by almostfreeNYC

Books on a Budget in NYC: The Strand Bookstore

The Strand, open since 1927, is an independent bookstore that proudly claims to offer a total of 18 miles of books. If you’re a bookworm, this is the place you want to be.

Strand is an amazing bookstore filled with thousands of books ranging from bestsellers to collectibles, but my personal favorite part of The Strand, are the dollar books (ranging from $1 to $5) that are displayed in carts outside.

I like to think of the dollar carts like how I think of the demographic of NYC…but in book form. In other words, they have an incredibly vast variety of books, often eccentric and surprising. It’s easy to spend hours sifting through the carts, finding which one’s speak to you. Some of them aren’t going to be your style, but they’re still going to be interesting to go through.

If you’re looking for a specific book in the dollar carts, I can promise you you’ll never find it. The fun in the carts is that you’re going to discover a ton of forgotten books that still have life left in them. Maybe I’m a little strange (especially when it comes to books), but I prefer old, pre-loved, rare books that make me feel like I’ve found a piece of treasure when I stumble on it. If I find some really beautiful, interesting books that really speak to me, it can sometimes feel like I was meant to find them…which is an incredible feeling. (Side note: I know I sound crazy, but I’m an English literature major…so that makes it ok right?)

Whether you’re a local or visiting the city, you should definitely check out The Strand.  If you live in NYC, you most likely know about this place already and (hopefully) take advantage of the low-priced reads, and if you’re visiting NYC, finding a dollar book that resonates with you would be an amazing souvenir that you can always hold on to.

If you’re a book lover, Strand is going to be your best friend in NYC.

The Strand
828 Broadway

14 thoughts on “Books on a Budget in NYC: The Strand Bookstore”

  2. Have you ever gone to the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe in Soho? They have locations all over the city, but they have bookstore where all of the materials are donated. My only recommendation is that if you bring your laptop or tablet, make sure the battery is full because there no place to charge them.

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    1. yes! Thats also a really nice bookstore, I didn’t know there was more than one location outside of Soho. I went to a Moth radio live event there and it was a great location for it. Your recommendation about making sure everything is charged is great…my phone died there and they didn’t let me charge it :p Thanks for reading!

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  7. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve walked into a used bookstore, usually while traveling, picked some volume off the shelf I had never heard of before, and it changed my life’s direction completely. Serendipity is the norm in Nature. Cheers, Barbara Jean.

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