1. Books Kinokuniya
9.4
1073 Avenue of the Americas (btwn W 40th & W 41st St), New York, NY
Bookstore · Midtown East · 203 tips and reviews
Eszter S: They have a very nice café and many Japanese manga (Japanese language !) for reasonable prices. Must-go if you don't like to import all the time yourself.
nymag: Tucked on the second floor of this Japanese bookstore is a counter selling perfect afternoon snacks. Food & Wine editor Dana Cowin loves the umebashi plum rice balls, she told us in her NY Diet. Read more.
🎀Karen🌈: Don't be surprised if the security follows you around if you aren't Asian. I love kino but their security often turns me off to shopping there as I am not a thief.
2. Albertine
9.3
972 5th Ave (btwn E 78th & E 79th St), New York, NY
Bookstore · Upper East Side · 23 tips and reviews
Victoria Goulart: Great place for French reading, and also beautiful
Gi Edgington: Absolutely lovely bookshop!
Lawrence Chen: It is hard to believe they were build inside of France gov office. And allow non member entrance, in such a quiet, usually only member club style aura. However, most books were in French. Facepalm..
ZocDoc: Eating out is great, but it’s usually healthier (and cheaper!) to prepare your own meals. Head to Kitchen Arts & Letters, where you can find over 13,000 cookbooks - great vegetarian section, too!
Bravo: Cookbook heaven. I could spend a fortune here and they will find you obscure books.-Wylie Dufresne, Top Chef
Travel Channel: Find rare books about all things food! Tony picks up some for himself on this trip. As seen on Travel Channel’s The Layover with Anthony Bourdain.
Kurt Ronn: Amazing people. Amazing bookstore. I would fly to NYC just fir their recommendations. #readmore
Cameron Ackroyd: In a city full of fantastic independent bookstores, this one has the most character. Also, in some kind of superhuman feat, the staff almost always have read everything in stock.
Michael A: The staff at this place is amazing! love this store1
K ______: Huge collection of art and fashion books Small but good selection of books in Italian
Foursquare Insiders: “Go for the books, but stay for the architecture.” - Nina Garcia, creative director of Marie Claire Read more.
N Avedis: Such a beautiful book store. They don’t have as many options as the Strand, but still I love it.
7. Strand Bookstore
9.4
828 Broadway (at E 12th St), New York, NY
Bookstore · Greenwich Village · 589 tips and reviews
José Rios: This place is filled with history and the prices are amazing. Downstairs, you can find bargains, and dont forget to check the $1 book stands.
Gossip Girl: Before you wrinkle your nose at this unconditioned used book store, take a look around. You just might find a literary loving intellectual like D (Don’t You Forget About Me) Read more.
The New Yorker: Books-by-the-Foot service provides ready-made libraries. “Bargain books,” a random selection of hardbacks, is the cheapest, at ten dollars a foot. For thirty dollars, clients can customize the color. Read more.
9. The Corner Bookstore
8.8
1313 Madison Ave (at E 93rd St.), New York, NY
Bookstore · Carnegie Hill · 11 tips and reviews
Amber: The most lovely little corner bookstore that you've ever seen - love!
Andrea W: The loveliest, most friendly bookstore I know.
Maria Kaurkovskaya: Small but interesting book store. They didn't have a lot books about musicians, but have a great collection of travel guides for many different places in the world.
10. 192 BOOKS
8.7
192 10th Ave (at 21st St.), New York, NY
Bookstore · Chelsea · 24 tips and reviews
Jort Possel: Classic small bookstore with fantastic selection, where they still take the time to find what you are looking for, or wrap a book as a present. One of the best in NYC.
Phoenix 💥💥💥: Nice selection of new releases
Patrick LaForge: If you can't find a book worth reading here, you have no soul.
Lizzy Saxe: Bonnie is so great and knowledgeable, and makes sure that everything in her store is interesting and high quality. Can't recommend her highly enough.
Victoria U.: Bonnie is a big believer in staying local. She's classic New York in every way. Pay her a visit and see if you can stump her vast knowledge on cook books.
Naphat Kijsamrej: Cute store with a carefully curated selection of vintage cookbooks and tchotchkes. A gem.
12. Shakespeare & Co
8.7
939 Lexington Ave (btwn E 68th & E 69th St), New York, NY
Bookstore · Upper East Side · 18 tips and reviews
Kate Silver: A favorite on the UES, near the late, lamented Bookberries. Great selection of new releases and basement space with remainders.
Raquel Betesh: They make every book look cool
Michelle Haimoff: Just signed copies of my book, THESE DAYS ARE OURS, which takes place on the Upper East Side!
13. Barnes & Noble
8.7
2289 Broadway (at W 82nd St), New York, NY
Bookstore · Upper West Side · 62 tips and reviews
Warren Laidler: My favorite book store. Perfect location, large seating areas and best of all, all the books and magazines you could ask for. A must for book lovers.
HuffPost: Come for the well-curated "summer reading" table, but stay for the mezzanine's starbucks cafe-- you might be supporting two megachains at once, but the city recently gave them an A for cleanliness Read more.
Finish In 4: What is MY Favorite thing? Hands Down It IS my Moleskine - Weekly Planner. This simple little book has saved my LIFE on countless occasions. Want to get organized?? All you need is THIS!!!
14. Barnes & Noble
8.6
33 E 17th St (btwn Broadway & Park Ave S), New York, NY
Bookstore · Union Square · 295 tips and reviews
Stephenie Dimakopoulos: One of my top 5 favorite stores. They always have the books I'm looking for, they're very organized, and it's just so peaceful in here.
The Corcoran Group: Biggest and best Barnes & Noble in the city.
The New York Daily News: PHOTO: Good luck finding parking on Union Square now, but in 1924 the plaza outside was a parking lot! See the old fashioned autos lined up, at the link! Read more.