About Centuries and Sleuths

Celebrating its independence in specialty bookselling for 30 years, Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore's atmosphere is warm and friendly, with oak/cherry bookcases, shelves clearly labeled with the historical era / topic, mystery, or related subjects of their books, and comfortable seating, inviting you to browse your chosen subject(s). You won't "get lost in the stacks", but you can definitely get lost in the books.

If you're unsure where to start, our knowledgeable, helpful staff will be happy to act as your guide through fact or fiction, history or mystery, and adults' or children’s books. We'll even giftwrap your book purchases upon request.

Often, you can discuss your opinion about a book with other like-minded (or not) readers, or even with the author who excited your curiosity, rapture, or dissent, because five different reader/writer discussion  groups meet here regularly; and we host frequent author and community events.

You can follow our events, order books online, and see "staff picks" of books we recently enjoyed, or our groups are discussing, on our web page, Facebook, or Instagram. Or sign up to receive our monthly newsletter.  By all means, get to know us better!

Dear Friends,

We are profoundly grateful for your book and gift certificate orders that have helped sustain us during the pandemic.

With some trepidation, we tentatively move to stage IV in the Illinois COVID-19 precautions. Since we're not entirely out of the woods yet, we do so within the current guidelines:

Please,

Wear your mask, even if fully vaccinated for COVID-19, in respect for customers with compromised immune systems, or who cannot be vaccinated yet

Use hand sanitizer (yours or ours) before handling books; or wash your hands

Keep a 2 bookcase width between you and other customers

If attending a discussion group, please don't move chairs closer together or bring food

 Phone (708/771-7243) and online orders  (cns7419@sbcglobal.net )  are accepted in the usual manner. 

Thank you all, wishing you wellness..
Centuries and Sleuths