Isle of Books

For us, the bound and written word isn’t just our business, it’s our all-consuming obsession. We’re proud to say that Isle of Books is a store with deep Montana roots. Established in 2013 by Medellee Antonioli, a fifth-generation Montana woman, Isle of Books began as a humble amazon account, selling books online. In 2019, after completing a Masters in Library and Information Science at the University of Denver, Medellee returned home and purchased the Used Book Emporium in Bozeman. Within two years, Isle of Books became one of Montana’s largest and highest rated independent bookstores.

In 2020, Medellee purchased her grandmother Jo’s iconic Butte store Books and Books. A few months later, Medellee and her incredible mother Susan Rosten bought and began to restore the historic Southern Hotel in Uptown Butte. Books and Books (now Isle of Books and Books) moved to the larger location in December, which is being filled to the rafters with more new and used books.

Today, between both locations, Isle of Books maintains over 100,000 new and used titles available for sale in-store and online, from every kind of fiction to the whole gamut of nonfiction, as well as records, gifts, and more. Plus, we’ve got the friendliest batch of bibliophiles west of the Mississippi, all of them just aching to make a recommendation. If you’re as book obsessed as us, you’ll want to put both Isle of Books locations on your Montana must-visit list!

Bozeman

WE HAVE MOVED!
Isle of Books has moved from our Huffine location to 511 West Mendenhall! We’re officially open for business again so stop, say hi and check out our new spot, we’re quite fond of it!

Isle of Books, Bozemanā€™s Used Book Emporium is one of Montanaā€™s largest independent used bookstores, with over 75,000 books. Our Bozeman location maintains a large collection of fiction and nonfiction books, a variety of vintage and antiquarian titles and wonderful childrenā€™s and young adult sections. Stop by to browse our well-organized shelves of: Fiction, Classics, Montana, History, Poetry, Foreign language, Business, Animals & Nature, Science & Mathematics, Philosophy, DIY, Crafts, Diet & Health, Travel, Religion and more! You can bring in books to trade every day that weā€™re open, so gather a few from your shelf and head on over to our used bookstore.

We are open:
Monday through Saturday: 10:00AMā€“5:00PM
Sunday: 11:00AMā€“5:00PM

Our address is:
511 W. Mendenhall
Bozeman, Montana 59715

Email:
isleofbooks@outlook.com

Give us a call: 
(406) 219-3581

Butte

Founded more than 40 years ago, Books & Books, now Isle of Books & Books in Butte houses more than 40,000 new and used titles. Owner Medellee Antonioli purchased the store from her grandmother, Jojamette Antonioli in November, 2020 and moved the store to its new location, the historic Southern Hotel at 43 E. Broadway in December 2021. Come browse our floor to ceiling custom built wood shelves filled with new and beautiful antiquarian books.

We are open:
Tuesday through Saturday: 10:00AMā€“5:00PM

Our address:
43 E Broadway St. Butte, MT 59701

Email:
butte@isleofbooksMT.com

Give us a call: 
(406) 782-9520

Our Book Credit Program

Bring in your gently used books to either location any time we’re open. We offer $2.00 credit for most books and are happy to take used records, CDs and DVDs as well. We also have a “no trash” policy. If we cannot use a book, we either donate it to the library or recycle it depending on the condition. Your books will not end up in the garbage. Store credit is maintained by us in our system, it can be applied towards the purchase of anything in the store and it never expires. Note, store credit applies to half used book purchases (if you buy $10 in books, your store credit will cover $5) and one quarter of new book purchases.

Events

Please join Isle of Books, MSUĀ library, Friends of MSU library, andĀ the Bozeman Public Library, THIS THURSDAY, September 26th, 6:30 PM at Isle of Books for our second annual banned book week event:

CAN I READ THIS?
A public reading of banned and challenged books

Once again, we are delighted to feature some of Montana’s finest writers (and one of Montana’s finest Mayor-Elects) for a public reading and discussion of banned and challenged books.

