This is the fifth in a series of reports for holiday book shoppers. After running around all week in search of NYC's best bookshops for arts and culture, I was ready for a break. So I slogged through the sleet yesterday to McNally Robinson, at 52 Prince Street, between Lafayette and Mulberry Streets.

One of the city's largest independent booksellers, McR, as it's ID'd on the awning, is segmented into shelf-lined nooks that feel almost like a home library. The Art and Photography section is smartly adjacent to one on New York and one on Culture. All together, the carefully selected titles in this zone offer a visual culture immersion. And there are plenty of comfortable seats so you can settle in for some serious browsing.

Photos: Peggy Roalf
Unlike mega-stores that rely on dozens of copies of the same title to make interesting displays, here you'll find, for the most part, one copy of each on shelves. This enhances the library feel and makes it possible to reach out and grab as many books at a time as you can handle.

A wall full of new graphic novels includes Shooting War (Grand Central, 2007) by Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman; Anthony will be here on January 8 to talk with Mark Crispin Miller and sign books. In the same run of shelves was Adrian Tomine's hotly anticipated Shortcomings (Drawn & Quarterly, 2007). Original art by Adrian is still available for sale at Giant Robot New York, NY, in the East Village. Please check the website for details.

The third title in this area that caught my eye was Marjani Satrapi's The Complete Persepolis (Pantheon, 2007). The story of her childhood and coming of age in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution has been adapted into a movie from Sony Picture Classics, to be released on Christmas Day. And Marjani will be at McR for a talk and book signing tonight at 7:00 pm.

The selection of illustrated books is good, with many surprising volumes from small publishers such as Ginko Press and Damiani. Also, the carefully considered categories makes books that truly belong together adjacent. For example, Misshapes (powerHouse, 2007), a collection of portraits of punk rockers, fashionistas, celebrities and DJs posed in downtown New York's riotous environment, is in the NYC/Culture area, rather than buried among the photography books.

If that's not enough, spend some time browsing one of the best arts and culture magazine stands in town. The carefully selected offerings provide an alternative to more mainstream consumer periodicals. You can have your Metropolis and Bomb, and also find lots of adventurous new publications, such as N + 1, Esopus and Bidou.

McNally Robinson is a welcoming spot for booklovers. Its cafe, with free wi-fi, offers a nice menu of drinks, snacks, sandwiches and desserts. The store is open daily from 10am to 10pm, but closes at 9pm on Sundays.