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Book lovers bemoan the steady disappearance of New York's independent bookstores, and attribute their loss to the phenomenon of Barnes & Noble superstores, but there's still no shortage of places to find books , no matter how esoteric your tastes may be.
SUPERSTORES AND CHAINS
Barnes & Noble 4 Astor Place (at Broadway and Lafayette) tel 212/420-1322. 385 5th Ave (at 36th St) tel 212/779-7677. 675 6th Ave (at W 22nd St) tel 212/727-1227. 600 5th Ave (at W 48th St) tel 212/765-0592. 750 3rd Ave (at 47th St) tel 212/697-2251. 2289 Broadway (at W 82nd St) tel 212/362-8835. 240 E 86th St (at 2nd Ave) tel 212/794-1962. 1280 Lexington (at E 86th St) tel 212/423-9900. 1972 Broadway (across from Lincoln Center) tel 212/595-6859 and 33 E 17th St (Union Square) tel 212/253-0810.
Major US chain, many of its stores with attendant Starbucks cafés. Presentations by authors take place about five evenings a week.
Borders Books and Music 461 Park Ave (at 57th St) tel 212/980-6785. 550 2nd Ave (at 32nd St) tel 212/685-3938.
This Ann Arbor-based chain rivals Barnes & Noble for selection, though not saturation.
GENERAL INTEREST AND NEW BOOKS
St Mark's Bookshop 31 3rd Ave (between 8th and 9th sts) tel 212/260-7853.
Wonderfully eclectic selection of new titles from mainstream to way alternative.
Shakespeare & Co 939 Lexington (at 69th St) tel 212/570-0201. 716 Broadway and Washington Place tel 212/529-1330. 137 E 23rd St tel 212/570-0201 and 1 Whitehall St tel 212/742-7025.
New and used books, paper and hardcover, with some great fiction and psychology selections. There's also a branch in Brooklyn, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Three Lives & Co 154 W 10th St and Waverly Place tel 212/741-2069.
Excellent literary bookstore that has an especially good array of books by and for women, as well as general titles. There's an excellent reading series in the fall.
SECONDHAND BOOKS
Argosy Bookstore 1 16 E 59th St (between Lexington and Park aves) tel 212/753-4455.
Unbeatable for rare books, it also sells clearance books and titles of all kinds, though the shop's reputation means you may find mainstream works cheaper elsewhere.
Strand Bookstore 828 Broadway (at 12th St) tel 212/473-1452.
With about eight miles of books and a stock of 2.5 million+, this is the largest book operation in the city - and one of the few survivors in an area once rife with secondhand bookstores.
TRAVEL AND OTHER SPECIALTY BOOKSTORES
The Complete Traveler 199 Madison Ave (at 35th St) tel 212/685-9007.
Manhattan's premier travel bookshop, excellently stocked, new and secondhand - including a huge collection of Baedekers.
Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop 15 Christopher St (between Gay St and Greenwich Ave) tel 212/255-8097, www.oscarwildebooks.com .
Aptly situated gay and lesbian bookstore - probably the first in the city - with rare book collection, signed and first editions and framed signed letters from famous authors.
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