Texas Star
Books & Tales
48,000+ new, used & rare books under one tin roof on South Congress. Texas history, Westerns, cookbooks, kids, vinyl & strong coffee. Come get lost.
Loved from El Paso to Beaumont
A big star for big stories
We started in 1998 with three shelves, a porch dog named Biscuit, and a belief: Texas deserves its own bookstore.
TX Star Books is a family-run independent bookstore in the heart of Austin. Two floors, a creaky staircase, the smell of paper and espresso. We hunt estate sales from Marfa to Nacogdoches for first-edition McMurtry, signed Cormac McCarthy, out-of-print cookbooks, Tejano poetry and kids classics. Half our stock is used — every book with a past life.
1998
Founded
800 books on S. Congress
2007
Expansion
Second floor + coffee
2016
Rare Vault
First editions room
2025
48K titles
Texas-wide shipping
Curated like
a mixtape
Not endless aisles — hand-picked shelves with staff notes on every third book. From Larry McMurtry to contemporary border voices, smoked-brisket cookbooks to space-race histories.
Texana & History
Alamo myths debunked, ranch diaries, oil-boom photos, Indigenous histories. Our beating heart.
Browse in store →Westerns & Fiction
McMurtry, McCarthy, Paulette Jiles, Attica Locke. Signed firsts in the glass vault.
Browse in store →Kids & Young Texas
Storytime Saturdays, bilingual picture books, armadillo plushies, summer reading club.
Storytime info →BBQ & Cookbooks
Franklin Barbecue secrets, border tacos, chuckwagon desserts, vintage Junior League gems.
Browse in store →Rare & First Editions
Letterpress, maps from 1840s, signed Lonesome Dove, Sam Houston letters (facsimiles too).
Our hunting story →Zines, Vinyl & Art
Austin musicians' memoirs, SXSW posters, local press poetry, used vinyl for porch nights.
See drops →Never a quiet week
Author nights, two-step lessons between stacks, midnight poetry, kids pajama storytime. All free, all with sweet tea.
SEP
Attica Locke: Texas Noir & Justice
Reading + signing + pecan pie. 7PM, main floor. Free RSVP at door.
SEP
Saturday Armadillo Storytime
Bilingual books, crafts, parade with paper cowboy hats. 10AM.
SEP
Lonesome Dove Slow Read — Chapter 12
Our 9-month read-along. Newcomers welcome, brisket provided.
OCT
Honky-Tonk & Hardcovers
Two-step lesson + local memoir showcase + vinyl pop-up. 8PM porch.
Host your book club with us
Private back room for 12, free coffee, 15% off club picks, after-hours available Thursdays.
Reserve a TableMore than a shop
Rocking chairs, rescue-dog naps, typewriter for love notes, and staff who remember your taste better than your mom.
Starlight Coffee
Mexican mocha, Topo Chico floats, prickly-pear tea. Drink among the stacks.
Book Finding
Lost your grandma's 1962 cookbook? We'll hunt Texas-wide in 48 hours. Free.
Ship Anywhere
Wrapped in kraft + twine, with handwritten note. Free over $35 in Texas.
Kids Club
Lil' Longhorns club: sticker map of Texas, free book every 6 visits.
“Found a signed McMurtry for my dad's 70th. Staff cried with me when I opened it. This place is church.”
San Antonio • Verified reader
“Drove from Dallas just for Texana room. Stayed 4 hours. Left with 11 books and a coffee addiction.”
Dallas • History teacher
“Storytime is our Saturday ritual. My daughter thinks the armadillo mascot is real. Don't tell her.”
Austin • Lil' Longhorns
News, lists & lore
Staff picks, Texas literary news, event recaps and hunting stories from estate sales. Fresh ink weekly.
Fresh chapters are being shelved…
Check back Friday — our editors are brewing coffee and new stories from South Congress.
Questions? Y'all ask a lot
Come sit a spell
Two floors, creaky stairs, cold lemonade. We're 5 minutes from downtown, right under the “SoCo” mural.
★ Visit
1200 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
Mon–Sat 9AM–9PM • Sun 10AM–6PM
Phone: +1 (512) 555-0187
Email: [email protected]
✉ Star Mail — 10% off
One letter a month. New Texana, signed firsts, secret porch sales. No spam, only paper love.
Join 18,000 Texas readers. Unsubscribe anytime. We never share addresses.