architecture

Friday, November 2, 2007

NYC Bookstores

(Updated 2014.10.20)
 
Here's my list of the top ten bookstores in New York City for books on architecture and urbanism. The list includes a web page link (if available), address (all shops in Manhattan, unless noted otherwise), description, and one or more "finds" made at each. I'll admit my tastes veer to the used and the cozy, two qualities that bookstores definitely shouldn't be afraid of.

At bottom is a list of all the independent, non-antiquarian, non-collegiate bookstores in NYC that I know of (though I've yet to visit them all...yet), as I assume no one needs help in finding or learning about chain bookstores. I hope this list is helpful for those living in and/or visiting the city. I'll try to update it as needed, and please comment or e-mail if you notice omissions or errors.

THE TOP 11:

  1. McNally Jackson Books, 52 Prince Street (between Lafayette and Mulberry): This two-story space with cafe in Soho/Nolita has a selection of architecture books that has gotten bigger and better, carrying titles by publishers not found in other bookstores. Likewise for its selection of periodicals on architecture. Note: McNally Jackson is the name for Canadian bookseller McNally Robinson's New York store. (Finds: Translation from Drawing to Building by Robin Evans)
  2. Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway (at 12th Street): No surprise here, as it would be difficult for the store with a self-proclaimed 8 miles of books not to have a good selection of architecture books. They also have a very good selection of books on urbanism. (Finds: A Sense of Place, a Sense of Time; The Destruction of Memory: Architecture at War; Good City Form; Shelter; File Under Architecture)
  3. MoMA Design and Book Store, Midtown: 11 West 53rd Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues), Soho: 81 Spring Street (at Crosby Street): It would be surprising if MoMA didn't have a quality choice of books on architecture; unfortunately the best selection isn't at Spring Street or the 53rd Street storefront, but on the second floor mezzanine inside the museum, where a $20 fee gains you admission. (Finds: AMP Arquitectos)
  4. Kinokuniya Bookstore, 1073 Sixth Avenue (between 40th and 41st Streets): The Japanese bookstore's new location across from Bryant Park is a three-story space with a large selection of Japanese and English-language books, magazines, as well as Japanese tchotchkies and a cafe. The architecture selection is solid with hard to find titles from Japan alongside domestic and European releases. (Finds: Casa Brutus)
  5. The Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery Place (at First Place): This small gift shop features merchandise related to the museum, but also a good selection of architecture books ranging "from the theoretical to the aesthetic, of interest to everyone from the novice to the connoisseur." Admission to the museum is not necessary for a visit to the gift shop.
  6. Potterton Books, 979 Third Avenue (between 58th and 59th Streets): Heavy on interior design, furniture and gardening more than architecture, but nevertheless a good selection of new and rare books. Be expected to pay at least retail, though much more for the used/rare books.
  7. P.S. Bookshop, 76 Front Street, Brooklyn (at Washington Street): The airy loft space in Dumbo is but one reason to check out this newish bookstore. Of course the other is a really good selection of used books on architecture, similar in breadth to Spoonbill and Sugartown. Note: The store was in the midst of moving to this new address the last time I was in the area. (Finds: Terminal Architecture by Martin Pawley)
  8. Book Culture, 536 West 112th St. (1/2 block east of Broadway): Located close to Columbia University, this two-story store naturally caters to academia (meaning the best time NOT to go is the start of terms when the store is turned upside down to cater to students and professors), though it carries a really good selection of new titles on architecture and urbanism, with many remainders at low prices and the occasional used gem. (Finds: GAM Issue 01, Production of Space, Fabrications)
  9. Spoonbill and Sugartown, Booksellers, 218 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn (at 5th Street): While the used books in this Williamsburg shop can be a bit overprice, especially the illustrated books, the selection can be really good. Perhaps this level of quality stems from the people that frequent the shop and bring in books, but some of it can be attributed to the book buyers; I brought in some books to sell once (some decent books, from what I recall), but they turned them all down. (Finds: Design with Nature, 1st edition, by Ian McHarg)
  10. Mercer Street Books, 206 Mercer Street (between Bleecker and Houston): While the architecture section of this Greenwich Village used bookstore has steadily dwindled the last year or so, some top-notch titles can still be found, perhaps stemming from the architects that live or work in the area. For me, a trip to this store also means a visit to the nearby Housing Works Bookstore, a great place to browse and have a cup of coffee. (Finds: Wrapper: 40 Possible City Surfaces for the Museum of Jurassic Technology by Robert Mangurian and Mary Ann Ray)
  11. Mast Books, 66 Avenue A (between 4th and 5th Streets): This small store has a tiny selection of books on architecture and design (they have a larger selection of art books), but what they have is very well curated, especially for a used bookstores. Books lean toward academic titles, though coffee table books are also in abundance. (Finds: Alvar Aalto: A Critical Study by Malcolm Quantrill)

Tied for 12 (while these don't have "top-11"-worthy architecture selections, they excel as places to "make finds" in other subjects or just hang out):


THE FULL LIST:


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