“Working as an artist on the Lower East Side in the late Forties and early Fifties wasn’t always easy, as Alfred Leslie can tell you. He once received a visit from the police, who asked him what he was doing in a huge, dark loft, with only a flickering lamp to see by. ‘I’m an […]
Once upon a time, people bought almost all of their books in bookstores. People still do a lot of literary shopping in local storefronts, and our neighborhoods still have many beloved shops for the experience and joy of buying books in person — but not nearly as many as in years past. Starting in the […]
In 1909, the activist, scholar, educator, writer, editor W.E.B. Du Bois co-founded the NAACP.
The University Place Book Shop was one of the longest-running “Book Row” shops.
Beginning in the 1890s and lasting for over 80 years, the area between Astor Place and Union Square was a hub of secondhand bookstores.
Change in New York is an expected norm, sometimes so constant it almost goes unnoticed. It’s such an ingrained part of the New Yorker’s experience, we often forget just how much our city has transformed, and what we have left behind. To help us remember, we have Carole Teller. A Brooklyn-born artist who’s lived in the […]
Today we celebrate 90 years of the Strand Bookstore. This beloved neighborhood institution was founded in 1927 by Benjamin Bass as a used bookstore on the famous Book Row, which consisted of 48 book stores along Fourth Avenue from Astor Place to Union Square. Strand remains among the last of these bookstores. Today is actually owner Fred Bass’s 89th […]
Off the Grid is highlighting the 2016 Village Awards winners in the lead up to the June 14th Annual Meeting & Award Ceremony. Click here for more information about the event and to RSVP. Today we look at at the first of seven awardees, Strand Bookstore.
