Dupont Circle Store

Olsson's-Dupont Circle, 1307 19th St., NW

During the Great Snow of 1987, employees and customers alike walked through snow drifts to the welcoming warmth of our store. Great old mansions and trees ground a neighborhood that has, as long as we can remember, moved to the music of new ideas. A table full of carefully selected new paperback fiction at the front of the store will excite the jaded cafe-goer’s eye. Ecology and politics sections are up-to-date. Staff favorites are not to be missed. The Music Department is known for its selection of alternative rock and classical.

We also rent DVDs

1307 19th St., NW
Washington, DC 20036
(one block south of Dupont Circle)

Phone: (202) 785-1133
Fax: (202) 785-1736

Mon-Wed: 10:00am - 9:00pm
Thu-Sat: 10:00am - 10:00pm
Sun: 11:00am - 7:00pm

High Speed Internet Access—20 cents per minute

Arlington-Courthouse | Crystal City | Dupont Circle
The Lansburgh | Old Town Alexandria | Reagan National Airport

Staff Favorites

Dupont Circle has long been Washington's coolest neighborhood. It's an up-late, big city atmosphere full of good places to eat and interesting places to shop. Our busy, au courant customers are interested in everything from cutting edge social and political issues, to classics of art and literature. Here are a few book recommendations from our equally eclectic staff...

	A Bit on the Side by Trevor, William (Viking, Hardcover) Few writers capture basic human feelings, needs, desires and fears as vividly and with as telling detail as Trevor. His stories set in Ireland seem nearly timeless and universal. This new collection is a good introduction to this master short story writer. —Steve $24.95
	Collected Poems of Federico Garcia Lorca (Bilingual) by Lorca, Federico Garcia (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, Paper) Lorca's Poems are dark, twisted and somehow quiet. They impress upon you as echoes from a ghost. There is a quality of a dark faerie-tale atmosphere. He allows us to explore his nightmares of life and his visions—dreams. This collection shows his brilliance and bravery—the spiritual being that is Lorca. Let these poems make you feel uneasy—they will enchant you. —Amy $25.00
	Epileptic by B., David (Pantheon, Hardcover) Graphic novel meets memoir-A family's search for treatment and a boy's struggle for identity. Fascinating story—An amazing work of art. —Lydia $25.00
	Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Satrapi, Marjane (Pantheon, Paper) Thought-provoking, graphic-novel style biography of a girl growing up in Iran during the revolution. Her perspective of good vs. evil blurs as family visit, disappear, and return with fantastic stories of their ordeals. Friends leave on extended vacations and rules change at school as parents try to explain the politics of war. As she learns about her country's struggle she also learns of her family's place in Iranian history and that war isn't about one right or one wrong, but about loss and separation. There is no neat ending. —Carolyn $11.95
	Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inahitants by Sullivan, Robert (Bloomsbury, Paper) I might be one of the least sympathetic individuals toward the cause of the rat, yet I was utterly captivated by this book. Sullivan's thoroughly researched study ellucidates common misconceptions of this truly unique (and often misunderstood) creature. Probing the depths of their character as well as the gritty environment they habituate, this chronicle is so fascinating I didn't flinch once while reading. (Okay, maybe a few times). —Ryan $14.95
	Sex, Drugs, & Cocoa Puffs by Klosterman, Chuck (Scribner, Paper) Chuck Klosterman is, by his own admission, the opposite of the "no-nonsense person". He is an "all-nonsense person", and in this inspired collection of essays he scours the landscape of postmodern, throwaway pop-culture artifacts for the bits of truth buried in the refuse. Whether arguing for Billy Joel's Greatness ("big G") through close readings, deconstructing "Saved by the Bell" and how it temporarily altered reality, or demonstrating why Trisha Yearwood matters and Lucinda Williams does not, he is consistently hilarious and surprising. This is escapist reading of the highest order (or lowest, depending where you're seated). —Rick $14.00
	Thank You for Smoking by Buckley, Christopher (HarperCollins, Paper) I hate cigarette smoke, but this story, set in D.C., had me cheering for Buckley's merchant of death, tobacco mongering protagonist. Lots of great laughs—and well written, as usual. —Craig $13.00
	The Best Poems of the English Language: From Chaucer Through Robert Frost by Bloom, Harold ed. (HarperCollins, Hardcover) Whether as a gift or for your own fulfillment, this is an excellent anthology of canonized poetry. Bloom restrains his ego, instead providing concise bios and helpful ways of reading the poems. And while its size is quite cumbersome, its reference-book function allows you to pick and choose your avenue of pursuit. So many great works in one book. —Mark $34.95
	The Broom of the System by Wallace, David Foster (Penguin, Paper) David Foster Wallace's first novel is set in Ohio(!) and follows Lenore and her problems: TV evangelists and her talking bird, inflatable rubber women, her missing grandmother, a sexually inept but jealous boyfriend and language puzzles of Wittgenstein. Less overwhelming than "Infinite Jest" but still super smart and funny. —Jessica $15.00

Arlington-Courthouse | Dupont Circle | The Lansburgh
Old Town Alexandria | Reagan National Airport