Iowans love to read, and our state has a long history of being a retreat for many of the most famous American poets and novelists. One bookstore in the vibrant university town of Iowa City pays tribute to the Hawkeye State’s book culture in the best possible way. With three floors full of books and a coffee shop in a historic space, Prairie Lights Books is absolute heaven for any bookworm.
Prairie Lights opened as a small independent bookstore in Iowa City, on South Linn Street. The tiny store quickly gained a reputation for carrying a wide variety of titles, from established names to those authored by newer voices.
By 1982, the bookstore had outgrown its tiny shop and moved to a larger building on South Dubuque Street, where it ultimately spread across three floors. The bookstore added another half-floor in the form of a cozy, 1,100-square-foot coffee shop located in a spot that was once home to an important literary club. The Times Club, as it was known, was a local literary society that hosted many of the most prominent writers and artists of the early 1900s.
The space where you can now drink espresso or hot cocoa while you test out new titles was once a spot where Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, e.e. cummings, and other legendary writers met with locals and shared their latest works.
Today, Prairie Lights Books is considered one of the most historic and impressive bookstores in the country. The bookstore frequently hosts sold-out release parties and book signings by local and nationally-renowned authors alike within its historic walls.
If you’re looking for a new book to read, you’ll have thousands and thousands of titles to choose from, written by the best names in literature from Iowa City to New York City.
Their poetry section is famous throughout the state—if there’s a poet you love, you’ll find their works on the shelves of Prairie Lights Books. The store even has plenty of secondhand and discount books, and you can find some real treasures by digging through. Whatever you’re looking for—whether it’s a good book, a chance to meet a famous author, or just a great cup of coffee, Prairie Lights Books is the place to be.
Iowa City is such a charming city worth exploring—if you can pull yourself away from the town’s most amazing bookstore. Just one day checking out Iowa City’s restaurants, shops, and parks will show you exactly why we think it might just be the best city in America. Iowa’s literary tradition doesn’t end with Iowa City, though. There are plenty of other important literary sites in the state beyond our UNESCO City of Literature. Inspired? Try planning your own Hawkeye State literary adventure with Only In Your State’s AI-powered itinerary planner.
Do you have a favorite bookstore in Iowa? We’d love to hear all about them on our Nomination page…