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Category: Bookstores [Edit]
Neighborhood: Greenwich VillageStarting Friday 11/13, get a free holiday tote bag, designed by a Strand Staffer, with purchase of $50 or more in the store or online.
Announced 1 week agoUnion Square (4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W)
Mon-Sat. 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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This is one of my favorite bookstores in the world. With three floors, 10 foot-high stacks and a seemingly endless number of books, I could spend an entire day browsing the book selection here or know that they stock virtually any book. I also like the table displays which feature lesser-known works from some of my favorite authors.
It's also nice that they have their own list of top fiction books (the Strand 80) and feature all of the books on a table upfront.
Also, their $1 racks outside contain hidden gems ripe for the finding.
This place is amazing! I frequent the dollar books outside. Yes, it takes a lot of looking but every once in a while you will find some really great books. Inside, there is every book imaginable. I am a cookbook fiend and they have all the good ones.
The best thing about the Strand is that all of the books are discounted, even if its just a little bit. I have to say though, as much as I love this book store, the people are not always particularly helpful. The store can be overwhelming and sometimes you could use a little bit of help. Oh well, I love getting lost in this place!
Well, it's a big landmark of a bookstore. They've got some interesting stuff here. The sheer volume [no pun intended] is impressive. I picked up four books for about $27 total.
They have a large variety of Strand-branded merch for all your touristy needs. I may snag a bag my own self if I hit it again before my trip is over.
Overwhelming, books flowing everywhere. Even the (more relaxed) rare book department has the same character -- there are possibly rare books on shelves that haven't been priced or inspected since the 70s, according to the clerks. Well, it's better than putting them in a warehouse.
Only four stars because (1) the basement layout is pretty confusing, and the handling of oversize books could be better, and (2) I can't get mobile reception anywhere in the basement. No, I'm not trying to chat, just want to...use the internet a little.
Dear Strand (my literary jumpoff),
sometimes i like to go look and spend my time at Barnes & Noble, but you know i always come back to you. you can be really pretentious and uppity, but i'll let it go because i know you're really a cheap mess. and i'm reallyy into that.
love you boo,
Julia S. J.
Quantity does not make quality.
Not to be contrarian, but what makes people think highly of this store is a mystery. It has all the feel of a garage sale. In fact, I wonder if New Yorkers like it so much because they don't usually experience a garage sale otherwise, the city being what it is. Anyway, yeah, there are lots of books, and sometimes you find what you want, but mostly it's dusty dated junk that is undesirable and overpriced.
Additionally, they are somehow incredibly picky about what they buy back from you - mint condition recent publications, good condition Pulitzer prize or Whitbread book of the year nonwithstanding.
In the age of Amazon used books, http://Half.com, and eBay, what's the point of schlepping here to buy or sell?
You end up paying more, assuming they actually have what you want. Or you stand outside in line waiting to sell books they won't take.
Check out Kenneth G.'s review posted 11/5/2009. Ditto that. Plus the above.
Before visiting New York City for the first time I made a special effort to scope out a few shops and restaurants online. Strand Bookstore was at the top of the list. I have interest in a wide array of books; everything from art books, comic books, fiction, science fiction, photography, political science, etc.
Upon entering Strand I was blown away. Given the sheer volume of books and the atmosphere of the place I knew that I would be spending hours digging and finding all sorts of weird and rare books. I wound up being half right, in that I spent hours digging... but all I found was overpriced leftovers. Their science fiction/fantasy section was particularly abysmal, containing a bunch of Robert Jordan hardcovers and little else.
To make a long story short, this place has the feel of having been picked dry a long time ago and the inventory has not been tended to since. Much like a large public library where all the good books are "missing". Even the massive art section seemed to be taken up with disorganized bins containing old art magazines. They did however have a good selection of fine art monographs and photography books.
I really wanted to like this place, but the lack of decent selection is amazing given the volume of books. I looked for hours, but in section after section I came up empty. In the end I just bought a discounted Noam Chomsky book that I could have bought anywhere. I guess if you want discounted new books or if you just like casually browsing then Strand will do. But for serious book freaks this place offers little more than your standard Borders, but with a better atmosphere.
