Strand Specialty Bookstore, Union Square: $1 Carts, 18 Miles

Strand Book Store, at 828 Broadway on the corner of East 12th Street, is the last survivor of the Manhattan stretch once called Book Row, and it still sells itself with the slogan 18 Miles of Books. Benjamin Bass opened the business in 1927, his son Fred moved it to this corner in 1957, and granddaughter Nancy Bass Wyden runs it now. For a specialty-minded reader, the draw is three distinct worlds under one roof: the dollar carts on the sidewalk, the art book floor, and a Rare Book Room upstairs that holds signed first editions.

Benjamin Bass arrived in the United States from Lithuania at 17 and worked as a messenger, salesman and subway construction worker before he found the used book district on Fourth Avenue between Astor Place and Union Square. That strip held 48 bookstores and was known as Book Row. Bass started the Strand in 1927 with $300 of his own savings and $300 borrowed from a friend. He named it after the London street where Dickens, Thackeray, George Eliot and John Stuart Mill once gathered among publishers. Every other Book Row shop eventually closed, and the Strand is the one that remains.

Fred Bass took over in 1956 and the next year moved the store to its present spot at the corner of East 12th Street and Broadway. Rising Manhattan rents had emptied the old Book Row, so in 1996 he bought the building outright to keep the Strand from the same fate. He worked the buying desk for decades, and after his death in January 2018 his daughter Nancy Bass Wyden became sole owner. She had officially joined as a manager in 1986. In June 2019 the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to landmark the building, a move the family had opposed over regulatory concerns.

The 18 Miles of Books slogan is printed on stickers, tote bags and T-shirts, and it has become one of the most recognizable bookstore phrases in the country. The line actually undersells the stock. Wikipedia notes the store now houses more than 23 miles of books, spread across new releases, used copies, review copies and remainders. The density is part of the experience. Aisles are narrow, shelves run to the ceiling, and staff restock constantly, so a shelf of used history or poetry can look different from one week to the next. Regulars treat each visit like a fresh dig rather than a repeat trip.

Before you even reach the door, the outdoor carts set the tone. Untapped New York describes the dollar carts as iconic fixtures that wrap around the building, and they hold the cheapest books the Strand sells: used paperbacks, old hardcovers, out-of-date travel guides and stray literary fiction. Browsing them is a New York ritual, especially on mild afternoons when students from nearby campuses crowd the curb. The stock turns over daily, which is why serious scavengers come early. Grab an armful, then carry the stack inside to keep browsing the floors above.

The Strand's specialty strength goes well beyond cheap paperbacks. The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers lists its specialties as art, bindings, illustrated books, literature, modern first editions, old and rare books, and photography. That mix is why designers, architects and art students treat the store as a reference library they can take home. Oversized monographs, exhibition catalogs and photography books fill dedicated shelves, often in used condition at a fraction of the cover price. The walls themselves are part of the art story. Steve Powers, the artist known as ESPO, painted murals throughout the store and keeps a painting cart locked away inside, according to Untapped New York.

The Rare Book Room sits on the third floor and, per Untapped New York, is only accessible by elevator rather than stairs. It is the Strand at its most specialized, with fine bindings, signed copies and modern first editions in glass cases and tall wooden shelves. Untapped reports that the room's oldest book is a 1480 German commentary on the Psalms, and that the most expensive item it has carried is a signed copy of Ulysses. The room also doubles as an event space, hosting readings that have drawn names such as David Sedaris and James Franco. Staff here can pull books from locked cases on request.

Weekday mornings right after the 10am opening are the calmest time to browse, and they are also the best moment to catch freshly stocked carts. Weekend afternoons bring tourists and students, so aisles near the front tables fill quickly. The Rare Book Room keeps its own schedule and closes earlier than the main floors, so head upstairs first if signed or antique books are your goal. The Strand runs author talks, signings and readings, and the Rare Book Room hosts many of them, which means that room can be closed to browsers during setup.

Start at the sidewalk carts for paperbacks, then work the ground floor for new releases, staff picks and the bargain tables of review copies and remainders, where used history, philosophy and literature turn up beside brand new hardcovers. Head up to the art and photography stacks for monographs and catalogs, then finish in the Rare Book Room on the third floor. Book lovers who want a keepsake can look for Strand merchandise printed with the 18 Miles of Books line. If you are hunting a specific title, ask at the information desk, because staff can search the store inventory and point you to the right shelf.

The simplest route is the Union Square station at 14th Street. Artbook's store directory gives the directions plainly: take the N, R, 4, 5, 6 or L train to Union Square and walk two blocks south to 12th Street. The Q and W also stop at Union Square. You will come out near the park, and the walk down Broadway takes only a few minutes. Look for the long red awning and the carts lining the curb, which are impossible to miss. Citi Bike docks sit around Union Square if you prefer to ride, and several bus lines run along Broadway and Fifth Avenue.

Once your bags are full, the surrounding blocks make an easy literary loop. Union Square Park is two blocks north, and its Greenmarket fills the plaza on several days each week with farm stands and food trucks. Walk east along East 11th Street and you reach the edge of the East Village, where Grace Church rises on Broadway with its Gothic spire. A few blocks south, Astor Place marks where the old Book Row began, and Cooper Union's Foundation Building stands nearby. West along 12th Street, the brownstones and New School buildings lead toward Greenwich Village and Washington Square Park, a natural spot to open a new purchase.

Strand Book Store, at 828 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, sits on the corner of East 12th Street. Hours: Monday 10am to 9pm, Tuesday 10am to 9pm, Wednesday 10am to 9pm, Thursday 10am to 9pm, Friday 10am to 9pm, Saturday 10am to 9pm, Sunday 10am to 9pm. The Rare Book Room is on the third floor and is reached by elevator. Browsing is free, the outdoor carts are open whenever the store is, and author events are listed on strandbooks.com. Share the address in the Karpo APP to plan a meetup with friends at the carts.