About

Who We Are

  • The Lantern is a shop for used and rare books founded and run by volunteers, most of whom are local Bryn Mawr College alumnae. All of us love books!
  • Our mission is to provide financial assistance to women at Bryn Mawr College. All of our profits go to the college to support students’ summer internships.
  • Our work would not be possible without the help of our book donors, dedicated patrons, and wonderful volunteer staff – to whom we are most grateful.
  • We have a sister shop, the Bryn Mawr Bookstore, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

What We Sell

  • The Lantern offers a wide range of books on a variety of subjects. We also have LPs, CDs, DVDs, books on tape, graphics, and both framed and unframed prints.
  • All of the books, graphics, and A/V materials at the Lantern are donated to us.
  • We do not buy books.
  • To find out more about what we accept, see our donation guidelines.

Directions and Location

  • Our store is located in historic Georgetown at 3241 P Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20007.
  • We are one half-block off of Wisconsin Avenue.
  • The Lantern is accessible by Metro bus and Circulator. For maps and schedules of all buses in the area, go to WMATA.com.
  • The closest Metro stations are Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, and Rosslyn, but they are all some distance away.
  • Online, we also offer rare books through ABE.

Current Donation Notices

  • Are we accepting donations right now? Yes
  • How many boxes or bags will we accept from a donor? 3
  • Bring all boxes and/or bags in to The Lantern during shop hours. Please do not leave donations outside.
  • Please call first to make sure the store is open and accepting donations.
  • See more about what we accept here.

Business Terms

  • Donations are tax-deductible; we provide a receipt noting the number of boxes and bags donated.
  • Dealers are welcome.
  • We do not do appraisals of donated books or any other items.
  • We accept cash, credit and debit cards, and checks.
Diana Morgan Young

Diana Morgan Young

History

  • The Lantern was founded in 1977 by local alumna Diana Morgan Laylin Young (’35) (her two Laylin daughters were BMC classes of ’66 & ’68).
  • We began in a donated space on M Street.
  • We have been on P Street since 1996 and are fortunate to own the location.
  • Since its founding, the Lantern has thrived and provided vital support to the Bryn Mawr College scholarship fund. In 1981, the shop earned the Helen Taft Manning Award for valuable service to the College.