New Yorkers are readers. With eight million people, most of whom commute to work on the subway, we get a lot of reading done when we're going from place to place. We devour magazines, we fold, unfold, and refold newspapers, and we burn through books so fast we have to keep fire extinguishers handy. Here's where you'll find the best selections of reading material in the five boroughs.
Posman Books - Chelsea Market(212) 627-0304
75 9th Ave,
New York, NY, 10011
Posman Books features a wide array of books, including the latest bestsellers, literature, biographies, histories, cookbooks, and travel guides
192 Books(212) 255-4022
192 10th Ave,
New York, NY, 10011
Part of a rather high-brow corridor of Tenth Avenue, art dealer Paula Cooper's 192 Books deals in the best literature and history publications, as well as art, criticism, science, events, and readings!
Alabaster Bookshop(212) 982-3550
122 4th Ave,
New York, NY, 10003
An infinitely less daunting used bookstore tucked on the opposite side of the block from The Strand.
Archivia Books(212) 439-9194
993 Lexington Avenue,
New York, NY, 10021
Archivia Books, the independent bookshop specializing in illustrated books opened its doors to the public on New York’s Upper East Side on November 1, 2007.
Housed in a lovely, 800 square-foot space on Manhattan’s Lexington A
more... Bauman Rare Books(212) 751-0011
535 Madison Ave,
New York, NY, 10022
For those truly hard-to-find, rare, luxurious, leather-bound impressive tomes.
Book Court(718) 875-3677
163 Court St,
Brooklyn, NY, 11201
The recently expanded BookCourt is one of the best literary destinations in Brooklyn, with a family-run, independent feel that's been a Court Street landmark for almost thirty years.
Bookculture(212) 865-1588
536 W 112th St,
New York, NY, 10025
Bookculture has been the perfect library escape for Columbia students, affording the opportunity to find obscure books and new releases all while rubbing elbows with New York's literari.
Community Bookstore(718) 783-3075
143 7th Ave,
Brooklyn, NY, 11215
Community Bookstore is a local Park Slope shop that packs in the greats and the up-and-comers without creating a sense of clutter or distraction, featuring a comfy caf? area in the back for reading, writing, and meeting.
Corner Bookstore(212) 831-3554
1313 Madison Ave,
New York, NY, 10128
Tiny, charming shop with an amazing selection of children's books and their own Kids Review Of Books. Pure Upper West Side.
Forbidden Planet(212) 473-1576
840 Broadway,
New York, NY, 10003
All your comic and graphic novel needs can be met here.
Greenlight Bookstore(718) 246-0200
686 Fulton St,
Brooklyn, NY, 11217
Greenlight Bookstore has been such a hit with the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill literati that they've just announced a partnership that will bring two Greenlight-curated book kiosks to the Brooklyn Academy of Music!
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe(212) 334-3324
126 Crosby St,
New York, NY, 10012
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe has established itself as a New York downtown institution and tourist destination for the last decade. Special events and a fully stocked cafe make this a great place to meet friends, relax, and shop the best book, movie, and music selection in New York City.
Kinokuniya Bookstores(212) 765-7766
10 W 49th St,
New York, NY, 10020
Hip Japanese chain bookstore with a great selection of intriguing and unusual items, in addition to Japanese books, calendars, greeting cards and gifts.
Left Bank Books(212) 924-5638
17 8th Avenue,
New York, NY, 10014
Left Bank Books is relatively small, but chock-full of good books, specializing in modern first editions (especially fiction, poetry, drama, and literary non-fiction), photography, art, and film. They also buy and sell quality used books of all types and stripes, including signed books.
McNally Jackson Booksellers212-274-1160
50 Prince Street,
New York, NY, 10012
With it's sleek exterior and welcoming interior, McNally Jackson is the prototypical independent bookstore, with a great cafe that features novels dangling about readers' heads like the sword of Damocles!
Midtown Comics - East(212) 302-8192
459 Lexington Ave,
New York, NY, 10017
Everyone's favorite comic shop, convenient location.
Partners & Crime(212) 243-0440
44 Greenwich Ave,
New York, NY, 10011
Independent bookstore devoted entirely to mysteries.
Printed Matter, Inc.(212) 989-7243
195 10th Ave,
New York, NY, 10011
Printed Matter has found its latest incarnation in the former Loeffler Intercoms building, safely ensconced around the corner from the major Chelsea gallery drag. With a huge selection of quirky and clever books by a
more... Rizzoli Bookstore(212) 759-2424
31 W 57th St Fl 4,
New York, NY, 10019
For more than forty years, Rizzoli Bookstore has been an unsurpassed source for superb books on visual topics, foreign language books and periodicals, and an eclectic assortment of music. The flagship store was first establis
more... Spoonbill & Sugartown Books(718) 387-7322
218 Bedford Ave,
Brooklyn, NY, 11211
Serving Williamsburg for over ten years, Spoonbill & Sugartown specializes in used and rare books of the contemporary art and design sort, as well as everything else you can imagine, hand-picked by the knowledgable staff each month!
St Marks Bookshop(212) 260-7853
31 3rd Ave,
New York, NY, 10003
St. Mark's Bookshop specializes in cultural theory, graphic design, poetry & small press publishers, film studies and foreign & domestic periodicals and journals, on top of a fiction section that's one of the finest in the city.
Taschen Books(212) 226-2212
107 Greene Street,
New York, NY, 10010
Now in SoHo, the newest branch of the mammoth German art book house. With so many titles and a really cool shop, Taschen has become the art book dealer non plus ultra of SoHo.
Strand Book Store(212) 473-1452
828 Broadway,
New York, NY, 10003
The Strand Bookstore has over "18 miles of books," including review galleys, used books, totes and apparel, making it one of New York's most beloved literary landmarks and best bargains.
Three Lives & Co(212) 741-2069
154 W 10th St,
New York, NY, 10014
The folks at Three Lives say it best: "Three Lives is our living room, and a living place. It is a work in progress. We (the store and our customers) have grown up and evolved together. People come here to see and buy what we co
more... Unnameable Books(718) 789-1534
600 Vanderbilt Ave,
Brooklyn, NY, 11238
Relocated from its former Bergen Street digs, Unnameable Books serves Prospect Heights now, with the same great selection of new and used books.
Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books(212) 229-0079
34 Carmine St,
New York, NY, 10014
Down in the West Village, Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books, a neighborhood favorite that holds a selection as interesting as its name suggests.
Word Books(718) 383-0096
126 Franklin Street,
Brooklyn, NY, 11222
WORD, an independent bookstore located on the corner of Franklin and Milton Streets in the historic district of Greenpoint Brooklyn, features a wide variety of new books: literary fiction, non-fiction, gift books, kids’ books, puzz
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