Ontario, Toronto, Eliot's Bookshop

On Toronto's Yonge Street, south of tony Bloor Street and just north of Wellesley.

You could say it's a pretty ordinary second-hand bookshop, with its three stories connected by rickety wooden stairs and piles of books flanking the well-stocked shelves.

Personally, I love to frequent the second floor where an entire wall is filled with Canadiana: literary criticism, novels, anthologies, poetry, culture, you name it, it could well be there. If you can't, this is the place to browse.

Eliot's IS a fun bookstore--I think visiting bookstores is one of the best ways to sample the life of a community.

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Shaman Drum and Nicola's are well regarded independent bookstores, but I'm still in mourning for AfterWord, which closed in January. Squeaky plank floors, inexpensive and unusual books, it was the perfect place to browse after a good meal on Main St...

I'm a big fan of Eliot's; I always pay a visit there when I'm in T.O. I've found some great art books there in recent years.

I'm also quite fond of Contact Editions.