Three floors of antique books, maps, and prints fill a century-old commercial building at 240 Dundas Street in downtown London, Ontario, home to Attic Books, a business that describes itself as one of Canadas largest bookstores. The building itself is part of the draw: original tin ceilings and hardwood maple floors give the space a sense of history that matches the merchandise, situating the shop firmly within Londons downtown arts district alongside galleries and other independent cultural businesses. Where many secondhand bookstores keep a fairly general mixed inventory, Attic Books leans into genuine depth, organizing its stock across subjects that include history, literature, art, and science, with a particular concentration in local Ontario history that reflects the shops own roots in the region.
Beyond books, the shop carries ephemera, postcards, and vintage collectibles, categories that tend to appeal to the same kind of browser who enjoys paper history and old print culture more broadly. That range positions Attic Books as a destination not just for readers replacing a favorite title, but for scholars doing research, collectors filling gaps in a specialized set, and casual visitors who simply enjoy wandering through floor after floor of old volumes. The shops own description of its audience, readers, scholars, and seasoned collectors, reflects that range of visitor, and staff are noted for being knowledgeable and approachable despite the specialized nature of much of the stock.
Professional credentials back up that specialist reputation. Attic Books is affiliated with the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of Canada and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, memberships that signal a level of expertise and standards around authentication, condition, and pricing that goes beyond a typical used bookstore. The business also offers appraisal services for customers who want a professional opinion on the value or authenticity of an old book, map, or print, a service that is particularly useful for anyone handling an inherited collection or estate library. Once a year, the shop hosts the Bibliomania Book Festival, an event that draws the citys book-collecting community together and gives Attic Books a recurring role as a hub for that culture in London.
The store keeps regular daytime hours, open Monday through Saturday from 10 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon, and closed on Sundays. For customers who cannot make it downtown in person, Attic Books offers curbside pickup, home delivery within London, and shipping via Canada Post, extending its reach well beyond the physical Dundas Street location. That combination of in-store browsing and multiple remote options makes the collection accessible whether a customer wants to spend an afternoon working through three floors of shelves or is simply trying to track down a single out-of-print title from somewhere else in the province.
For anyone in southwestern Ontario searching for antique books, historical maps, vintage prints, or research-grade material on Ontario history, Attic Books offers a scale and depth of inventory that is unusual even among dedicated secondhand bookstores. Attic Books in downtown London, Ontario is a three-floor antiquarian bookstore specializing in antique books, maps, and prints across history, literature, art, and science, with particular strength in Ontario local history, professional appraisal services, and an annual book festival that anchors it as a hub for the regions book-collecting community.
