Strand Books (also known as The Strand) is easy to get lost in, as well as pushed around by other customers in the narrow aisles. The employees are a little grumbly. However, if you had a college degree and were working in a bookstore, you might also begrudge the daily crazies too. So, I have some sympathy with their apathy.
The bookstore's selection is so mixed that often if you go in there with a particular book in mind, you might not find it, but you will walk out with 10 other titles you found.
Within the past year the owners moved the old art bookstore Hackers up to the second floor of the Strand on Broadway. It's an amazing collection with huge sections devoted to narrower categories of art than most bookstores.
There is also rare bookroom above that level that true book collectors will surely enjoy.
Selling your books to The Strand isn't the most profitable business, as the owner is very picky. So many people lug in a box of books only to discover he will buy one or two from the entire lot, and then the buyer leaves the entire box to avoid the effort of taking all the books back. This is a key source to the owner's income.
While it used to be more common to have great celeb sightings at The Strand, the owner's daughter, Nancy, ruined it for many celebs by calling Page Six one too many times.
Overall, the place has great prices and customers walk away very satisfied with their finds and buys.
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