“She always has her nose in a book.” As a kid I got used to hearing this from my grandmother, who really believed that idle hands were the Devil’s workshop. Luckily my parents appreciated my obsession, which has persisted almost undiminished. So today’s post is a a public service for the like-minded—all of you who would take an afternoon in a hammock with a pile of books over a stroll in the park anyday.

This feature originated almost ten years ago and has grown steadily as more and more aventurous booksellers have stood up to the big boxes and the online opportunities that continue to proliferate. I lead with a landmark that nearly slipped under the radar due to the pandemic: the opening of The Center for Fiction, in downtown Brooklyn, in 2019. 

This bookstore/cafe is the public face of a not-for-profit which is the transmutation of the Mercantile Library of New York into the country’s only organization dedicated to offering books for sale and to borrow; space for writers to write; educational programs for all ages; public programs and events for readers of all ages; all covering nothing but FICTION. In fact, when the Merc, as it was known, reformulated its mission back in 2002, part of the work involved carefully deaccessioning all works of non-fiction from its collections. You can read the history of the city’s oldest library, which first opened in 1821 here.

The Center for Fiction, 15 Lafayette Street, Brooklyn, NY Info

Cheers as well to DART subscriber/booklovers for their support of this growing list of independent and museum/gallery bookshops. If you have additions for this list, or any corrections, please email peggy@ai-ap.com. Happy reading!

Downtown

Yu & Me Books, bookstore/café/bar at 44 Mulberry Street. Here you will find fiction, non-fiction, poetry, graphic novels, and works sourced from the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, as well as a rotating selection of local art for sale.

Above: Hauser & Wirth Publishers, 548 West 22nd Street, NY NY

Hauser & Wirth Publishers, 548 West 22nd Street, NY NY. Housed in the former DIA building, the gallery's current location includes their bookstore, which, together with the Roth Bar serves as a hub for artists, students and the local community, presenting a range of public programs conceived by Hauser & Wirth Publishers with curators, writers and other collaborators.

McNally Jackson Books, 4 Fulton Street at South Street Seaport, 52 Prince Street, and 76 N. 4th Street, Williamsburg. Many author events. Also in the lobby at The Shed, 545 West 30th Street. 

Housing Works Bookstore Café (above) 126 Crosby Street, NY, NY.Used books, movies, music, special events; great coffee and sweets.

The Mysterious Bookshop, 55 Warren Street, NY, NY Mystery fiction in all its genres, and British imports.

The ICP Bookstore, 79 Essex Street, NY, NY

Tenement Museum Shop, 97 Orchard Street, NY, NY. Well chosen array of books about New York and New York-themed gifts.

Bluestockings Bookstore, 172 Allen Street, NY, NY. Politics, feminism, gender-bending titles, café, and events.

The Drawing Center Bookstore, 35 Wooster Street, NY, NY. Small, highly eclectic.

Codex, 1 Bleecker Street, NY, NY. Used books bought and sold, sxspecializing in literary fiction and art books; live music, and poetry readings.

Clic Bookstore & Gallery, 255 Centre Street, NY, NY. Photography, art, fashion, and celebrities; author events.

New Museum, 235 Bowery, opposite Prince Street, NY, NY. Books, objects, gift items.

Perrotin Store, 130 Orchard Street, NY, NY. Ed. Note: In my Pantheon of beautiful artbook stores (above). Art books, limited editions and artists multiples.

Dashwood Books, 33 Bond Street, between Bowery and Lafayette, NY, NY. Photography, including rare editions; author events, Dashwood Books imprint. 

Mercer Street Books & Records, 206 Mercer Street, NY, NY. Out-of-print art books and vinyl LPs.

Karma Gallery Bookstore, 136 East 3rd Street, NY, NY Artists books, art periodicals and catalogues

Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, 28 East Second Street, NY, NY. Cookbooks, memoirs, and the occasional tasting.

East Village Books and Records, 99 St. Marks Place, NY, NY. Neighborhood staple for used books & CDs, oddities.

Mast Books, 66 Avenue A, NY, NY. Bright and clean neighborhood bookstore, with affordable used paperbacks along with high-priced out-of-print art books.

Above: Artbook at MoMA PS1; photo Isabelle Baldwin

Whitney Museum Bookstore, 99 Gansevoort Street, NY, NY. Modern and contemporary American art, gifts.