Well, I really did like this place, I have these childhood fantasies of books, ladders, and singing, oh and falling in love with a beast who really was a prince so really- in the end it all works out in my favour. This bookstore was something along those lines. Ladders, a staff who stands around talking to eachother as the elderly climb up the ladders, and crowds of people in every small ass space.
Then it happened, the beast.
This man came up to me in a small dark aisle filled with chinese american history books. And asked me if the books were half off. Just to ease into the conversation, clearly.
"Excuse me, do you hand model?' You just have really nice looking hands and long fingers- I just had to ask"
The most terrifying question of my life.
"No."
I want to leave, now.
"Well don't get me wrong, you're pretty and all but you have really nice hands. It's something to consider if all else fails."
Run, Lauren, Run.
"Um, thanksbye"
*gasp for air and then bought my touristy Strand tote bag in a cute feminine pattern*
I like this place, it's where some books go to get a new owner and others go to die, but definitely saving some trees here, since a lot of the books are secondhand.
Today as I passed by I saw a girl adorably looking at the one dollar stack outside, waiting for the uncovered treasure to show itself! The man with her looked confused by the whole thing. Why am I here again? Classic!
You could see him wondering..Why can't we just buy it new? Why do we have to search for things? Things we don't even know we need or want until we see them? Why? Isn't easier to get it from Amazon, B&N or anything that'll take 10 minutes or less? Ahh but the thrill of the treasure-hunter is not that easily satisfied by efficiency and effectiveness, who knows where the Holy Grail hides! ;)
On that note, great selection of kid's books as well!
Strand is not just a bookstore, it is a landmark. You would be amazed by its scale, book volume, and PRICE!.
They have the unbeatable prices and most importantly - cheap Moleskines. They are usually few bucks cheaper than B&N.
Also, you will also find surprises at the $1 book rack outside the store. I bought a $1 Frida Kahlo Autobiography and inside it came with postcards, newspaper cuttings, etc. (I'm a big Frida fan)
this is really my favorite bookstore. they have about any book you can find. the minute i come in i usually find the book i'm looking for. i love their list of the top 80 fiction books, and their leather-bound book collection. there are so many gems in this place. everything is suprisingly easy to find, and you really can't complain about the discounts they have on just about every book. why would you go to a place like barnes and noble or borders when the strand is an option! sure it is a little hot in here but i dont really mind with all these books around me honestly
This place is ridiculous. Ridiculously amazing! The Strand lives up to expectations and then some!
The prices are unbelievable - you can easily pay 1/3 of the sticker price or less on fairly popular books. They have every book you'd ever want ever and they're all literally stuffed into the shelves of the store. The place is literally overflowing with books. It's very hard to navigate if you're looking for something specific, but there are helpers/shelvers everywhere, so you're never lost. The lines wrap around the store sometimes, but that's ok, because it goes uber quickly. The cashiers are a bit aggressive in getting you to the register and out, but that's definitely appreciated when there's a line of 30 people in front of you.
Note to New Yorkers - this is a great place to kill time with visitors. They're always impressed.
Some places just overwhelm the fuck out of me
This is one of them
However, it's not necessarily a bad thing. I took a bunch of used books I got for free here to sell, the guy behind the counter looked thorugh them immediately, I got some nice coin in my pocket and room on my bookshelf for other useless crap. They definitely know what they're doing in here. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes.
However, the time before when I went to "just browse" I was in there for hours. Sucks you right in. I guess that's the point.
I love the smell of this place, both musty and dry like a bit of mold creeping up a dehumidifier--a contradiction of smells that makes me want to find the nearest corner and curl up to explore the world.
This place is massive--3 floors, 10-foot-high stacks, books in piles--and they have great selections of used and new books. Strand is simply the best place to buy books in the city. While there are better versions of this kind of bookstore (Powell's in Portland, Tattered Cover in Denver, etc), unless you want to hop a plane, this is the spot.
As advertised, this place is huge and pretty much *the* place to go in NYC for books. I'll admit to being disappointed with the selection, however. While they do offer decent discounts on new books, the used selection is erratic. In nonfiction, for example, I had trouble finding what I wanted by Mark Twain but counted approximately 50 copies of Reading Lolita in Tehran. It would seem that they traffic in the most popular selections, which isn't always my taste. As my girlfriend said, "you may have eight miles of books, but only one mile of anything interesting." The store is also overcrowded and occasionally hard to navigate. I was disappointed.
