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I have come to value 2nd hand bookstores so much in day to day life that I maintain it as an almost 'must have' when assessing living locations. Great coffee sh

I have come to value 2nd hand bookstores so much in day to day life that I maintain it as an almost 'must have' when assessing living locations. Great coffee shops are a dime a dozen in reasonably affluent areas, but a good 2nd hand bookshop adds so much warmth and charm to an area. I don't have any in walking distance from where I live right now, but I'm moving to NYC soon and will aim to correct that. (Shouldn't be too hard, right?) > Think of what’s happened at the Strand, where a coffee shop recently joined some ground-floor bookshelves and where you can’t adjust your glasses without hitting some Strand-branded merch. I did notice that when I was there in May. They place was overstuffed and too commercial. I also didn't get a sense of what Deutsch calls the "slow time of the browse" because I was too caught up keeping polite distance from the too-crowded aisles.

pradn 4y ago
The Strand is only worth going to as a tourist attraction (if you’re fully aware of its status as such), or if you need big art books (they’re unmatched in that category). In NY, I’d say take a look at Left Bank books (rare, old literature, photography, art books - some are even early editions of classics), Codex (little used shop with a fantastic selection), Mercer St Books and Records (basement hole in the wall), Westsider Rare and Used books (an UWS classic), Unnameable Books (good events and a literary selection). For new books, McNally Jackson is the preferred one for the reading public. Their staff selections are useful and they have a dedicated poetry and chapbook section.
- kingkawn 4y ago
  The one true bookstore in nyc is Book Thug Nation in Williamsburg. The best curated selection of used literature I’ve ever come across and a smattering of other stuff too.
  - pradn 4y ago
    That place is fantastic as well, and just so tiny, barely like a big bedroom! It’s also amazing how zany it’s name is, but it really does have a serious collection of used books. I found some film books that studied directors with depth, but had to restrain myself !
    - kingkawn 4y ago
      Yeah it’s dangerous going in there if you want to leave with any money in your pocket
- sidpatil 4y ago
  My favorite is East Village Books. I've had luck finding interesting books there.
  - Nav_Panel 4y ago
    Agree with all of the above recommendations, and want to add Aeon Bookstore as a relative newcomer that has a great selection.
- sthu11182 4y ago
  I agree on Westsider. However, I always liked the Strand for its collection of history, science, and math books. While Strand can be crowded and touristy, it still has a good collection of books.
  - euroderf 4y ago
    They have the books, but be prepared for life on a ladder if you really want to dig in.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    The Strand is one of the places/attractions/etc. that it's easy for locals to dump on a bit because it's something popular with tourists. But the reality is that they can be a lot of fun. The last time I was in NYC, I was really hurting because of not one but two bad hamstrings cause by hockey. I could barely walk--which is not a great combination with NYC. I had some time and took a Circle Line cruise. It was delightful and I hadn't done it since I was a child!
- ajoseps 4y ago
  +1 for Codex, always enjoy perusing through there. McNally Jackson also hosts authors semi-frequently which is nice
  - pradn 4y ago
    The Center for Fiction in downtown BK is also a great spot for author events!
- thundergolfer 4y ago
  Thanks for the recommendations. Unnameable Books looks nearby where I'd like to live.
integrale 4y ago
If you end up in Manhattan: Mercer Street Books, Alabaster Bookshop, and Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks are some of my favorites. The latter two aren’t necessarily cheap but have some really cool stuff.
- thundergolfer 4y ago
  Thanks for the recommendations. My probable roommate wants to live near Alabaster Bookshop.
waspight 4y ago
Just curious, why is second hand book stores that important? I imagine that everything worth reading is available on Amazon and rated in Goodreads. I am just curious and hopefully I am totally wrong as well.
- BuyMyBitcoins 4y ago
  For me personally, it’s the experience and atmosphere rather than the availability. There’s also the charm of browsing without looking for anything specific in mind. I know it is possible to be shown a random assortment of books online, but it doesn’t compare with simply walking down the aisles and just scanning over all the titles for what looks interesting.
- Swizec 4y ago
  You can't browse Amazon, it's too in your face trying to make a quick buck. I just tried browsing Goodreads and it slapped me in the face with a gigantic Please Login Right Now You Terrible Person modal. Not very browsing friendly either, I guess. There is a charm to browsing a small bookstore. 2nd hand or otherwise. You dawdle in the aisles, meander between sections you'd never think to look at, catch your eye on interesting covers, try the heft of a book, see which ones are long and which are short, the design and the font give you a sense of character, tell you a little about what this book is like to read. You turn it around, read the back to learn more ... there is a spatial component to your search. When you stumble into a book that draws your attention, you're likely surrounded by similar books you might also enjoy. The experience is distinctly inefficient. Good for when you don't know what you want. Might not even realize what you're in the mood for until you find it. And somehow you never walk out with fewer than 3 books.
- milesvp 4y ago
  It’s the type of people they attract. It’s the owners who are often very avid readers. It’s the collection of books you find, most of which have had some amount of curation, if only because of limited shelving. They are often very low margin so often they add charm in the same way artists do to a low rent neighborhood.
- tomc1985 4y ago
sircastor 4y ago
> I don't have any in walking distance from where I live right now, but I'm moving to NYC soon and will aim to correct that. (Shouldn't be too hard, right?) Unfortunately, Fox Books put all the small, independent stores out of business.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- jhbadger 4y ago
  I know you are making a reference to 1998's "You've Got Mail!", but that movie was (besides being based on the earlier movie 1940's "The Shop Around The Corner" hence Meg Ryan's store, and the Hungarian play that movie was based on), inspired by the story of how NYC's Shakespeare & Co. bookstore was driven out of business by a new Barnes & Noble nearby. That Barnes & Noble has since closed itself.
  - SeanLuke 4y ago
    Wait wait wait. I had to look this up myself: there exists a bookstore chain in New York City and Philly called Shakespeare & Co? And it appears to have no relationship at all with the uberfamous Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris? This is a bit like naming your new restaurant chain "The French Laundry". How could they be allowed to do this?
    - jhbadger 4y ago
      To be fair, even the current Paris-based bookstore of the name isn't the "real" one founded by Sylvia Beach in 1919 (that closed in 1941). I think the various bookstores of the name today do so in honor of Beach's store so they don't really claim ownership of the name.
      - SeanLuke 4y ago
        No, that is not at all fair. This wasn't a cold business decision. George Whitman, who founded the current Paris bookstore, and Sylvia Beach, who founded the original, were very close friends. She even toyed with reopening her original shop with him, again under the name Shakespeare and Company. Two years after she died, he renamed his bookstore (Le Mistral) to Shakespeare and Company in her memory in 1964, as he thought that's what she would have liked. He also named his only daughter after her. As it happens, the second Shakespeare and Company also became a hub for authors like Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, and many of the Beats. It's the sister shop of City Lights in San Francisco, with a similar author history. Whitman was awarded the Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His daughter now runs the store. So in Paris there were two Shakespeare and Company bookstores, both extremely famous at different critical times in literary history, whose respective owners were very close, and which were both basically set up the same way. I think it's reasonable to say that they're both the "real" Shakespeare and Company. That's a far cry from the NYC situation.
echan00 4y ago
Lmao
juntan 4y ago
Would also highly recommend the HousingWorks Bookshop in Soho - they have a really incredible selection of both fiction and nonfiction, as well as art books. I am a fan of Book Thug Nation in Williamsburg, Molasses Books in Bushwick, and Mercer St. Books right near Washington Square Park.

