AbeBooks: Celebrating The Strand Book Store

The Strand Book Store

The Strand can be found at 828 Broadway, at the corner of East 12th Street, in the East Village of Manhattan. After decades in the business of bookselling, The Strand remains an iconic bastion of bookselling in downtown New York City. If you have never visited, then you must go.

The business was started by Benjamin Bass in 1927. The shop originally opened its doors on Fourth Avenue on the legendary “Book Row” but moved to its current location in 1956 where it now occupies 55,000 square feet spread over three and a half floors.

In the 1970s, the newspaper columnist and author George F. Will wrote that “the eight miles worth saving in this city are at the corner of Broadway and 12th Street. They are the crammed shelves of the Strand Book Store.” The store has continued to grow and now estimates that there are 18 miles of books on its shelves. Bibliophiles will find vast numbers of new, used, rare and out-of-print books. It’s the type of place where a visitor can become lost in books and there’s a good chance you will spot a famous writer or celebrity browsing the shelves. The Strand serves readers, collectors and will even sell books by the foot for interior designers and movie sets.

However it’s not just the Strand’s size that is impressive. Located at the heart of the publishing world, The Strand is a fixture on most major author tours and it stages a staggering number of author events – and that means The Strand offers thousands of signed books. There is also a well-stocked rare book room on the third floor that reflects their longstanding heritage in books.

The Strand has sold on AbeBooks since 2000 and has a well-established presence in online bookselling. A tour of their listings is a delight. You will find signed Taschen books, signed books by Calvin Trillin, signed books by Lionel Shriver, signed books by Joyce Carol Oates, signed books by Peter Carey, signed books by Nora Ephron and many others.

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