This years wild bunch of word-slingers include: 

Russell Rowland is a critically acclaimed author of In Open SpacesThe Watershed YearsHigh and InsideFifty-Six CountiesCold Country, and the upcoming autobiography Be A Man: Raised in the Shadow of Cowboys. He is also the creator and producer of the podcast State of Montana, where he has interviewed influential figures such as Dorothy Bradley, Marc Racicot, Ryan Busse, Chris LaTray, and other influential Montanans.

A fourth-generation Montanan, Rowland was born in Bozeman in 1957 and holds an MA in Creative Writing from Boston University. He teaches writing workshops and mentors emerging writers and currently lives in Billings, Montana.

Scott McMillion is the editor of Montana Quarterly and grew up in Livingston, Montana. After graduating from the University of Montana, he spent several years traveling the world before returning home in 1988.

A highly awarded journalist, McMillion is also the author of the acclaimed book Mark of the Grizzly, which became an instant classic upon its release in 1999. His work has been featured on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, and heā€™s been a frequent guest on radio and television programs. His writing appears in publications across the country

Elise Atchison has spent most of her life living in an off-the-grid home near the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in Montana. She holds a B.A. in English/Writing from Montana State University. Much of her work focuses on the changing Western landscape and its impact on the land and the people who live there. Her writing explores the many ways we relate to the natural world, how we relate to each other, and how these connections are fundamentally intertwined.

Atchison is the author of Crazy Mountain and the recipient of several awards, including the High Plains Book Award, the Montana Arts Council Artist Grant, the Eludia Book Award, and the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund Artist Grant. Her short stories and essays have been featured in numerous journals, anthologies, and on radio.

Craig Lancaster was born in 1970 in Lakewood, Washington, and grew up in Texas. After high school, he pursued a career in journalism, working as an editor in states like Texas, Alaska, California, and Montana. For nearly 25 years, he enjoyed a diverse career, including a season covering the Oakland Raiders. In 2013, he left journalism to focus on writing full-time.

In addition to his literary work, Lancaster serves as a content specialist for a research firm, helps others with their writing through Lancarello Enterprises, and works as senior editor and contributor for Montana Quarterly.

After a brief stay in Maine, he now resides in Montana with his wife, novelist Elisa Lorello, and their pets.
 

Maggie Anderson has spent much of her professional life as a hired pen, creating communications for businesses, educational institutions, and medical facilities. Her diverse writing projects have included scripts for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, vocational education programs, and even a medication for horses. Over the years, she produced written materials, videos, websites, TV and radio commercials, and content for community education on public school funding.

Although she wrote for others for decades, she began focusing on her own writing in recent years. Her debut book, Between Rock and a Hard Place, was published in 2023. Anderson lives in Paradise Valley with two dogs, two horses, and a mischievous cat. She finds peace in the wild mountain areas and advocates for their preservation.

Joey Morrison is a social worker, housing organizer, and lifelong Montanan who recently defeated incumbent Cyndy Andrus to become the next mayor of Bozeman. He will serve two years as deputy mayor before stepping into the top role in January 2026. Born in Miles City, Montana, Morrison graduated from Montana State University, where he balanced his studies with working nights at the HRDC Warming Center.

With multiple degrees and a national scholarship, Morrison understands the challenges of living in Bozeman. Committed to social and environmental justice, he played a key role in forming and leading Bozeman Tenants United, the city’s first tenants union. As mayor, he aims to listen to residentsā€™ experiences and collaborate to build a better Bozeman together.

James GradyĀ who is kind enough to write and submit a short piece for the occasion – which I will be reading,Ā is the NYT best-selling author of the espionage classic “Six Days of the Condor” and its sequels, adapted into the hit film with Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway. More recently, he is the author of “The Smoke In Our Eyes,” a literary thriller and cinematic, clock-ticking saga set in small-town Montana circa 1959, the “year the music died.” It’s sequel, “American Sky,” will publish in summer 2025.

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