Black Swan Books

Whenever we travel, I’m always on the lookout for the coziest, most delightful independent bookstores. But here, I’m pleased to introduce you to one of our favorite hometown indie bookstores, right here in Lexington, Kentucky. (Find more of our favorite cozy, independent bookstores here.)

I could spend – and, in fact, have spent – hours at a time in the incomparable Black Swan Books. It’s been a Lexington staple for used and rare books since 1984.

Just want to browse? There are multiple cozy rooms to wander through, all overflowing with books.

Looking for something truly exceptional? One room is filled with glass-front cases of rarities and first-editions.

Want to chat with the proprietor about books, or are you looking for something specific? I once looked in every other second-hand bookstore and antique-store-with-books that I happened to find myself in, trying to find anything by an author I remember my mom enjoying when I was little but who is no longer, shall we say, in fashion. Didn’t find a thing. Then I went to Black Swan (where I should’ve started my search, of course), told Mike what I was looking for, and he took me to the exact shelf where he had half a dozen of that author’s titles.

Lexington’s Black Swan is a gem of a bookstore that feels like home.

Ready to rescue your calm from the daily grind?

Start your quest by signing up for our “Notes from the Reading Nook” emails.

We’ll also send you a free PDF featuring 3 of our beloved Tiny Garden Stories. (No, they’re not stories about tiny gardens, they’re micro-fiction vignettes about the urban wildlife in my backyard woodland garden.)