"description":"The used-bookstore arm of the well-established AIDS and homelessness charity Housing Works is well-known for its frequent reading and events, which occur most evenings. It closes early on weekends to make room for the frequent rentals of the space for weddings. The two-story space (if you count the balcony) has a broad selection of general-interest used books, records, and CDs, as well as a few shelves of Advance Reader copies for sale. The café sells sandwiches, soups, coffee, and beer for reasonable prices, but table space is generally at a premium, however.",
"description":"A thoroughly-modern indie bookstore, McNally Jackson has a broad selection of fiction and non-fiction, including carefully-curated international and small-press selections. The store also houses an Espresso Book Machine, for on-demand printing of titles, between its magazine racks and café. The staff are courteous and helpful, and always have a recommendation ready if you're not sure what you're looking for. The store also has two small adjunct stores, of desk goods and posters, around the corner on Mulberry St.",
"description":"Word Bookstore, now the flagship of a two-store empire spanning the Hudson (there's a second store with café in Jersey City), is a classic neighborhood bookstore. Street level is their stock, which focuses on literary fiction and nonfiction with a surprisingly large childrens department. Downstairs is their event space, which hosts readings or book clubs most days. Also of note are the pinboards for bookish types seeking roommates and dates.",
"description":"The Astoria Bookshop is a general-interest bookstore with a decently-sized children's department. It also hosts book clubs and signings.",
"description":"PowerHouse Arena is a combination event/exhibition space and bookstore. In addition to stocking a tightly-curated selection of current literary fiction and non-fiction, they also have a small childrens' department and New York-related books.",
"description":"The shelves here overflow with used books and records. The proximity to NYU means their textbook selection is better than most other used booksellers in the city, and the influx of students' libraries at the end of the year is reflected in the otherwise eclectic selection. They also have a collection of used records available for browsing.",
"description":"A small store on an otherwise unremarkable block in the East Village, Mast Books sells mainly used copies of art, music, photography, and fiction. Clean and well-lit, with a small display of punk ephemera under glass.",
"description":"Mysterious Bookshop sells new, used, and vintage mysteries and thrillers, and has done so for over 35 years, although it's only been in its current location for the last eight. The entire back wall of the space is devoted to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, while the sides are filled with paperbacks and hardcovers. The store also has a small publishing arm and a children's section, reportedly very popular.",
"description":"This small bookstore is a project by the designer Marc Jacobs. It stocks a collection of his stationary, as well as art books from a number of publishers.",
"description":"Situated just around the corner from the Strand bookstore, this small rare bookseller is stuffed to the gills with books. The areas of emphasis include art, fiction, and philosophy (both eastern and western).",
"description":"A very well-known new and used bookstore in Prospect Heights, Unnameable fills its storefront with books -- stacks of them on the ground alongside the shelves speak to their enthusiasm. They specialize in poetry and literary fiction, with a decent selection of political, philosophical, and left-wing writing as well. A very small children's shelf is available.",
"description":"Greenlight is a bright, airy store, all pine and whitewash shelves, and stocks mainly literary fiction, essays, and non-fiction. They have a large, well-stocked children's book section and events most evenings.",
"description":"Dashwood is a small specialty seller of art and photography books. Head down the stairs and get buzzed in for a broad selection of new and used large-format photograph books. Dashwood also has a small press associated with it that produces their own books as well.",
"description":"Molasses is a a combination used bookstore, cafe, and bar in Bushwick. Big airy storefront a little off the beaten path, the store has a decent selection of used fiction and nonfiction, as well as zines from around Brooklyn.",
"description":"A veteran store, Corner Bookstore has served the Upper East Side for over thirty years. Split about evenly between children's books and new adult titles, the store also has extremely knowledgable, passionate staff and a bookstore cat named Hampton.",
"description":"A village institution, East Village Books has remained singularly itself as the rest of the neighborhood has changed around it. Mainly a used-book seller, the store has a selection of dissident literature and other, stranger fare, including copies of the anarchist newspaper The Shadow. Expect the unexpected among it's crowded shelves and low ceiling, and make sure to check the bargain books out back. $30 credit card minimum.",
"description":"Needing no introduction, Strand Books is the last remaining store of the literally dozens that once lined 4th Avenue's famous Book Row. Comprising over \"18 miles\" of bookshelves, intermingling new, used, bargain, and otherwise, the store also has a rare book room for events. Browsing the shelves here is a fantastic way to lose track of time.",
"description":"Taking its name from a disparaging term for female intellectuals in the Victorian era, this radical bookstore, café, and activist space has a selection of anarchist, socialist, Marxist, and other revolutionary texts available, as well as queer lit and some general interest fiction. Shirts, 'zines, and stickers also available. $10 credit card minimum.",
