Strand Bookstore

Twas a time when this place claimed to be the biggest used bookstore in the country. Having worked at Powell's in Portland, Oregon, I know that's far from true. Yet I like the Strand better than its West coast counterpart. The selection is as varied; the atmosphere, much homier. Even while some tomes spill out into the aisles, the books are organized well enough to find what you wish--and to stumble across what you hadn't considered. John Dryden's translation of "The Aeneid?" Why not. In areas with little navigational room, fellow customers always understand the need to pass. One day, I chanced upon a copy of Robert Ferro's "The Others." Lucky me. From what I can tell, the Gertrude Stein and the W.H. Auden leave the shelves quickly. And I've never seen such a wide selection of oversized coffee table books anywhere. Pros: Atmosphere, Bounty Cons: Dust more

Twas a time when this place claimed to be the biggest used bookstore in the country. Having worked at Powell's in Portland, Oregon, I know that's far from true. Yet I like the Strand better than its West coast counterpart. The selection is as varied; the atmosphere, much homier. Even while some tomes spill out into the aisles, the books are organized well enough to find what you wish--and to stumble across what you hadn't considered. John Dryden's translation of ""The Aeneid?"" Why not. In areas with little navigational room, fellow customers always understand the need to pass. One day, I chanced upon a copy of Robert Ferro's ""The Others."" Lucky me. From what I can tell, the Gertrude Stein and the W.H. Auden leave the shelves quickly. And I've never seen such a wide selection of oversized coffee table books anywhere. Pros: Atmosphere, Bounty Cons: Dust more