pradn 4y ago

The Strand is only worth going to as a tourist attraction (if you’re fully aware of its status as such), or if you need big art books (they’re unmatched in that category). In NY, I’d say take a look at Left Bank books (rare, old literature, photography, art books - some are even early editions of classics), Codex (little used shop with a fantastic selection), Mercer St Books and Records (basement hole in the wall), Westsider Rare and Used books (an UWS classic), Unnameable Books (good events and a literary selection). For new books, McNally Jackson is the preferred one for the reading public. Their staff selections are useful and they have a dedicated poetry and chapbook section.

kingkawn 4y ago
The one true bookstore in nyc is Book Thug Nation in Williamsburg. The best curated selection of used literature I’ve ever come across and a smattering of other stuff too.
- pradn 4y ago
  That place is fantastic as well, and just so tiny, barely like a big bedroom! It’s also amazing how zany it’s name is, but it really does have a serious collection of used books. I found some film books that studied directors with depth, but had to restrain myself !
  - kingkawn 4y ago
    Yeah it’s dangerous going in there if you want to leave with any money in your pocket
sidpatil 4y ago
My favorite is East Village Books. I've had luck finding interesting books there.
- Nav_Panel 4y ago
  Agree with all of the above recommendations, and want to add Aeon Bookstore as a relative newcomer that has a great selection.
sthu11182 4y ago
I agree on Westsider. However, I always liked the Strand for its collection of history, science, and math books. While Strand can be crowded and touristy, it still has a good collection of books.
- euroderf 4y ago
  They have the books, but be prepared for life on a ladder if you really want to dig in.
- ghaff 4y ago
  The Strand is one of the places/attractions/etc. that it's easy for locals to dump on a bit because it's something popular with tourists. But the reality is that they can be a lot of fun. The last time I was in NYC, I was really hurting because of not one but two bad hamstrings cause by hockey. I could barely walk--which is not a great combination with NYC. I had some time and took a Circle Line cruise. It was delightful and I hadn't done it since I was a child!
ajoseps 4y ago
+1 for Codex, always enjoy perusing through there. McNally Jackson also hosts authors semi-frequently which is nice
- pradn 4y ago
  The Center for Fiction in downtown BK is also a great spot for author events!
thundergolfer 4y ago
Thanks for the recommendations. Unnameable Books looks nearby where I'd like to live.

