Page 328 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New York City

326  TR A VELERS ’ NEEDS

Books and Music a good range of comics at
affordable prices. Vintage
As the publishing capital of America, it’s not surprising that collectors might prefer
New York has the country’s best selection of bookstores. These JHU Comic Books, across
range from vast general interest stores to hundreds of esoteric from the Empire State Building.
places specializing in everything from sci-fi to suspense, selling Collectible merchandise is
available here at reasonable
new books and old. Music lovers will also find sounds for all prices, as well as those at
tastes at reasonable prices, plus thousands of rare recordings. “ask Santa” rates. Desert Island
draws Brooklyn’s hipsters
and artists with its selection
General Interest enormous collection of used of comics and graphic
Bookstores books, and country/bluegrass novels. Visit Bluestockings
One of the best-known New York LPs. Brooklyn is represented for new and used titles on a
superstore chains is Barnes & by Spoonbill & Sugartown, variety of subjects: from
Noble, though it has closed specializing in used, rare, and gender studies and homo-
many of its branches in recent new books on contemporary sexuality to capitalism and
years. The Union Square outpost art, art history, architecture, the prison system.
remains one of its biggest and and design.
most attractive, with a large café Music
and regular readings by touring
authors. Book Culture is the Specialty Bookstores For out-of-print records,
largest independent bookstore The city’s largest selection of Westsider Records is a
in the city, boasting a fine theatrical books and publications collector’s treasure trove,
selection of literary fiction, is found at Drama Book Shop. with an excellent choice of
while friendly McNally Jackson Books that involve murder and classical, jazz, and opera
stocks classics and contemporary suspense abound at the recordings. In the West
fiction, and also has a café. Mysterious Bookshop, while Village, House of Oldies has
With an Espresso Book Machine Jewish books and music are a massive stock of deleted
printing around 700 self- plenty at J. Levine Books & and rare records to suit all
published books a month, this Judaica. Kinokuniya Bookstore, tastes. Established in 1968,
remains one of the city’s most the largest Japanese bookshop the store has over 250,000
successful indie booksellers. in New York, offers English vinyl records in stock. Bleecker
Shakespeare & Co. offers a books on Japan, while the Street Records is crammed
sensational selection of titles branch of prestigious Italian with hip, hard-to-find treasures,
and is open late every night. bookstore chain and publisher while Generation Records
Thanks to inviting indie Rizzolis, specializes in European has an assortment of
bookstores such as Word and publications. Bank Street Book hardcore, metal, and punk.
BookCourt, Brooklyn is emerging Store has one of the best Academy Records
as the literary capital of the selections of current children’s is another excellent choice,
nation. Powerhouse Arena, an books, and Books of Wonder with second hand CDs, LPs,
airy space in Dumbo, frequently stocks a variety of hardcover and DVDs.
hosts events ranging from and rare children’s books. DJs and vinyl lovers still
sedate author readings to wild Founded in 1980, the store was have options for deep house,
literary-themed parties. the model for the bookshop breakbeat, and electronica,
in Nora Ephron’s 1997 movie, such as Turntable Lab in
You’ve Got Mail. Manhattan or the lively
Secondhand Bookstores
The acclaimed publisher of Halcyon in Dumbo. In the
New York’s famous Strand volumes on art and architecture, heart of trendy Williamsburg
book store, founded in 1927, Taschen, maintains a handsome there is Earwax or the
contains an astonishing 2.5 store in SoHo. Cookbooks are London-based Rough Trade
million copies of secondhand on the menu at Kitchen Arts NYC, a firm favorite among
and heavily discounted new & Letters, with many out-of- the hipster set. For jazz,
books, spread out over several print books and first editions. seek out Downtown
floors of crowded bookshelves Idlewild is a travel-centric Music Gallery or the
and passageways. There is also bookstore, where everything Jazz Record Center, which
a large, rare book room for first is arranged by destination. sells rare and out-of-print
editions. Housing Works Try Forbidden Planet or jazz LPs, books, videos, and
Bookstore Café is a lovely, high- the venerable East Village music memorabilia. The
ceilinged bookstore-café with stalwart, St. Mark’s Comics, bookstore of the Juilliard
a wide range of used books. for a huge range of science- School, one of the world’s
Westsider Bookshop is as fiction books and comics. most respected music
comprehensive as its music Midtown Comics has three schools, sells sheet music,
counterpart, as it stocks an spacious locations and offers books, and recordings.

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