BEST book store EVER!!
Gotta love the more then half off prices. I get so overwhelmed when I come here. There's so much to choose from and they have everything.
Go here, you'll spend so little and get so much out of it.
If you have any literary inclinations what-so-ever, then you need to visit this bookstore. Although no bookstore will ever have every copy of every book, you can still find most anything good at this one. And unlike B&N, buying a copy of Proust or F. Scott won't necessarily set you back $20. Also unlike B&N, you can find cool out-of-print books.
If you're a really cheap bastard, you can find plenty of $1 books immediately outside the store.
The Strand is one of my favorite bookstores in NYC. Though there are many reasons, my main is that I live for inscriptions found inside used books at The Strand*:
"Hey Masha...
...I wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and that you will fulfill yourself - that your dreams and wishes become reality...
...stay wild!
... by the way... this book is my favorite book... so HONEY! I hope you will like it...
-Sandra"
*Found in a clearly unread copy of The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
This is not a bookstore to come to when you have something specific in mind. The lanes are cluttered, only semi-organized, and several major works by major authors are missing (depending on the day of the week and whether NYU is in session or not).
That being said, this IS the place to come and get lost in row upon row of interesting tomes that one never knew existed but now - having seen them - can't live without. I can't walk into that bookstore anymore without at least $100 to blow; I always walk out with an armful of low-priced books that I then devour over the next few weeks. Their rare books section is also amazing (I've had to procure a few for work in the past), so if that's your thing, definitely call ahead and see what's what (but be prepared for the prices: $15,000 for a first edition Alice in Wonderland, as an example).
All in all, what a bookstore SHOULD be (minus the snooty workers and clientele); crowded, byzantine, piled-high, and completely disconnected from the outside world. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back... now if only I had $100 to spare...
Name your top favorite bookstores...ready...Go! STRAND definitely is in my top 2 in the USA thus far (Powell's in Portland, OR taking 2nd). I could get lost in here for weeks and be very very happy. The smell of old books, the sweet deals, the great selection, the people...it's heaven. This is your ideal way to spend a day when you have no pressing events and just want to wander and discover. I have a thing for buying a few books, sauntering outside and down the block, and reading over a cup of chocolate soup at Max Brenner's Chocolate Shop. Ok, I'll be honest...I even brought a date here...and he loved it! :)
Great prices! Great selection! I like how books are organized. I go to Strand every week.
No places to sit, horrible customer service.
Also, you had to check your bag until recently. Now, you don't have to. Thank you very much. Am I suspected of stealing a book? Then put an alarm on it or something.
That's a great bookstore but I suspect (like other reviewers) that people that work here are not getting paid at all. They just ignore you.
The chance to wander around this bookstore was one of the things I was most excited about when I relocated back to New York. Their selection is truly mind blowing, their prices can't be beat, and it has a disorganized charm you won't find at a chain store.
I LOVE this place.
If you are browsing, it can be a little overwhelming. However, if there is something specific you are looking for -- it can be a puzzle! I would recommend looking up the book online at their website and placing an order for it. You can pay online and pick it up at the checkout counter when you go in. Takes all but a few minutes.
Now -- if you needed something immediately - I would call them up, find out if they have a book and have them hold it at the checkout counter. Then, you can just walk in, get on line, pay for it and be out.
Strand is a wonderful source of amazing books for awesome prices. Sometimes you just need to know how to get them to work for you!
The Annotated Version of Alice and Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass...
I've found you!
And for only $15. Significantly less than competitors.
Lots of inexpensive delights for the brain-I'm happy.
PROS:
-it's a book store
-things are cheap
-$3 manga
CONS:
-stuff is hard to find
-it's strand
ETC:
once i overheard the employees in strand reading the yelp reviews of strand out loud to each other. yes, the people who work here mostly appear to be paid on the basis of how they can ignore and be cooler than you. there are some good deals here, though. i got a used copy of gatsby here for $1.50. that was a steal. new copies are only two dollars less than suggested price, however it took me forever to find it, because i went alphabetical to 'fitzgerald' instead of looking at the random tables. huh. tldr: used books are fun and cheap here, new books not so much.
also- i come from portland, oregon, home of the world famous Powell's Books. people who go on about how 'big' strand is will be shot on sight.