McNally Jackson Books (above), 52 Prince Street. Regular author events. Also in the lobby at The Shed, 545 West 30th Street. 

Strand Books, 828 Broadway, NY, NY. The mother of them all.

David Zwirner Books, in the gallery at 537 West 20th Street, NY, NY. The powerhouse gallery is the only art gallery publisher with major worldwide distribution; the online store is here.

Harper/s Books/Harper/s Chelsea, 534 West 22nd Street, NY, NY. Rare contemporary works.

Printed Matter, Inc., 231 Eleventh Avenue, NY, NY. Artist books, prints, and limited editions; also at The Swiss Institute, 38 St. Marks Place, NY, NY. Printed Matter, Inc. at The Swiss Institute, 38 St. Marks Place, NY, NY. Main branch at 231 Eleventh Avenue, NY, NY. Artist books, prints, and limited editios; many events, workshops.

St. Marks Comics, 11 St. Marks Place, NY, NY. Flagship for current and vintage comics and toys. Locations downtown and in Brooklyn.

Three Lives & Company, 238 West 10^th Street, NY, NY. “A haven for people who read,” and a “neighborhood touchstone.” Still going strong in a new location.

Above: Lin Manuel Miranda signing at Drama Book Shop, 250 West 40^th Street

Alabaster Bookshop, 122 4^th Avenue, NY, NY. Used and rare, well-chosen art, antiques, and photography.

Bookdummypress pop-up shop, 34A Cooper Square, rare and self-published photobooks. Check website for hours and info.

Carmine Street Comics, 34 Carmine Street, NY, NY. Superheroes, manga, open mic, artist-in-residence, events.

The Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway and 12^th Streets, NY, NY. “Eighteen miles of books” – all kinds, new, used, graphic novels, art, design, architecture, celebrities, and 1 buck items on the street; author events.

Forbidden Planet, 832 Broadway, NY, NY. Cult sci-fi, comics, collectibles.

Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street, and 217 West 84th Street NY, NY. Beginning readers through YA; regular schedule of author events.

Idlewild Books, 12 West 19^th Street, NY, NY. Specializing in travel guides, world literature, foreign language books, and language courses. Also in Williamsburg.

Forbidden Planet, 832 Broadway, at 13^th Street, NY, NY. One stop shopping for avatars and comics freaks.

Posman Books at Chelsea Market, 75 9^th Avenue, NY, NY. Newest of 3 locations, with special children’s section, gifts. Also at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Rizzoli Bookstore, 1133 Broadway, NY, NY. Another mother of them all, and still one of NYCs most beautiful bookstores. (above), with regular schedule of author events.

The Old Print Shop, 150 Lexington Avenue, between 28-29^th Streets, NY, NY. An art gallery and bookstore specializing in American graphic arts, antiquarian maps, atlases, and contemporary and modern artists books.

McNally Jackson at The Shed, 545West 30th Street, NY, NY 

JHU Comic Books, 32 East 32nd Street, NY, NY.

Midtown Comics Grand Central, 459 Lexington, 2^nd floor, NY, NY.

Uptown

Assouline Luxury Books and Gifts at the D&D, 979 Third Avenue, #101; at the Plaza Hoeel, 768 Fifth Avenue; at the Mark Hotel, 25 East 77^th Street, NY, NY.

The Drama Book Shop, 250 West 40^th Street, NY, NY.  New York’s longest-running source for everything on drama, now has an expresso bar to fuel creative pursuits.

Kinokuniya New York, 1073 Sixth Avenue, NY, NY. Japanese and American huge selection, all categories; superb stationery, craft, school supplies.

Bookoff, 49 West 45th Street, NY, NY. Also for Japanophiles: Used books, DVDs, records, collectibles, "for people who don't waste."

MoMA Store, 11 West 53^rd Street, NY, NY [left]. Art, design, photography, furnishing, gifts; without doubt, the mother of all museum stores, with two locations inside and a third across the way. 

Argosy Book Store, 116 East 59^th Street, NY, NY. Rare and used books, prints, maps, and autographs. 

The New York Public Library Shop, Fifth Avenue between 40-42^nd Streets. "Penguin orange" kiosks featuring deluxe paperback literature with fantastic cover art. Located adjacent to the Library Shop.

The Store at Museum of Arts and Design, 2 Columbus Circle, NY, NY. Art, design, jewelry, furnishing, and books on these subjects.

