Welcome to Bison Books!
Serendipity awaits you in our friendly shop, where we offer an eclectic, fresh collection of around 20,000 meticulously-curated antiquarian and good used books.
We have a long-established reputation of easygoing professionalism and maintain a refined selection of everything from first editions, fine bindings and antiquarian books, to Indigenous studies, literature, art, and classics, with new acquisitions daily.
We are located in the heart of downtown, in a bright space with lofty ceilings and towering windows which look out onto one of Winnipegโs busiest pedestrian thoroughfares.
We are always purchasing good books. We seek out and pay a premium for, valuable books, including rare books, fine bindings, illustrated books, first editions, signed books, and more. We also offer book searches, acquisitions development consultations, appraisals, movie rentals, and mail orders.
A look into our morning routine โ๏ธ
We never know what the day will bring around here, but open the shop always looks something like this:
โ๏ธ fuel from our neighbours @thombargen
๐ admire the view
๐ถ throw on an album
And then itโs time to get down to business ๐ฉโ๐ป๐๐ฆ
Weโre open Monday to Saturday, 10-4:30. Come by tomorrow, weโd love to see ya!
The latest instalment of our Books of the Centuries series brings us to the 18th century with De Zeden der Wilden van Amerika, the first Dutch edition of Lafitauโs study of Indigenous tribes of Canada (chiefly the Iroquois).
Published in 1731, this vellum-bound marvel is decorated with a blind-tooled central arabesque to both boards and a still-legible, hand-written title on the spine. Both title pages are present, along with a detailed map and 41 of the 42 called-for engraved plates.
The English-language edition of this title was published in 1974 as part of the Champlain Societyโs General Series.
#antiquebooks #18thcentury #oldbooks #lafitau #engravings #vellumbinding
๐ฃ We are hiring! ๐ฃ
๐ Part time: 10 to 15 hours per week, mostly on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 & 5.
๐Requirements: we are looking for someone who is kind and friendly, familiar with books, motivated and reliable, who has good communication skills, affection for readers, and proficiency with computers.
๐Duties: in person and virtual customer service, general shop maintenance, shipping, data entry, and whatever else comes up!
๐Assets: customer service experience, familiarity with local bookshops/culture, good taste in music.
๐Offered: reciprocal respect and loyalty, an intellectually stimulating work environment, a predictable schedule, access to great books!
Minimum wage to start.
๐ค If you would like to be considered for this position, please supply a rรฉsumรฉ and cover letter to Bison Books, preferably in person.
#helpwanted #winnipeg #jobs #booksellerlife #ywg #winnipegnow
I spent the morning hunting and gathering, tearing through countless boxes in a steamy downtown sunroom. ๐ฎโ๐จ
Here are some of the fruits of my labors. ๐ฝ๏ธ
DM to hold or inquire.
๐ค We are open 10 to 430, Monday through Saturday (closed holidays)!
๐ฌ We also ship worldwide, and offer inexpensive citywide delivery.
#cooking #gastronomy #chefs #cookbooks #classicbooks #recipebooks #secondhandfirst #finditdowntown
Weโve moved some things around ๐๐
After some laborious and necessary shuffling, the literature wall is looking pretty โ and Literary Criticism has a new home!
You can find literary essays, books about books, and the like tucked neatly between Poetry and Drama/Theatre on the right-side wall, along with shelves and shelves of fiction!
Come by and check it out โบ๏ธ
Weโre open 10-4:30, Monday through Saturday.
#bookstore #secondhandbooks #bookshelves #smallbusiness
Books of the centuries: a new series from yours truly โบ๏ธ
A little while ago, we had a request that we show you some of our oldest books, so we recently put up a reel showing a lovely 16th century tome.
Today, we present one of our favourites from the 17th century; 1652, to be exact.
This book is profusely illustrated with engravings of various monuments, headstones, and markers of Padua. Some of them, as you see, are quite quirky!
The book in question is the spectacular โMonumenta Patavinaโ by Sertorio Orsato, a celebrated antiquary, historian and poet. Born in Padua Italy in 1617, Orsato taught natural philosophy at the University of Padua. This sought-after work constitutes a moving tribute to his city.
#antiquarianbooks #oldbooks #Italy #monuments #Padua
@nytimes released a list of the 100 best books of the 21st century, and here are the ones we have in stock! ๐โจ
Have you seen the list? Which title do think should have made it on there? There`s a good chance we have it on the shelf ๐
#nytbestbooksofthe21stcentury #bookstagram #booklover #usedbooks
๐ฃ Show and tell!
