125 NYC Books We Love

New York City is many things: powerful, resilient, funny, fascinating, a center of culture and literary life—a city that contains multitudes. As the Library wraps up its 125th anniversary year, we pay tribute to the city we call home with a book list that reflects its diversity, energy, and life, plus city-centric storytimes for young readers, programs with famous New Yorkers, and more. 

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Best Books of 2020

The New York Public Library is proud to present our Best Books of 2020. Our annual recommendations for kids, teens, and adults, curated by our expert librarians, encompass fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, poetry, kids’ books in Spanish, and much more. Discover our top 10 books in five categories, then explore the lists in full.

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125 Books We Love for Teens

Check out our book list designed just for New York City teens. From graphic novels and modern classics to fantasy and romance, these books are filled with stories and characters that will be sure to make readers think, laugh, cry—and perhaps recognize a part of themselves.

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125 Books We Love

This special anniversary book list honors 125 titles from the past 125 years that made us fall in love with reading. Find out what made the list, then we want to hear from you! Tag us on social media and tell us what books made you #LoveReading.

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125 Kids Books We Love

Our expert librarians have selected 125 titles from the last 125 years that inspire those both young and young at heart to love reading—from timeless classics to new favorites. 

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  • Explore the Schomburg Center's Black Liberation Reading List

    For 95 years, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has preserved, protected, and fostered a greater understanding of the Black experience through its collections, exhibitions, programs, and scholarship. In response to the uprisings across the globe demanding justice for Black lives, the Schomburg Center has created a Black Liberation Reading List. The titles on the list represent books we and the public turn to regularly as activists, students, archivists, and curators, with a particular focus on books by Black authors and those whose papers we steward. (Download the list.)

    Book covers from the Schomburg Center's Black Liberation Reading List

  • NYPL's Essential Reads on Feminism

    As the 19th Amendment turns 100, The New York Public Library reflects on the history of suffrage and feminism with the publication of NYPL’s Essential Reads on Feminism for adults, teens, and kids.

    Discover the list and explore the Library's resources on feminism through its Digital Collections, research guides, online databases, and huge catalog of books, e-books, and more.

    Explore the List

  • NYPL's 2020 Election Reading List: Read. Think. Vote.

    As New Yorkers prepare for Election Day on November 3, the Library is proud to present its 2020 Election Reading List. The books on this list illuminate voting issues including healthcare, education, climate change, and foreign policy, and explore subjects including political polarization, the media, and movements toward greater justice and socioeconomic equity. Make an informed decision. Read as if your vote depends on it.

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Watch: Reading Brings Us Together

To honor the 125th anniversary of our founding, we asked 125 people to tell us about a book that inspired them to #LoveReading. Join a wide array of booklovers—from acclaimed authors to actors, musicians, and our own expert librarians—to celebrate the power of reading that brings us together, even when we’re apart.

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  • History Now: The Pandemic Diaries Project

    We’re experiencing a pivotal moment in our history right now—and we want to hear and preserve your story.

    The Pandemic Diaries Project invites you to submit, via an online form, audio recordings of yourself or your loved ones telling personal stories about life amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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  • Missing Sounds of New York: An Auditory Love Letter to New Yorkers

    The New York we know and love is one click away: cabs honking, pigeons cooing, bike messengers whizzing by, strangers gossiping, the hum of a local library. Anywhere you are can now become the city—all you need is Missing Sounds of New York, The New York Public Library’s new album.

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Top 10 Checkouts of All Time

Find out which books were checked out most since The New York Public Library opened its doors 125 years ago.

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Coming Soon: Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library

The New York Public Library will soon reopen its largest circulating branch after undergoing a full-scale renovation.

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  • LIVE from NYPL

    LIVE from NYPL—The New York Public Library’s premier cultural series—is now offering free online events that bring distinguished writers, artists, and scholars to your home for virtual conversations and performances.

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  • Shop the 125th Anniversary

    Find an assortment of special products honoring our 125 years of service, as well as thousands of items for literature lovers of all ages.

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  • Become a Member

    In celebration of our 125th year, we are offering exclusive membership benefits in 2020, including special shop discounts, a limited-edition tote bag, and more.

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The New York Public Library Through the Years

Black and white photograph sitting at a desk with a long line of children dressed in 20th century fashion.
Chatham Square Library, 1911
Black and white photograph of the exterior of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Early 20th century cars, a double-decker bus, and a horse-drawn carriage are outside.
Central Library at 42nd Street, ca. 1911
Black and white photograph of a crowd on the steps of the Schwarzman Building. A sign of a cartoon soldier reads: Books wanted for our men in camp and over there. 
World War I Book Drive on the plaza of the Central Library, 42nd. Street, ca. 1916
Black and white photograph of two men in wheelchairs each smiling and holding a book. A woman with a library cart stands beside them.
Outreach to Post-Graduate Hospital, 1923
Black and white photograph of a mixed-race group of children in early dress reading in a library.
Children's Reading Room in 135th Street Library, 1926
Black and white photograph of a library room packed with young adults. A caption notes: Student attendance is over 50,000 annually.
College students using the Bronx Reference Center in Fordham Library (now Bronx Library Center). 1938
Black and white photograph of four women sorting through a library cart and stacks of books.
Library staff shelving books in Port Richmond Library, Staten Island, 1947
Black and white photograph of a woman wearing a headband light offering another woman a similar device.
Library staff conducting stack maintenance, 1948
Black and white photograph of a line of children outside a bus filled with books.
The New York Public Library Bronx Bookmobile, ca. 1950s
Black and white photograph of four children reading at a circular table.
Children's Room in St. George Library, Staten Island

    • Lighting Up the Empire State Building

    In honor of our 125 years of serving New York City and beyond, the Empire State Building's lights featured the Library's signature red and white hues, signaling the Library's essential role as a beacon for knowledge, inspiration, and opportunity for all since its founding in 1895.

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