Summary

  • The Community Bookstore in Brooklyn's Park Slope is the oldest operating bookstore in Brooklyn and offers a wide range of new titles, events, and a knowledgeable staff. (143 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215)
  • McNally Jackson SoHo is an expansive independent bookstore known for its hard-to-find titles, author events, and a variety of book categories. (134 Prince St, New York, NY 10012)
  • Dashwood Books specializes in photography books, including rare finds and out-of-print titles, and has a unique atmosphere. (33 Bond St, New York, NY 10012)

New York City is known for many things, such as Central Park, its breathtaking skyscrapers, Broadway, its many cafes, and much more.

Among other top attractions in NYC, bookworms paying a visit to the Big Apple certainly won't want to miss out on the chance to spend time at some of the best bookstores the city has to offer. Without further ado, here are some of the best bookstores in New York City to get lost in when in search of a good read.

RELATED: 10 Perfect Bookstores For Bookworms To Visit In Glasgow

10 Community Bookstore

Park Slope street with houses to the left, a bicycle and trees by the pathway and some green, yellow, and pink plant life down the road.
Via: Photo by Ashe Walker on Unsplash
Park Slope Street in Brooklyn, New York City

Park Slope's Community Bookstore is a great spot for bookworms to visit in New York City. Opened in 1971, this Community Bookstore is the oldest operating bookstore in Brooklyn (which is a great part of NYC with attractions ranging from art to history).

The store is known for selling a wide range of new titles and has been praised for having a knowledgeable staff. Books are available for adults and kids alike. The Community Bookstore also sells gift cards and subscriptions (e.g., a Paperback Fiction subscription). The store offers events such as book club discussions too.

The Community Bookstore in Brooklyn's Park Slope area enjoys a solid 4.7-star score on Google Reviews from a total of 262 reviews. This bookshop is open from 10am to 7pm, seven days a week.

RELATED: Book Lovers: This Brooklyn Fall Festival Is A Must For Bibliophiles

9 McNally Jackson SoHo

McNally Jackson Bookstore Interior from the Spring Street Store, but part of the same chain as the SoHo store.
Via: Charles16e, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
McNally Jackson Bookstore Interior from the Spring Street Store, but part of the same chain as the SoHo store.

McNally Jackson has several stores dotted around the Big Apple. However, the pièce de résistance of this chain's stores is arguably McNally Jackson Books SoHo, which rightly earns its spot among the best bookshops in New York City.

This expansive independent bookstore is a great spot for purchasing hard-to-find titles and thus finds itself among the best bookstores in NYC. McNally Jackson SoHo is also known for hosting author events.

This SoHo bookseller provides a solid range of options, including monthly bestsellers, staff picks, new & noteworthy fiction, new & noteworthy non-fiction, audiobooks, and kids' books. Beyond that, it's possible to pick up some signed copies at McNally Jackson SoHo. This bookseller has a 4.8-star rating on Google Reviews from a whopping 1,329 reviews.

8 Dashwood Books

Person with wristwatch on reaches out to take a book from a bookshelf in a bookstore
Photo by Element5 Digital via Pexels
Person with wristwatch on reaches out to take a book from a bookshelf in a bookstore

Next on the list is perfect for photographers and fans of photography. Dashwood Books exclusively sells books on photography. These include rare finds and a range of out-of-print photography book titles.

Dashwood Books has received a 4.6-star rating on Google Reviews. The store is open from 12pm to 6pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Dashwood Books is closed on Mondays.

7 Sweet Pickle Books

Pickled cucumbers in jars with some outside jars
Via:Photo Mix, Pixabay, Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication
Pickled cucumbers in jars

Sweet Pickle Books is a quirky but neat used bookstore from Manhattan (an area in NYC with awesome neighborhoods ideal for first-timers). This used bookseller offers readers a chance to buy some pickles while considering what books to read. Its uniqueness helped it earn a Secret NYC Stamp of Approval.

Ultimately, Sweet Pickle Books is a great spot to enjoy food for thought... and literal food (especially healthy too). Sweet Pickle Books has a 4.6-star rating on Google Reviews. The store is open from 11am to 7pm, Monday to Sunday.

6 192 Books

View of the Empire State Building in the New York City skyline
Photo by Kit Suman on Unsplash
View of the Empire State Building in the New York City skyline

Another notable bookstore in NYC is the Chelsea-based 192 Books, which is about a 10-minute cab ride from the Empire State Building (which in itself is well worth a visit when in the Big Apple). It is also a five-minute drive from Moynihan Train Hall at New York's Penn Station, a likely arrival spot for many eastern US visitors if traveling by rail.

