Politics and Prose
Best Bookstore in Washington DC · DC
Washington's town square with bookshelves
Politics and Prose has been Washington's premier independent bookstore since Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade founded it in 1984 on upper Connecticut Avenue. Its packed author-events calendar — presidents, journalists, and novelists on the podium most nights — made it a hub of the capital's intellectual life.
Employee-owned and expanded to several locations, P&P remains a beloved D.C. institution: a serious bookstore and a genuine community forum for a city that runs on ideas.
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Each Centurion Award is its own dated annual record, and staying current means clearing the bar again each new year. Open a year for the full citation and verification details.
2025 Centurion Award
Best Bookstore in Washington DC Washington, DC · Awarded under the 2025 evaluation View the 2025 award →Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
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This page is the standing record for Politics and Prose (2025). It was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. It wasn’t voted on or sponsored, and selection is not for sale. Owners can claim the listing or ask us to remove it. For hours, bookings, and live reviews, go straight to the business itself.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. Own this business? Claim the listing to manage it, or ask us to remove it.
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