In these halcyon days of eBay and Amazon, you can have even the most obscure titles overnighted to you, but nothing beats the thrill of hands-on discovery. If you're looking for something specific—like retro movie bibles or long-forgotten cookbooks—there is a store (and a shop owner) dedicated to your niche.

Art and Design
Hennessey + Ingalls, Santa Monica, California
(310-458-9074; hennesseyingalls.com)

High Valley Books, Brooklyn
(718-963-4244; highvalleybooks.com)

Film
Cinema Books, Seattle
(206-547-7667; cinemabooks.net)

Larry Edmunds Bookshop, Hollywood, California
(323-463-3273; larryedmunds.com)

Crime and Mystery
Mysterious Bookshop, New York City
(212-587-1011; mysteriousbookshop.com)

The Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale, Arizona
(480-947-2974; poisonedpen.com)

Cooking
The Cook's Library, Los Angeles
(323-655-3141; cookslibrary.com)

Kitchen Arts & Letters, Inc., New York City
(212-876-5550; kitchenartsandletters.com)

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