Strand Bookstore: About Strand

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The Beginning

In 1927, Ben Bass opened Strand Book Store on Fourth Avenue, home of New York's legendary Book Row. Named after the famous publishing street in London, the Strand was one of 48 bookstores on Book Row, which started in the 1890's and ran from Union Square to Astor Place. Today, the Strand is the sole survivor.

All in the Family

Ben's son Fred started working in his father's store at the age of 13. After a tour of duty in the Armed Forces, Fred returned to the family business and took over its management in 1956. Soon after, he moved the store to its current location on Broadway at 12th Street, where he rented 4,000 square feet of space - a very large space, at that time. The Strand now occupies 55,000 square feet of space.

8 Miles of Books

In the 1970s, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist George F. Will wrote, "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."

18 Miles of Books...and Then Some

More than thirty years later, the Bass family now owns the building at Broadway and 12th Street. They also operate the Kiosks in Central Park. In the early 1990s, Strand went online and today book lovers from around the world can shop from our entire selection at strandbooks.com.

Shopping at Strand

Search for a specific book, browse our shelves for that hard-to-find treasure, or buy a gift card to be mailed or emailed to someone today.

Not Just Used Books...

We offer thousands of new titles at 50% off the cover price, as well as a wide variety of "front list" books ordered directly from the publisher and obtainable at 25% or more off the cover price. We also have one of New York's largest collections of art books, all at discount prices.

Strand buys thousands of books every day; our stock is continually changing. If we are out of stock on the title that you are looking for today, it may turn up soon. Place an order for it and we will contact you as soon as it arrives. You can use our "Just Arrived" sort feature to keep up to date on the volumes constantly being added to our shelves.

Rare Books Collection

We feature the largest rare books collection in New York City, containing first and signed editions of many modern books, a large assortment of hard-to-find art and photography books, and collectibles in every field.

Library Services

We offer special services to libraries, universities and other institutions. Contact us directly and we'll tailor a custom account that matches your library's needs. And, as always, librarians are encouraged to stop by the store to personally select from our inventory.

Books by the Foot

Buy or rent books by the foot. Interior decorators, film/television set decorators and homeowners, give us your specifications and we'll select just the right books to fit your shelf, all priced by linear foot.

Today

Strand Book Store remains a fiercely independent family business with Fred and his daughter, Nancy Bass Wyden, at the helm. With over 200 employees, more than 2.5 million used, new and rare books, a renovated main store and a growing author events program, the Strand looks forward to offering great books at great prices to book-lovers worldwide for another 80 years.

In the Press

Publishers Weekly co-hosted our 80th birthday party in June 2007. Mayor Ed Koch was our M.C. and a number of New York writers and artists, including Gay Talese, Frank McCourt, Nora Ephron, Adam Gopnik and Art Spiegelman, toasted the Strand's 80 years. Click here to learn more about the Strand Story.

The Strand attracts some of the most talented artists and writers as employees. Click here to meet some of our staff.

Did you know the Strand has a long history of musical employees? Patti Smith, Tom Verlaine (of Television) and Lux Interior (of The Cramps) all worked at the Strand. Click here to read about the history of Strand Staff musicians. Note: the article is in French.

At the Store

David Foster Wallace, Jhumpa Lahiri, David Sedaris, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Jeff Koons, and many others have participated in the Strand's events program. Click here to see who else has appeared on the Strand Stage.

The famous Strand Book Store is located in the heart of New York City's Greenwich Village, 2 blocks East of Union Square. Click here to view photos of the Strand.

The Next Generation

On October 26, 2007, the Strand Book Store welcomed its newest family members, William Peter and Ava Rose Wyden. These are the first children for Strand owner Nancy Bass Wyden and her husband, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). Congratulations to the Wydens and Grandparents Fred and Pat Bass!