You don’t need to be a die-hard Hemingway addict to appreciate the historic significance of the Strand Bookstore on East 12th Street – a booklovers guilty paradise. Established in 1927 over on Fourth Avenue, the store was named after the London street frequented by avant-garde writers like Dickens, Thackeray and Mill, and has since morphed into a melting pot of literary gems and is a magnet for established and budding wordsmiths alike. Today, the Strand carries over 2.5 million used, new and rare books, covering topics ranging from religion to finance. One of the view survivors of the rise of Amazon, the Strand is one of the few remaining independent book stores in the United States, the Strand requires its highly-esteemed workers test their book smarts by passing a literary matching quiz as the final hurdle of the hiring process. Take advantage of the librarian-like knowledge of its employees, who are able to happily perform a quick customer assessment before offering a recommendation based on your tastes. The store’s dollar carts lining the sidewalk are a favorite among local NYU students looking for a read on the cheap, while the robust events calendar offers a glimpse into the intellectual world of the nation’s top talent, featuring readings ranging from celebrity memoirs to novels by award-winning journalists. If your trip happens to coincide with the market debut of your maiden novel, think about renting the Rare at Strand reading room for your book signing. The elegant venue features wall-to-wall rows of leather-bound limited finds – think a 1480 hand-printed book to a limited edition Ulysses signed by Henri Matisse and James Joyce. Tip: If you’re up at Central Park on a fair day, be sure to drop by The Strand’s uptown kiosk at 60th and 5th Avenue, open April through December, weather permitting.