One of our older items at the moment is this beautiful vellum-bound history, by Emanuel van Meteren, published in 1598.
Replete with 22 engraved portraits, it also boasts a double page map of the Low Countries (The Netherlands).
The spine is lettered by hand, and the title page engraved.
Like most books of that era, it is entirely in Latin.
#oldbooks #antiquarianbooks #vellumbinding #oldmaps #europeanhistory
Fresh summer stacks ๐โ๏ธ๐๏ธ
DM to hold or purchase, or pop into the shop. We are open 10 to 430, Monday through Saturdayโฆ and our space is generously air conditioned!
#bookstacks #usedbookstore #downtownwinnipeg #winnipeg #goodbooks #beachreads
#thingsfoundinbooks ๐ฅฐ One of the many joys of secondhand books!
#usedbooks #bookstore #secondhandbooks
NEW! ๐โจ
The new arrivals cart and front table are once again overflowing! We`re busy getting everything up on the website and onto the shelves for your browsing pleasure.
Shop in-store or online at bisonbooks.ca
Interested in anything you see here? DM us to put something on hold ๐
#newarrivals #bookstoread #usedbooks #bookstore
We are closed today, July 1, for the Canada Day holiday.
Back at it tomorrow, hopefully with a float this time.
I have to pinch myself, sometimes. ๐คฉ
This week, I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days getting very familiar with some world class books and manuscripts.
Here are a few of the more picturesque bits! ๐ค
Does anyone recognize this collection? ๐
#illuminatedmanuscript #antiphonary #caesar #manuscripts #incunabula #ratdolt #earlyprinting #jenson #shipoffools #goldenlegend #appraisals #rarebooks #antiquarianbooks
Things in our secondhand bookstore that just make sense โจ๐
Itโs a pretty special place ๐ค There are just two very important parts of the shop missing from this video: the wonderful staff (camera shy) and YOU!
Thanks for making the shop so magical. Weโre open 10-4:30, Monday through Saturday โ come say hi! ๐
#justmakessense #smallbusiness #bookstore #secondhandbooks
June is #IndigenousHistoryMonth.
Are are some books, primarily by Indigenous authors, that reflect on Indigenous histories and encourage empowered futures for Indigenous peoples today.
You can find more like this in our Indigenous Studies section, as well as a collection of wonderful novels on our Indigenous Literatures shelves. ๐
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam โจ
Translated by Edward Fitzgerald and wonderfully illustrated by Willy Pogany, this copy is gorgeous front to back. Wouldn`t you agree? ๐
Enjoy decorated endpapers, full-colour plates, top edge gilt, and text presented in an elegant script.
This edition is undated, but a delicate ink gift inscription to the half title page is dated 1920!
#Rubaiyat #OmarKhayyam #BeautifulBook #AntiqueBooks
The "Compact Edition" of The Oxford English Dictionary ๐๐
This 2-volume set + Index features the complete text, reproduced micrographically. ๐ค
The comically small font is not unreadable thanks to an included magnifying glass that can be stored in its own drawer affixed to the set`s slipcase!
This is a charming addition to any library.
We`re open Monday through Saturday, 10:00-4:30. Swing by and take a (magnified) look ๐
#EOD #coolbooks #library #bookstore #bookworm
โThe Eleventhโ: bookseller jargon, understood amongst the initiated to refer to the 11th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, published in 1910/1911 in Cambridge.
The 11th has been venerated as the finest edition of the finest encyclopedia ever published, though it is not without its detractors, who considered it bourgeois, inaccurate, colonialist, ethnocentric, etc.
This edition of the Britannica was published in several different formats, this set bound in full flexible leather, printed on India paper, and housed in a custom bookcase!
#encyclopedia #britannica #oldbooks #antiquarianbooks #booksellerlife
NEW ARRIVALS ๐
Here are a few stacks from this morning`s haul. DM us to put a hold on anything you see here ๐
#usedbooks #books #bookstore #winnipegbusiness
POV: youโre choosing a book from our Pride display
๐ณ๏ธโ๐๐๐ณ๏ธโโง๏ธ๐
Weโre open 10-4:30 Monday through Saturday. Come browse!
#pride #lgbtqbooks #lgbtqauthors #usedbooks #bookstoread #bookstore
