“Every crease is a story.”
United States
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.
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.
Secondhand · 1 Bleecker Street, New York
A used bookshop focused on nineteenth- and twentieth-century fiction and literary history.
New & secondhand · 33 Bond Street, New York
A Bond Street specialist in photography books, prized for its expert curation.
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.
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.
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.
Secondhand · 47 Orchard Street, New York 10002
A Lower East Side used bookshop that also sells house-made pickles.
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.
Secondhand · 122 4th Avenue, New York 10003
Antiquarian · 28 East 2nd Street, New York, NY 10003
Secondhand
Secondhand · 1067 Flushing Avenue, New York
New & secondhand · 72 Avenue A, New York 10009
Secondhand · 1465 York Avenue, New York
New & secondhand · 368 Tompkins Avenue, New York 11216
New & secondhand · 100 North 3rd Street, New York
New & secondhand
Secondhand
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.
18 listed shops are categorised as selling secondhand books. Stock changes frequently; ask a shop directly if you need a particular book.
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.
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 crawlYes. Send the shop's name, location and a reliable website or other source. Suggestions and corrections are reviewed before changing the Atlas.
Suggest a shopShop 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