"description":"This New York City outpost of the Japanese bookstore is really three stores in one. On the ground floor is a general-interest English-language bookstore, with a slight emphasis on books from Japanese publishers. (They also have some UK editions.) The basement contains the entire stock of Japanese-language books, as well as stationary and a DoCoMo branch (a Japanese mobile phone service). The second floor is devoted to manga, in both English and Japanese, along with a Japanese café.",
"description":"Bankstreet Bookstore is a children's and teacher's bookstore in Morningside Heights. (The name comes from the college it grew out of.) Two stories, with teen and teacher reference mainly upstairs, and picture books and toys mainly on the ground level.",
"description":"A small bargain book seller in the East Village, Unoppressive Non-Imperialist is noted for its politics (obviously), its name, and its prices: a blanket 50% list price across-the-board, with some discounts beyond that. Unfortunately, to achieve this, the selection is necessarily limited. Left-wing political literature, beat poets, spiritual writing, and a comprehensive collection of books on Bob Dylan are noted areas of special interest.",
"description":"Unselfconsciously old-fashioned, Three Lives (the name comes from the trio of women founders as well as the Gertrude Stein novel) occupies a former deli. A gorgeous space with dark wood everywhere, they sell mainly literary fiction, with a selection of literary magazines and travel guides as well. The staff are enthusiastic and deeply knowledgable.",
"description":"Sharing a name with the famous Parisian bookshop but no other official ties, this store has a general-interest selection of books on its main level and, downstairs, textbooks for the nearby colleges. The NYU, Gramercy, and Brooklyn locations have all closed in recent years.",
"description":"The original Book Culture is two stories. On the ground floor, recent releases and periodicals; upstairs, older titles, used books, and textbooks. Textbook selection is geared toward students attending nearby Columbia University.",
"description":"The second Book Culture location is smaller, and deals mainly in new, general-interest books versus it's bigger brother's more literary wares. The main entrance is on Broadway, but around the corner on 114th Street is the stairwell to the basement, which houses Book Culture's children's selection.",
"description":"Book Culture on Columbus is the third and newest of the three Book Culture locations in the city, but is large and spacious. It stocks a full selection of fiction and non-fiction, as well as a large and diverse gift and home goods selection, encompassing everything from bags and backpacks to tea kettles, clocks, and lamps. The basement is entirely turned over to childrens, YA, and parenting titles, with lots of toys, stuffed animals, and little nooks for children to read in. There's also a desk with pen and paper for you to write a letter to your representative in DC -- and Book Culture'll pick up the stamp.",
"description":"Formerly Biography Bookshop, bookbook is a general-interest book store with a large-than-average children's section and overall deep selection.",
"description":"A tall, narrow used book store on the Upper West Side, the appropriately-named Westsider has a deep and varied selection, including a rare book room up a flight of stairs situated in the middle of the store. It also stocks CDs and VHS tapes.",
"description":"The admittedly oddly-named Book Thug Nation is a used book store in Williamsburg that prides itself on its broad selection of high-quality used literary fiction, philosophy, and flim criticism. Its sister store is Human Relations in Bushwick.",
"description":"Idlewild Books started off as a store for travel guides and books for armchair travelers; over time, the selection has started to cater more to those interested in learning another language, but the Manhattan location has maintained a large selection of books from and about far-flung corners of the globe. Langauge classes are also available here and at the other two locations in the city.",
"description":"A language class location first and foremost, the Idlewild Brooklyn location has a small selection of bilingual and foreign-language titles in Spanish, French, and Italian. Open only Wednesday and Saturday.",
"description":"The Chelsea Market outpost is split about evenly between children's books and general fiction (mainly paperback), with travel guides making up the difference. It's situated near the 10th Ave entrance.",
"description":"Centrally-located in the concourse beneath 30 Rockefeller Center, this branch of Posman Books carries mostly travel guides and stationary, including cards and postcards, but also has a few tables of recent fiction paperback releases.",
"description":"A children's bookstore, concentrating on picture books and elementary-age fiction, with some teen fiction. Hosts frequent storytimes and events. In back, they maintain a display of rare and vintage children's books as well as prints and original artwork from picture books. Also contains a birdbath café.",
"description":"One of four cookbooks sellers in the city, Bonnie Slotnick sells cookbooks for cuisines both local and international, sorted by region. Recently relocated to current location. Check website for hours and days of operation, as they change frequently.",
"description":"This food- and wine-focused bookstore on the Upper East Side caters to foodies of every stripe, from chefs and sommeliers to writers and those who merely love to eat. A broad selection of cookbooks from around the world and in every language are available, and they have the ability ot track down rare titles. Events are heald in conjunction with outside partners; the store itself simply doesn't have the space.",
"description":"If bluestockings is the friendly face of a feminist co-operative, its revolutionary counterpart in New York City is the appropriately-named Revolution Books, a bastion of communism in the Big Apple. It specializes in revolutionary political texts, of course, but also has a broad selection of those same texts in Spanish. Special promotional space given to books by Bob Avakian, chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party USA (not to be confused with the Communist Party USA).",
