Here’s a bibliophile’s dream day. You’re in New York City and you have the day to yourself (or you’re sharing it with a fellow bibliophile), and all you have to do is to visit bookstore after bookstore after bookstore. So go ahead and indulge yourself. The following tour is arranged in a geographical fashion that will move you through the city from south to north.
Instructions
1. Start at the Strand. If you’re able to tear yourself away from this incredible bookstore, you’ll have mastered the appropriate self-discipline for the rest of the tour. Located at the corner of Broadway and 12th Street, this cavernous building, advertised as “18 miles of books,” is truly filled with something for everyone. You’ll find books on every subject imaginable; check out particularly the New York, cookbook and fiction sections on the first floor. Upstairs you’ll find an impressive collection of art books.
2. Head west to Greenwich Village for a stop in one (or more) of special interest bookstores. The Biography Book Shop at Bleeker and 11th carries a full spectrum of new biographies, the Science Fiction Shop at 214 Sullivan at Bleeker will carry you off to the future, and the Oscar Wilde Bookshop specializes in gay and lesbian material.
3. Move on to Midtown for a stop at the Argosy Book Store at 116 East 59th Street for a look at their vast collection. Founded over 80 years ago, the Argosy specializes in Americana. However, you’ll find all kinds of out-of-print and collectible books here, including volumes on the history of science and medicine and lots of modern first editions. Take time to look through their fascinating stacks of old maps while you’re there.
4. Make another Midtown stop at Rizzoli (31 West 57th at 5th Avenue). The classic beauty of the store itself is enough reason to go, but the eclectic selection of books available here increases your tendency to want to stay put for the rest of the day. Take a look particularly at the extensive collection of books on design and fashion.
5. Conclude your tour with a visit to a bookstore in one of the lovely museum shops. At the Museum of Modern Art, the store offers an interesting variety of books as do the stores in the Metropolitan Museum and the Whitney (both located Uptown).
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