Book-a-holics Delight in NYC's Rare Book Shops

On a lazy Sunday during the summer days in New York City, there's nothing better than spending hours browsing through books, looking for the right one to capture your interest. And while some prefer the shiny cover of a new hardback, there's nothing like the musty, worn pages of an old paperback novel, thoroughly enjoyed by those who came before you.

Start your journey of reading at Housing Works Used Book cafe. Located at 126 Crosby Street, the store touts itself as SoHo's best-kept secret - and it just might be. You can feel good about shopping at Housing Works because all profits go to its charity, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and help for homeless New Yorkers living with AIDS and HIV.

The building itself has a character rapidly disappearing from the city. 45,000 new, used and rare books are surrounded by a mahogany-paneled interior, high ceilings and a spiral staircase. The cafe is staffed by volunteers, and serves food, coffee, pastries - and beer and wine, just in case you want to really relax with a good book.

Visit: www.housingworks.org/bookstore

A New York City used book store list would be remiss if The Strand Bookstore wasn't mentioned. Established in 1927, the store is the lone survivor of the now-defunct Book Row. Originally claiming to have 8 miles of books - coined by journalist George F. Smith in the 1970s - The Strand's slogan is now "18 Miles of Books."

The store's East Village location at 12th Street and Broadway often attracts famous authors. Recently, James Frey appeared to discuss his new work. The store also has an annex in the Financial District, near South Street Seaport, and a Central Park kiosk that is open when weather permits.

Visit: Strandbooks.com

Maybe you're less inclined to to simply browse, and you're looking for a specific work in the realm of art or rare books. On the mezzanine of the Carlyle Hotel is Ursus Books and Prints, established in 1972. The store has three departments, art books, rare books and prints. If you're looking for a specific book, the Ursus staff is happy to search for it for you.

At Ursus, the art books offers both new and out-of-print books, including catalogues raisonnés, artist monographs, and important museum exhibition catalogues. The print works focuses on 16th to 19th century English and European decorative works, while the rare books is boasted to be renowned throughout the rare book world for having copies of important rare books.

Visit: www.ursusbooks.com

If you want to extend your used-book day even further than these three stores, you have plenty of room to do so with used book stores all over the city. Some worth checking out are:
Argosy Book Store
Mercer Street Books & Records
Left Bank Books
Alabaster Book Shop
Bauman Rare Books