Best of the Web

  • Opened in 2003, this bookstore in Chelsea also has exhibits and hosts readings, signings, and discussions.
  • Books for and about children, and numerous resources for parents and teachers. At Broadway and 112th.
  • This self-proclaimed radical bookstore in the Lower East Side is also an activist center and fair trade cafe.
  • A general independent bookstore in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, this store has a commitment to Brooklyn authors and hosts a reading series.
  • New York City's oldest and largest independent children's bookstore, specializing in children's literature both new and old.
  • Have a layover at Port Authority Bus Terminal? Drop by the Drama Book Shop, only a block away. Your source for materials on all aspects of the performing arts since 1917.
  • This Columbia Heights/Red Hook, Brooklyn neighborhood used book store also sells wine, beer, coffee, tea, and corn dogs!
  • Located in Rockefeller Center, this bookstore has maps, dictionaries, adult and children's books in French, Spanish, and German.
  • A longtime champion of experimental and controversial literature. (A Finnegan's Wake reading group meets on the premises.)
  • Magazines, newspapers, and books in Hindi, Gujrati, Bengali, Telegu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Urdu.
  • This Soho store's appealing physical space includes spiral staircases and mahogany balconies, and all of the stores profits go towards programs for homeless people with HIV/AIDS.
  • One of the nation's largest retailers in African-American titles, recently opened its new store in Harlem.
  • A Japanese-language bookstore at a convenient midtown location. Also carries books in English on Japanese history and culture, the Japanese language, martial arts, and other subjects.
  • Near Columbia University, specializing in scholarly and university press books.
  • The oldest and largest Spanish-language bookstore in the United States.
  • Featuring books from the NYPL's own publication division New York books and gifts children's books and toys jewelry, novelties and lots more.
  • This general bookstore in Nolita comes equipped with a tea house and an active events calendar.
  • "We enjoy tracking down, buying and selling interesting, esoteric and weird books."
  • Specializing in mystery, crime, suspense, espionage, and detective fiction, from their W 56th St. location.
  • The world's oldest gay and lesbian bookstore has been serving the West Village since 1967.
  • This Brooklyn bookstore has books in Polish and to learn Polish.
  • Specializing in rare books and manuscripts on Spain and Portugal, as well as recently published titles from Portugal.
  • Located in the heart of Manhattan, this bookstore and publishing house offers a beautiful setting and titles in the categories of architecture, art, fashion, interior design, and photography.
  • An independent bookstore with six locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
  • Located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, this store "specializes in Used, Rare and New books on Contemporary Art, Architecture and various Design fields, with an emphasis on Imported or hard-to-find."
  • This East Village store is the place to go for cultural theory, poetry and small press titles, graphic design, and film studies.
  • Shop online or at the convenient 2nd Avenue location for Armenian books. The store is part of St. Vartan's Church.
  • A New York fixture since 1927, featuring rare books, collectibles, and new titles at great prices.
  • A Greenwich Village shop where the staff is well-read and the environment encourages discourse.
  • This small shop on Carmine Street sells remaindered books with a focus on politics, philosophy and art.