A bookish tour of Manhattan
Docent Julie Chelminski shows what cards in the card catalog once looked like in the New York City Public Library's Schwarzman Building. New York City is a spot for book lovers to get their fill. Credit: MCT, 2011
As the marble lions in front of the New York Public Library celebrate their 100th anniversary, Kindles, Nooks, iPads and their ilk multiply like bunnies. So, old-fashioned book people, hit literary Manhattan soon and hard. Even if you have limited time, you can squeeze in a short tour, complete with thinking, drinking, tote bags, Bibles and that pair of municipal mascots.
1. THE ALGONQUIN ROUND TABLE
WHAT The storied West 44th Street gathering spot where Dorothy Parker and other wits of the '20s and '30s once cracked wise. You can order a bowl of soup (French onion, $13), but don't fuss over the furniture: the famous table itself left the building long ago, destination unknown.
WHERE 59 W. 44th St.
INFO 212-840-6800, algonquinhotel.com
2. WHITE HORSE TAVERN
WHAT Sip a beer (cash only) and admire the old tin ceiling and an agreeably spooky portrait of the poet Dylan Thomas. "He didn't actually die here," bartender Lova Rasoamanana notes. After staggering back to his room at the Hotel Chelsea one night in November 1953, Thomas bragged of downing 18 whiskeys. He fell into a coma and died days later.
WHERE 567 Hudson St., between Perry and West 11th streets
INFO 646-783-8979, whitehorsetavernnyc.com
3. MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM
WHAT Built as the private domain of financier Pierpont Morgan in 1906, the Morgan Library today houses the myriad cultural prizes Morgan amassed, including medieval manuscripts, letters by Charles Dickens, handwritten scores by Mozart and Beethoven and three Gutenberg Bibles. An exhibit of Islamic manuscript painting opens today.
WHERE 225 Madison Ave. at 36th Street
INFO Admission $15, 212-685-0008, themorgan.org
4. THE ARGOSY BOOKSHOP
WHAT Argosy has its share of $15-$25 volumes, along with all sorts of autographs. But much of the six-story building is filled with pricey antiquarian volumes, art, maps and Americana. An F. Scott Fitzgerald first edition ("All the Sad Young Men," 1926) goes for $7,500.
WHERE 116 E. 59th St.
INFO 212-753-4455, argosybooks.com
5. STRAND BOOKSTORE
WHAT The Strand courts bargain-hunters with staggering variety -- an estimated 18 miles of books. They'll sell you a tote bag, buy your old books, rent you books by the foot for a photo shoot and sell you a used paperback for $8.
WHERE Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th Street
INFO 212-473-1452, strandbooks.com
6. NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
WHAT At the 1911 building, start with those lions, nicknamed Patience and Fortitude. Inside, shuffle through grand Astor Hall, admire the gilded ceiling of the map room and cityscape paintings in the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room. The Children's Center has the original Winnie the Pooh, a tattered bear A.A. Milne gave his son. Upstairs, the library's main reading room is nearly 300 feet long, with a 52-foot ceiling. Free 50-minute docent tours available.
WHERE Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street
INFO 917-275-6975 (ASK-NYPL), nypl.org