"description":"Spoonbill & Sugartown fills an L-shaped niche in Williamsburg, its shelves stocked with new and used design and architecture titles. The store also contains a selection of literary fiction and anything else the opinionated staff deem interesting and worthy of inclusion, making browsing a highly rewarding experience.",
"description":"The publisher Melville House has a small retail space in its offices, open from noon to six weekdays, and stocking their current catalog. The press' offices are hidden behind a set of rotating shelves.",
"description":"A non-profit dedicated to books-as-art, as opposed to art-books, and in the broadest sense of the term. One-offs, zines, and small-press works cram their shelves; activist posters line the walls.",
"description":"A medium-sized bookseller on the west side, 192 specializes in literary fiction, children's books, contemporary art books, and literature in translation. The store also hosts signings and lectures.",
"description":"Down near the water, this small used bookstore specializes in New York related titles, but has a relatively broad selection of genres. Freebird hosts a monthly post-apocalyptic book club. The store is open weekends only.",
"description":"Billing itself as the only poetry-only bookstore in New York City, Berl's does indeed stock only poetry, with a notable tilt toward current works over the classics. They also have a very full events schedule, with reading most nights they're open (Wednesday through Sunday).",
"description":"A \"microbookstore\" in Crown Heights, Hullabaloo is a cosy, volunteer-run store that stocks new and used books. The selection is necessarily limited because of their space, but it's a nice store to browse and discover in.",
"description":"A huge rare and antique bookseller on 59th St, Argosy feels like a secret library, the shelves and every available surface stuffed with books. Not all of the six floors plus basement are open to walk-ins, but requesting access is easy. Some floors are devoted to other rarities than books, as well: one floor is entirely set aside for autographs, another for prints. The main floor holds the reference desks, while the basement holds many of the general-interest titles and more modern used books. Hours are reduced during the summer months.",
"description":"An offshoot from the larger, more well-known PowerHouse Arena, PowerHouse on 8th is more of a community shop, with a selection that skews toward popular fiction and non-fiction, as well as YA and childrens books (as benefiting the neightborhood around it). It also has weekly storytimes and hosts rotating art displays on its walls.",
"description":"A small used book store on the corner, this combination bookstore and café was opened in early 2015 by two former booksellers at other stores in the city and a barista. They stock mostly fiction, poetry, and philosophy, with smaller sections for art and drama.",
"description":"The second bookstore from the owners of Book Thug Nation, Human Relations offers a similar focus on high-quality used fiction and philosophy in a larger space in Bushwick. ",
"description":"In one form or another, the Drama Book Shop has been in New York City for a hundred years. It sells plays (of course), but also musical songbooks, books on acting and writing plays/movies, and non-fiction on the history of Broadway and New York City. There's a cute store dog (a pomeranian) named Chester who's often in the store as well. Also of note is the return policy: there isn't one. Due to the nature of plays (and, presumably, broke actors buying plays, memorizing monologues, and trying to return them), all sales are final.",
"description":"New York City has an occult bookstore again, thanks to Catland. This store caters to those interested in the various schools of modern magical thought, and we're not talking about stage magic. New titles are available from various occult publishers, including imports from Europe and other hard-to-find titles, and there are also used and out-of-print resources. The store also sells candles, minerals, and other paraphenalia for the serious occultist, and has an adjacent event space for... other purposes.",
"description":"A bookstore that focuses on Christian titles, but has a full selection of general-interest books. It claims to have the largest selection of Judeo-Christian texts in Manhattan, as well as active, engaged bookclubs for a number of interests.",
"description":"Archestratus is a combination cookbook bookstore, café, and restaurant on Thursday evenings serving Sicilian-inspired food. A gorgeous, bright space with a wide selection of cookbooks, both new and used, as well as fiction and non-fiction on and relating to gustatory pleasure. Includes stationary, a small selection of pantry items, and a children's section.",
"description":"Quest Bookshop is a small ground-level theosophic bookshop that sells books on various esoteric traditions as well as a selection of stones, incense, magical paraphernalia, and charms. Above it is the New York Theosophic Society, which runs the Emily Sellon Memorial Library, a research and lending library (book borrowing is free for members and a nominal yearly fee for non-members).",
"description":"A chaotic, crowded used-book (and everything else) store from Japan, one of a handful in the United States (and the only one on the east coast). While it doesn't look like it when you walk in, the second story is entirely devoted to used books, which are generally priced quite reasonably.",
"description":"Shortly after the news that Cobble Hill's BookCourt was closing, author Emma Straub announced that she, along with her husband, was going to open a bookstore in the neighborhood. The result is Books Are Magic, a store that feels at once very modern and very personal. Pride-of-place is given to modern fiction and non-fiction, with reference and religious texts garnering little shelf space. Straub hosts an ongoing event series and likely will become a common stop for authors travelling to the city on book tours.",
