Best Bookstore in Washington DC · Washington, DC
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.
Each Centurion Award is a dated record tied to one year’s evaluation — earned annually, never carried over. Open a year for the full citation and verification details.
Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
Visit Politics and Prose
This page is the standing record for Politics and Prose (2025). It was not bought, voted on, or sponsored — only winners are published, and an award that stops holding up is revoked, not quietly removed. For hours, bookings, and live reviews, go straight to the business itself.
If you’ve put in the years, you may already clear the bar. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.