Independent bookshop · 972 5th Avenue, New York 10075
A French- and English-language bookshop inside the French cultural services' Fifth Avenue mansion, beneath a painted starry ceiling.
United States
Bookshops in New York
The Atlas lists 108 independent bookshops in New York, 18 of them selling secondhand books — including 4 antiquarian booksellers. 7 have a café recorded in the listing; confirm its hours before visiting. The densest cluster offers 6 possible stops over an estimated 2.1 km; actual walking routes may be longer.
Unfolding the map…
Antiquarian · since 1925
New York's oldest independent bookshop, now in its third generation of family ownership, filling a six-storey Midtown townhouse with first editions, Americana, leather bindings, antique maps, prints and autographs. Bargain carts outside catch the passing trade.
Maps & printsAutographsAmericanaRare books
Independent bookshop · 42 West 17th Street, New York 10011
Manhattan's long-standing children's bookshop, with a gallery of original picture-book art.
Children's books
Secondhand · 1 Bleecker Street, New York
A used bookshop focused on nineteenth- and twentieth-century fiction and literary history.
Secondhand
New & secondhand · 33 Bond Street, New York
A Bond Street specialist in photography books, prized for its expert curation.
New & secondhand
Independent bookshop · 686 Fulton Street, New York 11217
A community-funded Fort Greene independent that became a template for neighbourhood bookshops in Brooklyn.
Secondhand
A SoHo bookshop and café selling donated secondhand books to fund housing, healthcare and justice work for New Yorkers. Wooden galleries, spiral stairs and a busy calendar of readings make it a downtown institution.
Donated booksGeneral stockCafé
Independent bookshop · 1 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020
A literary independent with several New York branches, known for its fiction-by-country shelving and busy events calendar.
Secondhand · since 1990
A small Greenwich Village used bookshop open since 1990, a reliable stop for literary fiction, philosophy, art and French-language books near NYU, with crates of records alongside the shelves.
Literary fictionPhilosophyArt & photography
Independent bookshop · 231 11th Avenue, New York
A non-profit devoted to artists' books and zines, and organiser of the NY Art Book Fair.
Independent bookshop · 1133 Broadway, New York 10010
A grand, chandeliered shop on Broadway devoted to illustrated books on art, design, fashion and architecture.
Antiquarian · since 1927
The last survivor of Manhattan's old Book Row, famous for its '18 miles of books' and still run by the founding family. Used, new and rare books fill four floors, with a rare book room upstairs and dollar carts on the sidewalk.
General stockRare booksSecondhand & newRare booksStep-free access
Secondhand · 47 Orchard Street, New York 10002
A Lower East Side used bookshop that also sells house-made pickles.
Secondhand
Independent bookshop · 58 Warren Street, New York 10007
Tribeca's specialist in crime and detective fiction, with signed firsts and a long-running mystery publishing arm.
Crime
Antiquarian · since 1971
A tall, narrow Upper West Side shop that has been trading since 1971, crammed with literature, art, poetry and LPs, with a rare book room up a flight of stairs in the middle of the store.
LiteratureArtRare booksRare books
Independent bookshop · 192 10th Avenue, New York 10011 · since 2003
Step-free access
Independent bookshop · 151 East Broadway, New York, NY 10002
Secondhand · 122 4th Avenue, New York 10003
Secondhand
Independent bookshop · 717 Bushwick Avenue, New York
Step-free access
Independent bookshop · 1216 Union Street, New York 11225
Comics
Independent bookshop · 230 East 14th Street, New York, NY 10003
Independent bookshop · 141 Front Street, New York
Poetry
Independent bookshop · 54 Mercer Street, New York 10013
Café
Antiquarian · 28 East 2nd Street, New York, NY 10003
CookeryRare books
Independent bookshop · 197 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10009
Independent bookshop · 2915 Broadway, New York, NY 10025
Independent bookshop · 140 B7-G 58th Street, New York · since 1999
Independent bookshop
Independent bookshop · 7518 13th Avenue, New York 11228
Café
Independent bookshop · 13 Stanton Street, New York
Bookshop questions: New York
- How many bookshops are listed in New York?
The Atlas currently lists 108 active bookshops in New York. This is the number in our directory, not a claim that every shop in the area has been recorded.
- Can I find secondhand bookshops in New York?
18 listed shops are categorised as selling secondhand books. Stock changes frequently; ask a shop directly if you need a particular book.
- Are the opening hours and accessibility details checked?
The Atlas displays available source information. A listing without opening hours or access details is incomplete, not necessarily closed or inaccessible. Check each shop's website and confirm anything essential before travelling.
- Can I plan a bookshop walk in New York?
Use the map and the crawl planner to choose stops close together. Displayed route distances are estimates, not turn-by-turn walking directions. Check crossings, hills, opening times and the actual walking route before setting off.
Plan a bookshop crawl- Can I add a shop or correct a listing?
Yes. Send the shop's name, location and a reliable website or other source. Suggestions and corrections are reviewed before changing the Atlas.
Suggest a shop
Shop data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence, with descriptions of featured shops by Creasy Spines. Opening hours change — check before a long journey. Suggest an edit