Shakespeare & Co. Booksellers, 939 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY. Literary bookstore, newly renovated UES location has Expresso self-publishing service, book club and scheduled events. Textbook buy-and-sell.

Ursus Books & Prints, 699 Madison Avenue, 3^rd Floor, NY, NY. Art books, rare items, prints.

Gagosian Shop (above), 976 Madison Avenue, NY, NY. Limited editions, multiples, contemporary artists books, printed matter, objects, gifts. Rare, refined, intriguing.

Archivia Books, 993 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY. Architecture, art, design, decorative arts, gardens, interiors.

Westsider Rare & Used Books, 2246 Broadway, near 80th Street, NY, NY. Used, rare, and contemporary fiction, crime, pulp fiction, vinyl LPs, toys, novelties.

The Corner Bookstore (above), 131 Madison Avenue, NY, NY. Neighborhood mainstay; readings; children's program

Logos Bookstore, 1575 York Ave, New York, NY

Books of Wonder, 217 West 84th Street NY, NY. Beginning readers through YA; events.

Albertine Books (right), 972 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY [left]. Books in French and English, within the French Embassy; events, children’s programs. My UES favorite, partout.

Museum of the City of New York Store, Fifth Avenue at 103^rd Street, NY, NY. “All things New York City.” Books, photographic prints, gifts.

Strand Books, a new branch at the former Book Culture location at 450 Columbus Avenue, 81-82 Streets, New York, NY

Book Culture, 53 West 112th Street; 2915 Broadway at 114^th Street; and 2 more; please check website. Old school and forward-looking, catering to the academic community and everyone in the neighborhood. 

Word Up Community Bookshop, 2113 Amsterdam Avenue, NY, NY. A multi-language general-interest neighborhood bookshop and art space in Washington Heights; literary readings, music concerts, film screenings workshops etc. for kids and adults.

Brooklyn, Queens & Bronx

Astoria Bookshop, 31-29 31st Street, Queens, NY. 

Artbook@ MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, NY. Bleeding edge art and design.

powerHouse Arena, 28 Adams Street, DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY;1111 8^th Street, Park Slope; 220 36^th Street, Industry City. Regular book launch events.

Spoonbill & Sugartown, 218 Bedford Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY.

Word, 126 Franklin Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY. Books, gifts, stationery, kids’ stuff, events—including workshops for both writers and readers.

Above: Artbook@ MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue

Archestratus, 160 Huron Street, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY. Foodies' paradise, classes, tastings, book clubs and more on the Fact and Fiction of Food. Adults only.

Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton Street (at S. Portland), Fort Greene, Brooklyn, NY.

Idlewild Books, 249 Warren Street, Brooklyn, NY. Specializing in travel guides, world literature, foreign language books, and language courses. Also in Manhattan at 617 Hudson Street.

McNally Jackson Books, 76 N. 4th Street, Williamsburg; 4 Fulton Street at South Street Seaport, and 52 Prince Street. Many author events. Also in the lobby at The Shed. 

Book Thug Nation (above), 100 N 3rd Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Used literary fiction, film, philosophy, graphic novels and more, and events.

Topos Bookstore Cafe, 788 Woodward Avenue, Ridgewood, Queens, NY. Used books in many languages. “We buy and trade used books for $$ or store credit.”

Books Are Magic, 225 Smith Street, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Owned and operated by former employee of BookCourt; many events, open 7 days.

Cafe Con Libros, 724 Prospect Place, Brooklyn, NY. “Explicitly feminist, with hand-pick titles for kids and adults that focus on female narratives.”

Community Bookstore, 143 Seventh Avenue, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY Community mainstay.

The Lit.Bar, the first and stikll only brick and mortar bookstore serving the 1.4 million people and 10 colleges and universities of the Bronx (above). 131 Alexander Avenue, Mott Haven, The Bronx

Molasses Books / Café / Bar, 770 Hart Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY

Terrace Books, 242 Prospect Park West, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, NY Bookend of Community Bookstore

Unnameable Books, 600 Vanderbilt Avenue between Dean & St. Mark's, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, NY. New, used, events.

The BookMark Shoppe, 8415 3^rd Avenue, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY. Events, including knit/crochet Club, customer reviews.

Galaxy Comics Inc, 6823 5^th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY [Bay Ridge]

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