Russell Books Ltd. is a third generation, family-owned company founded in Montreal, in 1961. It began as a 300 square foot, one aisle, secondhand bookstore and gradually grew into the largest used, antiquarian, and new bookstore in town. In 1991, Reg Russell, the founder of the store, opened a Victoria branch with his daughter Diana and her husband Ron Depol on the 700 block of Fort Street. Ron and Diana are the current owners of Russell Books, while their daughter, Andrea Minter, and her husband Jordan manage the company.

In 2019, due to the increasing need for more space (thanks to the inflow of more and more great books!), the store was moved into an even larger location to 747 Fort Street. The move was a herculean undertaking with approximately one million books being moved across Fort Street into their new space. This new location is the current home of Russell Books, and includes two floors, and 18,000 square feet of retail space with a fully accessible layout and even more room for books!