192 Books is a quiet bookstore offering a wide range of literary fiction along with various non-fiction titles (e.g., history, science, film, and photography books). The interior of the store is artsy in nature. This isn't a surprise considering that Paula Cooper (who is a gallery owner) runs the store alongside her husband, Jack Macrae, an editor for Henry Holt.

192 Books has a 4.5-star review from Google Reviews. As for opening hours, 192 Books is open for business between 11am and 7pm, seven days a week.

RELATED: New York City In A Day? It’s Possible With This All-In-One Tour

5 Cafe Con Libros

Two well-made coffees sat ahead of an open book on a wooden table
Via: Photo by Timothy Barlin on Unsplash
Two well-made coffees sat ahead of an open book on a wooden table

This bookstore and coffee shop located in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, is perfect for those who'd like to enjoy some brew and like a wide range of books, including those related to feminism. Cafe con Libros literally means 'coffee with books'. In terms of design, it is a wood-clad premise.

Cafe con Libros promotes itself as an intersectional feminist community bookstore and coffee shop. Notably, the bookstore sells audiobooks, signed books, and gift cards. Cafe con Libros is open from 9am to 3pm Wednesday to Monday but is closed on Tuesdays. Cafe con Libros enjoys a 4.7-star rating from 213 Google Reviews.

4 Books Are Magic

Plants and Flowers at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, Queens, featuring the Manhattan skyline in the background, New York City, USA
Shutterstock
Plants and Flowers at Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City, Queens, featuring the Manhattan skyline in the background, New York City, USA

This family-owned independent bookshop is located in Cobble Hill, about a 15-minute cab drive from Lower Manhattan. The store is owned by local author Emma Straub. Her titles include The Vacationers, Modern Lovers, and Laura Larmont's Life in Pictures.

Along with being a welcoming and inclusive bookstore, free and low-cost events often take place here. For instance, Books Are Magic sometimes holds events that can feature established or up-and-coming writers alike.

Books Are Magic is known for selling an array of rare and interesting books. What's more, authors often perform readings of their books in the bookstore. Books Are Magic has a 4.8-star rating on Google Reviews. It is open from 10am to 6pm, seven days a week.

3 Book Club Bar

A glass of red wine next to some chocolate with several books behind them, all on a marble table
Via: Photo by Kelly Visel on Unsplash
A glass of red wine next to some chocolate with several books behind them, all on a marble table

This independent bookstore and bar (found in the East Village of Manhattan), with the latter offering coffee and wine. The Book Club Bar offers a wide range of books, audiobooks, gifts & care packages, and gift cards.

This bookstore and bar also host a range of events, including author events and 'drinking & drawing' nights (sounds fun!). Another notable event taking place in September 2023 is their Drink N' Draft: Creative Writing Workshop.

As for the drink options provided at the Book Club Bar, customers can opt for cocktails, wines, beers, coffees and snacks, or/and teas. Almost 500 Google Reviewers have given the Book Club Bar a 4.7-star rating. Also, travelers who are a fan of cocktails will want to consider staying at New York City's best hotels with cocktail bars.

2 Strand Book Store

A woan sat reading a book at a New York Stand Bookstore with book shelves behind her
Via: Photo by S Turby on Unsplash
A woan sat reading a book at a New York Stand Bookstore with book shelves behind her

While there are several Strand Book Stores, the best is arguably the Broadway store. The Strand Book Store specializes in a combination of new, used, and rare books covering a wide range of topics, such as finance and philosophy. This independent bookseller also sells vinyl, gift cards, stationery, and more.

The Broadway-based Strand Book Store has a 4.8-star rating on Google Reviews from an incredible 13,205 reviews. The fact that Stand Bookstore has more than 10,000 reviews reflects just how popular this bookstore is. The store opens from 10am to 8pm, seven days a week.

1 Argosy Book Store

Books and art work on display among wooden book shelves and wooden walls in a fairly narrow aisle of the Argosy Book Store in New York City
Via: Freerradicals, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
Books and art work on display among wooden book shelves and wooden walls in a fairly narrow aisle of the Argosy Book Store in New York City

Among the oldest bookstores in NYC on this list is Argosy Book Store, having launched in 1925. This beautifully designed six-story bookstore is a must-see for bookworms planning a trip to the Big Apple.

Argosy Book Store features a wide range of out-of-print books and tons of antiquarian books. The scale alone can make this store enticing for a ton of bookworms in New York City. This bookseller has a 4.7-star rating on Google Reviews. Argosy Book Store is open from 11am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. It closes on the weekend.