$1 books!!!!!!! The bookstore for a bibliophile such as myself. I could just browse here for hours on end. The Strand has several books that are advance copies (meaning that they were meant for reviewers only) for sale, so it's possible to pick up a book before it's officially out.
Oh, Strand. How to review you? First, let's complain. The heat is so oppressive in this store that after 5 minutes in the stacks, I want to die and never read again. I thought it was just for the summer months, but by God, I was there on a cold day and wanted to sit on the floor and cry or be given a bucket of ice to carry with me to all the floors of the store, particularly, the lower level where it is always the worst summer death-heat of your imagination. I want to browse; I want to find specific things; it's impossible to do either when you are having heat stroke. I HATE YOU STRAND for this only. Put some GODDAMNED air conditioning in there. I'm only going back for emergencies now. And hey- how ABOUT a chair? Would it KILL you to have a comfortable customer just once in a moon?
Ok, now, if the Strand should ever cease to be, I'd be devastated, because they are, you know, the Strand, still standing, and you can get a book for a dollar if you'd like to. They almost never have THE book I went in looking for, though when they do, it's a thrill, but it's hard to leave empty handed in any case. There are so many gosh-darned books about everything, so, you buy some.
I do wish the staff could be a tad more....er...less....shlubby/hip I'm-More- Strand-Employed -Than -Thou, but usually if you engage one of Them nicely, they'll be nice back. Some just seem deeply unhappy, but keep in mind, they work in 95 degree heat all day long in a musty, dusty, allergy-inducing physical hellhole and have to deal with...well...Us, And face it, some of Us are not so groovy either. Oh Strand.
Don't get me wrong I like the Strand. But it has it's good and bad qualities.
[+]
-Huge selection of books; 2 floors
-Discounted prices
-Great of art, design and photography section
-$1 books outside
[-]
-Stuff is hard to find
-Usually Crowded; can be hot and stuffy
-No where to sit
-Customer services is ehh...
I enjoy going here from time to time to browse their art and design section but if I''m looking for something specific I'll go online, to avoid the crowd and having to talk to anyone who works there.
They treat their employees terribly and pay them nothing, have 100% crap selections in fiction, art, childrens, rare books, americana, philosophy, lets see what else? A totally FAKE new york institution. NOWHERE to sit. Stand in line for 2 hours after you squeeze down the tiny aisles past assholes having obnoxious conversations or tourists who don't understand personal space. Oh yeah, the prices are okay.
Go to barnes and noble. PLEASE.
if you like books, you will like this place.
if you are a big bookworm, you will love this place.
if you are a bibliophile, then again, you will fall in love with this place.
if you are literary addicted, in general, a bookworm, AND a bibliophile all at the same time, then im sure when a bookstore's tagline says "18 miles of books," you will have to stop and breathe a little. Try not to faint.
Finally got a chance to visit this legendary establishment. After perusing the art/design section and the rest of the store, I've completely sworn off buying ANYTHING from Barnes and Noble and similar chain stores. The sheer selection of specialty books destroys anything else other book stores attempt to offer. I managed to find the most helpful book on typography, and about 20 other design books I'll get down the line.
These guys ship anywhere, so if you're visiting the city, buy a book or three, and have them ship it to your house half way across the world.
The Strand will suck you in and gobble you up for a couple of hours if you're not careful. I found just about anything I could want to read, and things I didn't know existed, at an affordable price here. It's huge and well laid-out. If you have time and are willing to search the dollar racks, you can find some really good deals there, too.
I didn't deal directly with the staff, but I did notice a couple of incidents with a Strand employee being blatantly nasty. One ended with a woman screaming "Asshole!" at the guy and walking out. But since I don't know what went down, I won't dock any points for that.
Anyway, it's good for an inexpensive rainy afternoon nerd adventure.
Strand is so awesome I can prob live in the store for a year straight. Every time I'm in the store, I feel like I'm a pirate on a wonderful treasure hunt. I don't think I've ever left Strand not feeling excited and satisfied.
