, Staff C-

Amazing little place with something for everyone! Books are really cheap and they house an incredible stock! I love to go there again and again.

Cool little used bookstore. Its pretty cramped. The selection is decent, but not huge.There are also many first edition and signed copies of books.

Wow. What a crazy story. I wonder what really happened.

Recent findings show this store owner to be in the racket of theft. Found stolen goods in his warehouse. Warrants for his home. This store has always had rude unknowing help with more than an air of condensation. Hope they close for good and a Starbucks opens up.

I was not very impressed with the selection, the experience, or the staff. If you expect any titles or authors that are well-known, its not likely youll find many. The guy working there hardly knew anything about books and had to resort to google when questioned, like I wouldnt have been able to do that myself. The prices are all much higher than what they should be compared to other retailers. The atmosphere was also a bit uncomfortable, but its still an interesting and well put-together shop. It could certainly use a lot of work though.

Everything a bookstore needs. Perfect ratio of organization to chaos, enough to feel like youre digging around but not as if you couldnt find a subject you wanted. Good amount of quality books!

A great selection of books, especially rare ones and a good location. But wipe that smile off your face before you go in, the staff doesnt like to help you find anything and I felt like I was disturbing their own reading. A little assistance finding something, even if they could have pointed in the general direction would have saved me a lot of time.7 July 2015 response to owner: I did ask a direct question about a specific book to the person sitting at the front desk. No sir, I was not helped. The book I was looking for was Xenophons Anabasis, a book well within your genre. I believe there is a warehouse that houses more of your books, possibly with a catalog of what you might have, I dont know for sure. My initial question was brushed aside and I looked as best I could on the shelves that might contain the book. I didnt feel like pestering the attendant to help me further so I did not get a chance to ask a follow up question, I just left.

This place is amazing! There are so many books. It is particularly interesting if you collect old books.

I was disappointed mainly because I thought it would be more than what it was. If you love to browse old books, you will love this place. I found it small and dark. It just did not make me want to linger at all.

I truly do not understand how this store is still open.

Amazing depth of selection and knowledgeable staff, win-win!

Very sweet shop keeper

I brought in a 1797 Thomas Paine volume 1 of 2 The Works Of Thomas Paine which includes Common Sense also signed twice by John Page(as it was from his library and estate) John Page was the 13th governor of Virginia and friends with Thomas Jefferson. The guy in the book store, their so called expert said he only knew John page was a governor and even though he signed it. That should not make a difference in the selling price of the book. Id say 175 for the thomas paine and 125 for the Ben Franklin. I took the books and left without saying a word as I knew this guy had no clue. I had 2 previous appraisals one said he could not offer close to what this book is worth another guy said the book alone would sell for several thousand at auction and with 2 John Page signatures its worth much more. I also have a 1811 Ben Franklin Essay book and a 1795 Thomas Paine Farthing coin Advocates Of Men with a pig trampling the British Crown. Looking to sell all of them to someone who knows what they really have here. Feel free to contact me about the books and coin.

Used and new books. They have a small sections for foreign language books where I had found first editions of important Latin American books.

Clerks are very helpful and nice great deals on good books

Good book store and they buy used books too. Fair dealing is the rule here. Sad re the news today, 7/21/2018.

Love the book selections. Everything under the sun is here! A place to learn and find oneself.

Great selection of books on English history and Seth always provides help and excellent service. I purchase books on their website and have them shipped to Arizona.

Well-stocked, with a fair amount of academic titles; books are generally in good condition; prices are not the best but okay.

Knowledgeable staff for appraisal. Unique items

Great used book store. Just dont expect any shocking deals, they know how to value books.

Great selection of rare books. I once got a copy of dracula for $11 that ended up being worth over $200

Best customer service ive seen in a long time, book store and the warehouse guys. my books shipped day after purchase and was perfectly described. Awesome prices. keep on readin in tha free world baby

Great book selection! They dont accept Discover, though :(

Outstanding selection of old and collectable books. Make sure you have plenty of time when you visit.

Has an extensive collection of books and music. Don’t miss the downstairs paperback collection and the sale books.

You cant come here looking for a specific book -- you gotta just come here and be pleasantly surprised by what you stumble upon. There are some real treasures here.

Excellent book store with a fine selection of vinyl, too

Had a great time perusing the aisles. A few boxes of books on sale were placed outside the entrance, for very low prices.

Great shop and nice selection of books and price points. Also have a selection of vinyl records too!

Great books inside. Indeed a good bookstore.

Nice bookstore. Good Philosophy titles.

Well curated assortment of used books

Cute book joint with lots of antique options

The best used and rare book store in the city.

Great collection of books and records..

Super cool shop.

Owner is a thief.

I got an original copy of Newton’s Principia for a steal!

Cool old books!

A magical little place.

Great place to browse.

Interesting place to visit

Great book store

Its pretty neat

I bought a book here.

Wonderful selection of books

Super!! 👏🏻👏🏻

Loaded. Period.

So many books . . .

Run by thieves

Very rude