Books of Wonder: Flatiron Specialty Bookstore, Free Daily

Books of Wonder, at 42 West 17th Street, is the children's and young adult specialty bookstore that New York parents, teachers and collectors have trusted since 1980. It sits on a quiet stretch of 17th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, in the corner of Manhattan where Flatiron meets Chelsea. The doors open every day at 11am, browsing costs nothing, and the shelves run from board books for toddlers to rare Wizard of Oz first editions. This guide covers its history, what to look for inside, timing tips, and the walk around it.

Books of Wonder first opened on September 2, 1980, in a 200 square foot shop on Hudson Street in Greenwich Village. The founders, Peter Glassman and James Carey, built the business one shelf at a time. In 1982 they moved to a 400 square foot space farther up Hudson Street, and in 1986 they expanded with a second shop on Seventh Avenue at 18th Street. Over the next decades the store settled in the Flatiron and Chelsea blocks, moving to West 18th Street and later, in 2020, one block south to its current home on West 17th Street.

In 1985 the store launched its own publishing imprint in partnership with William Morrow. Its signature project was reissuing all 14 of L. Frank Baum's classic Oz books with their original full color illustrations, and those editions have stayed in print for decades. That project explains why Oz is woven through the shop today. Collectors still come for vintage Baum titles, and the store runs an Oz collection program with subscription options. For a family that grew up on the 1939 film, seeing the original W. W. Denslow and John R. Neill artwork on a shelf is a quiet thrill.

Movie fans often arrive with a specific question. Director Nora Ephron was a longtime customer, and she used Books of Wonder as the model for the children's bookstore run by Meg Ryan's character in You've Got Mail. According to the store's own history page, staff helped with set dressing so the fictional Shop Around the Corner would look like a working children's bookstore. The film set was built elsewhere, so you will not find the exact counter from the movie here, but the feel of warm wood, tall shelves and handwritten staff picks is the same idea that Ephron borrowed.

Walk straight to the rear of the store and you reach the old and rare section. Publishers Weekly reported that after the 2020 move this collection sits on the back wall, where it is more visible and accessible than before, and that the shop installed a custom-made rolling library ladder to reach the top rows. The store describes its stock as vintage, old, rare and collectible editions. Expect early printings of classic picture books, illustrated fairy tale collections, and Oz titles. Ask a bookseller before pulling a fragile volume, since many of these copies are one of a kind.

Books of Wonder also keeps a gallery of original children's book art and limited edition prints. The framed pieces hang above the shelves and change as new works arrive, so a return visit rarely looks the same. This is the part of the shop that adult visitors linger over longest. Seeing a finished page from a picture book next to the printed version shows how much detail the printing process flattens. If a piece catches your eye, staff can tell you about the artist and the book it came from.

The sales floor is arranged by age and reading level, which makes it easy for a grandparent shopping for a seven year old to find the right corner fast. Board books and picture books fill the front tables, early readers and chapter books sit in the middle, and middle grade and young adult fiction take up long runs of shelving. Publishers Weekly noted that the store keeps aisles at least five feet wide so strollers can pass. That detail matters on a weekend, when you may share the floor with three or four families pushing carriages at once.

Author events are a core part of the store's identity. Its history page recalls a 2003 panel of six debut fantasy writers that included Suzanne Collins, Christopher Paolini, Shannon Hale and Jonathan Stroud, years before several of them became household names. Today the shop posts upcoming readings, launches and signings on its website and event listings. Many visiting authors sign extra stock, so it is worth asking at the counter for signed copies even when no event is on the calendar. Popular young adult signings draw long lines, so arriving early helps.

The store opens at 11am every day, and the first hour on a weekday is the calmest time to browse. School groups and after school visits fill the floor later in the afternoon, and Saturday and Sunday bring the biggest crowds of families. If you want to look through the rare books or talk with a bookseller about a gift for a specific reader, a weekday morning gives staff the time to pull titles for you. On event evenings the front of the shop is set up for the author, so plan quiet browsing for another day.

Books of Wonder is a working shop, not a library, and a few simple habits keep it pleasant for everyone. Children are welcome to sit and read picture books, and staff are used to small hands, but rare and collectible editions should be handled only with a bookseller's help. Strollers fit in the aisles, so there is no need to park them outside. If you plan to attend a signing, read the event listing for its rules about line order and purchase requirements, since publishers set those terms for each author visit.

The closest stations sit a short walk away in each direction. From 14 Street Union Square, served by the 4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R and W trains, walk north and west to 17th Street. The F and M trains stop at 14 Street and Sixth Avenue, and the 1 train stops at 18 Street on Seventh Avenue, each a few blocks from the door. The store sits mid block on the south side of 17th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Buses on Fifth and Sixth Avenues also stop at 17th Street.

A visit pairs easily with a loop through the neighborhood. Walk east to Union Square, where the Greenmarket fills the plaza with farm stands on market days and the park has playgrounds for younger readers. Head north on Fifth Avenue to see the Flatiron Building at the meeting of Broadway and Fifth, then cross into Madison Square Park, home to rotating public art and the original Shake Shack kiosk. Book lovers can finish at the Strand on Broadway near 12th Street, which makes a good contrast with the focused children's shelves at Books of Wonder.

Books of Wonder, at 42 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011, is open Monday 11am to 7pm, Tuesday 11am to 7pm, Wednesday 11am to 7pm, Thursday 11am to 7pm, Friday 11am to 7pm, Saturday 11am to 7pm and Sunday 11am to 7pm. Entry and browsing are free. The store also sells online through booksofwonder.com, so you can order a rare edition or signed copy after your visit. Save the address in the Karpo APP to plan a day of Flatiron bookshops.