The store really has every category of books you can think of. The top level has rare books, the second level has a kids section and art books, the first level and basement has countless fiction/nonfiction categories. You could really find a great read anytime you're in the store.
I really, really should not have been permitted to enter this place unsupervised -- much like how you shouldn't let an alcoholic into a place that sells cheap liquor. I have a tiny problem with books, a problem that is complicated by the fact that everything in there is so cheap.
I walked out with three books, an act which showed incredible willpower on my part -- both for leaving with only three books and for leaving at all. Seriously, I could have stayed in that place all night -- there are books as far as the eye can see!
If you're female and you enjoy being followed by beardy dudes with glasses, then get your book on here. Book Boys will pay special attention to the hard cover you're thumbing through. After a few minutes of peering into your face you will be startled by an unfamiliar, sheepish voice. "Uh...excuse me....hi....sorry. Um... is it any good?"
Most likely I haven't read "Proust Was a Neuroscientist " if I'm fondling it in a bookstore where the curious crowd to purchase. It's quite possible I would have...but now I only wish to find the quickest escape route. So which way out exactly?
The old store is a multi-leveled maze with countless titles I have never and will never read, regardless how much I think I could or should. I'm not going to pretend that I'm an intellectual. I'm somewhat impatient and easily distracted. You may call it ADD-- well, methinks someone spends way too much time in the psychology section!
Besides, I would much prefer a barely legal German boy read me the classics. After I give him a sponge bath, I will use him for my libidinous and auditory pleasure.
Why do I feel like I've read this somewhere?
Can I just say that I love this place?
I had to travel 3000+ miles to buy the Twilight books (dirt cheap) so that the shame could not follow me home.
So, yeah. The Strand was pretty awesome: huge, labyrinthine, cheap. But don't think I didn't catch the smirk on the hipster check-out guy's face in reaction to my book selections. Your projected literary superiority is wasted on me, check-out man! When I'm not reading about teenage vampire love, I'm writing a dissertation on Old English poetry, I'll have you know.
Beware of the horrible staff at Strand. After receiving an email from Strand about their guidelines for selling books, I was confident that my books would be accepted. They were in excellent condition except for a few markings. Both the website and the automated telephone state that books with minor markings or worn pages are accepted. However, I was turned away by the staff today after carrying my books all around the city. The man in charge simply said "sorryyyyy" in a sarcastic tone. I felt like slapping him.
If that wasn't frustrating enough, the ignorant bag check man forgot to give me a card. It took him 5 minutes to finally find my belongings, and then he had the nerve to tell me that it was all my fault. Excuse me, but you do this all day long and you can't remember to hand each customer a stupid card?
I've also had a bad experience with the annex location, which is no longer in business. I bought some used books in the Psychology section all the way in the back of the store. I wound up carrying home bug mites and had my exterminator spread pesticides all over my bedroom. Apparently, they like to live in the pages of old books, which are found in moist places. Pretty gross! Be careful what books you choose. In the future, I think I'll stick to Amazon for cheap books that are safe enough to leave around in my bedroom.
Another review? Why not!
Our visit was notable for seeing two dogs fighting in the stacks. Probably over a copy of twilight or something. You just don't get that in bookstores in England.
But yes, lots of books blah 18 miles blah blah. Lots of merchandise too, so people know you are cool and have been to the Strand. Bet you didn't see doggy death-match though.
Prices were good, selection was good. I like you strand, well done.
OK, OK. I know that the Strand has this legacy, all those cool former employees who went on to rock bands and such, and yes, the collection and display of books is wonderful. You can also get a lot of nicely priced books, like hard covers for half the retail price and new titles a few dollars less than you would find at Barnes & Noble.
But God help you if you need to get a book off the top shelf or some help in locating something. Talking to a Strand employee is never pleasant. You pull them away from, I don't know, some epic project they're secretly working on behind the counter, and they act like you're a roach they accidentally stepped on.
I recommend this store for only browsing or if you know the title you seek is easy to find. If you need to find some exotic or rare specimen, you're definitely better off with the many other independent bookstores where the staff will treat you like a human being.
I love bookstores, but this place has its limitations.
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