 "Photo: Marti Eisenbrandt/The Observer")
We all know of Barnes and Noble, Borders and New York City’s largest bookstore, The Strand, but beyond these great and giant book houses is a plethora of unique and independent book shops waiting to be discovered. In my search for some of the city’s best bookstores, I spoke with a number of Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC)’s own distinguished English and creative writing professors. Lo and behold, I discovered some of the greatest book stores I have never heard of. Some are filled with history, others specialize in unique genres, but all are devoted entirely to writers and readers.
St. Mark’s Bookshop (Lower East Side)
St. Mark’s Book Shop, located at 31 Third Ave. between 8th and 9th Streets, is a brick building which blends in with many of the other stores around it. Inside, however, is a vast collection of books not available in most mainstream bookstores.
“They have a fabulous collection of poetry, art and fiction,” said Sarah Gambito, assistant professor and director of creative writing at FCLC. Gambito teaches a poetry-writing class centered on the theme of Duende as well as a texts and contexts literature class on poetics this semester. Gambito says she first discovered St. Mark’s through a conversation with friends, and since then, visits the store at least once a month.
Elizabeth Frost, associate professor of English and women’s studies and director of Poets Out Loud, also recommends St. Mark’s.
“St. Marks was the alternative book store. Although it’s a little more mainstream now, it remains the place for poetry and cultural studies, including many hard-to-find journals,” Frost said.
Frost and Gambito agree that for students, it won’t take long for them to get hooked.
“It’s the perfect browsing store. Spend only 10 minutes in here and something is guaranteed to intrigue you,” Gambito said.
Partners & Crime Booksellers and the Mysterious Bookstore (West Village)
Looking to add a little mystery to your life? The Partners & Crime bookstore and The Mysterious Bookstore should be on your list.
“They’re unique by virtue of what they sell: their inventory is devoted to crime stories,” said Dr. Lenny Cassuto, professor of English at FCLC. Cassuto, who is currently teaching a senior values seminar entitled “Extraordinary Bodies” this semester, says it was in writing his book “Hard-Boiled Sentimentality”—a book exploring the binary relationship of sentimentality and toughness in crime novels—which led him to both of these shops.
“I went to the bookstores in search of rare and out-of-print mysteries and crime stories for me to use in my research, and also to buy new ones. Once the book came out, the stores became centers for a group of readers that I wanted to reach,” Cassuto said.
Partners & Crime Booksellers is located at 44 Greenwich Ave. (you will notice it by the police caution tape across the window) and the Mysterious Bookstore is located on 88 Warren St. Both stores feature an enthusiastic staff, book recommendations, calendar events with acted-out readings and regular book signings. Recently, Cassuto himself held a book signing at the Mysterious. When I asked him what he thought students could gain from it, Cassuto coyly summed it up in two words: “Big fun.”
Three Lives & Company (West Village)
If you’re in the neighborhood of Partners & Crime Booksellers you should also check out Three Lives & Company, which is located just two short blocks north.
“This is a gem of a store. It really has a distinctive vibe: a focus on literary fiction with some very high-quality nonfiction and lots and lots of beautiful reprints of classic essays and poetry” said Anne Fernald, associate professor of English and director of writing and composition at FCLC.
Named after Gertrude Stein’s tragedy novella, “Three Lives & Company,” located at 154 West 10th St., is, at heart, a small but true bibliophile’s paradise, though it is not easy to find. As an avid blogger, Fernald naturally found it through a fellow friend, author and blogger.
“One day, my friend, the blogger Bud Parr (writer of “Chekhov’s Mistress & Words without Borders”) took me there after lunch. I’ve been going ever since,” Fernald said.
Though Fernald admits she doesn’t have much time to visit the store these days while teaching a course on Virginia Woolf this semester, working on the Cambridge University Press edition of Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway,” and planning this year’s 19th Annual Virginia Woolf Conference at FCLC in June, she tries to visit it once a semester and encourages her students to do the same.
“It’s not a pretentious place, but it is a little temple to art. It restores the soul,” Fernald said.
Posman Books (Midtown)
If you’re like me and fear the frantic state of Grand Central Station during peak hours and before the holidays (when you’re lucky to find the ticket machine let alone anything else), then a retreat to this tiny oasis may help appease your anxiety.
Mary Bly, associate professor of English and director of graduate placement and professional development, acquiesced the careful eye common to all good English professors when she discovered this shop, which I haven often passed by.
“I discovered [Posman Books] on the way to Rose Hill one morning years ago, and since then I’ve spent a good part of my salary in that bookstore,” said Bly, who is teaching a course on Shakespeare this semester.
In physical appearance, Posman Books doesn’t look that different from most of the big book houses, but, as they say, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
“What you want in a great bookstore are employees who stay with the bookstore long-term, love books, and are friendly and talkative,” Bly said. “At Posman Books, you can say: ‘Hey, I really loved this book; can you recommend something along these lines?’ And the person you ask will likely have four to five suggestions.”
At Posman’s, it is as if you’re picking out a pair of shoes. A member of the staff matches you according to your exact specifications.
“Last week I walked in and said, ‘I want a book that has something to do with a potato society and World War II.’ The person I asked went straight to “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”—I highly recommend it, and so did he!” Bly said.
Book Culture (Upper West Side)
Much like The Strand, Book Culture has a wide selection of used books (located upstairs) and will buy back just about any book, but unlike The Strand, they sell and buy many course books, too.
“I order course books from them so that students will be introduced to this fabulous store. Book Culture features many university presses, great cultural studies, politics, art and literature (including literature in languages other than English),” Frost said.
Book Culture is generally less crowded than The Strand, which makes it the perfect place, as Frost said, “for browsing, getting lost in and making discoveries.”
Located on 112th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam, Book Culture is at a convenient location and a perfect place to lean and loaf after you’ve bought your books.
“I instruct students to sit at the Hungarian Pastry Shop (on Amsterdam), staring out at the beautiful Cathedral of St. John the Divine with an espresso and a book in hand,” Frost said.
Above all, Frost believes that visiting bookshops, especially independent ones, should be an experience.
“With the Internet, we forget how much serendipity (i.e., browsing) is involved in discovering what we love. One book is next to another book on the shelf. You range from one to the other. You make wonderful discoveries,” Frost said.
Honorable Mentions:
Bluestockings Bookstore (172 Allen St.):
“Bluestockings will make you want to take up your pitchfork and protest against all the inequities of our world. It’s an amazing feminist collective and takes me back to earlier days of feminist bookstores. If you want to learn about social justice or to read some radical feminist ‘zines, this is your spot.” -Anne Fernald, professor of English and women’s studies
Gotham Bookstore (East 46th Street):
“Gotham is another fantastic independent bookstore and terrific for those interested in poetry. They have a very relaxed and friendly staff. It’s in the Diamond District, so great browsing opportunities in and outside the store!” -Elizabeth Frost, professor of English
Housing Works (126 Crosby St.):
“When I first came to New York, I spent a lot of time hanging out at Housing Works and The Strand. The most unusual fact about Housing Works is that 100 percent of book sales go to help New Yorkers facing the twin crises of HIV and homelessness. I think it’s a great idea for the writers I teach, too, to spend some time ‘in the stacks.’ For a writer, books are an expensive but necessary habit - and who’s going to read us, if not other writers?” -Garth Risk Hallberg, professor of English
View Professors' Picks: Best Bookstores in a larger map
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