The Strand: An Incredible New York Bookstore

I’m a total bookworm. I have been my whole life. In fact, I once read so many books from the youth section at my local library in a single summer that I had to move onto DIY books, which taught me out to sew, make kid H’ordeurves, and make endless things out of popsicle sticks. I was also “pulled over” while walking home from the library so a cop could search my “I <3 books” bag. The point is, I’m a total book nerd. While in New York City, I met with with Aaron, who gave me tons of great recommendations, one of which was The Strand Bookstore. He explained that it had 4 stories, one of which is full of rare books, and if I like bookstores, I should check it out. Like bookstores? That’s a serious understatement. Pedro (who shares my obsession) and I planned to go to The Strand the very next day.

Heaven on the corner of E. 60th and 5th Ave

The next day, it rained on and off and was not an especially pleasant day for exploration, but that could not deter Pedro and I from this quest. Even when I saw this magical place from the outside, I was in love. There were rolling shelves of books crowded under the awnings, with plastic wrapped around them to protect the pages from the rain. The carts had hand-written signs that had prices as low as $2 a book. I rushed to them, barely able to take in the titles as I excitedly searched through them. We agreed that we may get too hung up on the prices and we should go inside first and see what else they had to offer.

Oh dear, that’s a full basket.

My wallet would have preferred I stayed outside

Once inside, I couldn’t be stopped. Pedro and I split up almost immediately, in an attempt to divide and conquer. We quickly scoured the first floor. I saw a brand new Dave Eggers book I would have loved, but convinced myself to look for some paperbacks first. I was about to park myself in the fiction section when it occurred to me that such a large bookstore might actually have the bilingual and Spanish books I crave but can rarely find, nor afford. I asked an attendant and was directed to the second floor, where I found a children’s section packed with books so high that you needed a ladder to get to the top shelves.

Yes, children’s books. Oh, how I love them

You may or may not know that I adore children, and still work with them. Once upon a time, before I moved to Argentina, back to the US, and went freelance, I was a preschool teacher. This might be especially shocking for anyone who has met me, as I am not known as the most patient or even nicest person – but that’s because I reserve all of that for children under the age of 6. I still teach Spanish lessons at a couple of preschools and tutor some very talented students privately, so I am constantly on the hunt for great Spanish and/or Bilingual children’s books. Pedro found me, some time later, clutching three books and searching for more. I assured him I’d join him on another floor soon and that I was only deciding on one more. I ended up with 6 children’s books It wasn’t my fault! They were so unexpectedly affordable! Also, did you know that Cheech writes children’s books?! Yeah, he has a whole series. I obviously had to purchase one.

What’s that? Half-priced NEW books?!

I thought I could contain myself. I said no to that Dave Eggers hardcover didn’t I? Then I found out there is an entire section of half-priced new books in the basement. These books all seemed to be previews sent directly to The Strand, as most of them still had typed letters from the publishers inside. Shelves and shelves full of perfectly new hardcovers, with their prices slashed in half. I left the section twice, telling myself I was finished, but each time I went back, I found something else.

Books, books, beautiful books

The mysterious 4th floor: rare and vintage

The 4th floor had a totally different vibe than the rest of the store. It was not crowded at all. Stepping off the elevator, I got the feeling I was in a very exclusive library, perhaps even some rich guy’s personal collection. Pedro and I couldn’t help but quote Anchorman under our breath, “I have many leather bound books! My apartment smells of rich mahogany!”. The smell, the atmosphere, and, of course, the books, were just stunning. They had books that had survived centuries behind glass, and books from this century lining the shelves. The big leather chairs and vintage book-ends created a setting I never wanted to leave. As much as I wanted the books, the prices were justifiably high, so I finally was able to restrain myself.

So classy. So tempting.

3 hours and $150 dollars later…

Pedro and I spent nearly 3 hours inside of The Strand. Between the two of us, we spent around $150 dollars. However, we bought 15 books, so that price was actually quite good. I expected a New York bookstore to have outrageous prices, but I was pleasantly surprised. You do have to hunt a little bit, but there seemed to be deals in every section. If I lived in New York, I would most certainly be a regular at The Strand. For now, I’ll just drool over the rare collection on their website.