integrale 4y ago

If you end up in Manhattan: Mercer Street Books, Alabaster Bookshop, and Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks are some of my favorites. The latter two aren’t necessarily cheap but have some really cool stuff.

thundergolfer 4y ago
Thanks for the recommendations. My probable roommate wants to live near Alabaster Bookshop.

waspight 4y ago

Just curious, why is second hand book stores that important? I imagine that everything worth reading is available on Amazon and rated in Goodreads. I am just curious and hopefully I am totally wrong as well.

BuyMyBitcoins 4y ago
For me personally, it’s the experience and atmosphere rather than the availability. There’s also the charm of browsing without looking for anything specific in mind. I know it is possible to be shown a random assortment of books online, but it doesn’t compare with simply walking down the aisles and just scanning over all the titles for what looks interesting.
Swizec 4y ago
You can't browse Amazon, it's too in your face trying to make a quick buck. I just tried browsing Goodreads and it slapped me in the face with a gigantic Please Login Right Now You Terrible Person modal. Not very browsing friendly either, I guess. There is a charm to browsing a small bookstore. 2nd hand or otherwise. You dawdle in the aisles, meander between sections you'd never think to look at, catch your eye on interesting covers, try the heft of a book, see which ones are long and which are short, the design and the font give you a sense of character, tell you a little about what this book is like to read. You turn it around, read the back to learn more ... there is a spatial component to your search. When you stumble into a book that draws your attention, you're likely surrounded by similar books you might also enjoy. The experience is distinctly inefficient. Good for when you don't know what you want. Might not even realize what you're in the mood for until you find it. And somehow you never walk out with fewer than 3 books.
milesvp 4y ago
It’s the type of people they attract. It’s the owners who are often very avid readers. It’s the collection of books you find, most of which have had some amount of curation, if only because of limited shelving. They are often very low margin so often they add charm in the same way artists do to a low rent neighborhood.
tomc1985 4y ago

sircastor 4y ago

> I don't have any in walking distance from where I live right now, but I'm moving to NYC soon and will aim to correct that. (Shouldn't be too hard, right?) Unfortunately, Fox Books put all the small, independent stores out of business.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
jhbadger 4y ago
I know you are making a reference to 1998's "You've Got Mail!", but that movie was (besides being based on the earlier movie 1940's "The Shop Around The Corner" hence Meg Ryan's store, and the Hungarian play that movie was based on), inspired by the story of how NYC's Shakespeare & Co. bookstore was driven out of business by a new Barnes & Noble nearby. That Barnes & Noble has since closed itself.
- SeanLuke 4y ago
  Wait wait wait. I had to look this up myself: there exists a bookstore chain in New York City and Philly called Shakespeare & Co? And it appears to have no relationship at all with the uberfamous Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris? This is a bit like naming your new restaurant chain "The French Laundry". How could they be allowed to do this?
  - jhbadger 4y ago
    To be fair, even the current Paris-based bookstore of the name isn't the "real" one founded by Sylvia Beach in 1919 (that closed in 1941). I think the various bookstores of the name today do so in honor of Beach's store so they don't really claim ownership of the name.
    - SeanLuke 4y ago
      No, that is not at all fair. This wasn't a cold business decision. George Whitman, who founded the current Paris bookstore, and Sylvia Beach, who founded the original, were very close friends. She even toyed with reopening her original shop with him, again under the name Shakespeare and Company. Two years after she died, he renamed his bookstore (Le Mistral) to Shakespeare and Company in her memory in 1964, as he thought that's what she would have liked. He also named his only daughter after her. As it happens, the second Shakespeare and Company also became a hub for authors like Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, James Baldwin, and many of the Beats. It's the sister shop of City Lights in San Francisco, with a similar author history. Whitman was awarded the Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His daughter now runs the store. So in Paris there were two Shakespeare and Company bookstores, both extremely famous at different critical times in literary history, whose respective owners were very close, and which were both basically set up the same way. I think it's reasonable to say that they're both the "real" Shakespeare and Company. That's a far cry from the NYC situation.

echan00 4y ago

Lmao

juntan 4y ago

Would also highly recommend the HousingWorks Bookshop in Soho - they have a really incredible selection of both fiction and nonfiction, as well as art books. I am a fan of Book Thug Nation in Williamsburg, Molasses Books in Bushwick, and Mercer St. Books right near Washington Square Park.