Recommendations

A NYC institution, the Strand has a massive selection of books.

Guide: SoHo Mom (Grace)
Location: Union Square

Strengths

• Founded in 1927, The Strand is a family-owned, NYC institution. It originally ran from Union Square to Astor Place. The area was once known as “book row” and featured 48 bookstores. The Strand is the sole survivor.
• They have a massive selection of books – including over 2.5 million titles, or 18 miles of books as they put it. And despite their 55,000 square foot space, they’ve had to go vertical, like the rest of NYC (i.e. books are stacked from floor to ceiling)
• It's the ideal place for book lovers to browse and get excited by titles they didn't know existed.
• They have particularly large collections of art books and rare books, including first and signed editions.
• Almost all of their books are heavily discounted – even new fiction – so you don’t have to buy a used copy just to get a great price (or shop at the nearby, corporate bookstore that I won’t name…)

Shortcomings

• Millions of books + decades = dust.
• The staff members aren’t the most welcoming…maybe it’s all the dust they inhale all day.
• The store's mostly vertical layout means that lots of books are too high up to be easily accessible.
• There's no designated cafe or sitting area for when you can't choose between Everything is Illuminated and The Diana Chronicles.

Insider tips

• The Strand buys used books at the main Broadway store, Monday through Saturday 9:30am-6pm.
• Grab a Strand tote bag or t-shirt for extra NYC geek street cred.
• The store has lots of book signings and lectures by prominent authors - if you can’t make it to one, preorder your signed copy.
• The Strand’s kiosk at Central Park South is a great way to get a taste of the New York legend during midtown shopping sprees. It’s open from 10am to dusk (!) daily, from April through December.

Anecdotes

• I’m a Strand junkie. I usually go with a specific book in mind, and wind up buying at a least half dozen others. I love that they have both great bargains and rare finds. On my last visit, I glanced enviously into the rare book room and left with two novels priced at 50% off.