Left Bank Books

Stumbled upon Left Bank Books on Perry Street in Greenwich Village! I love the cozy environment of the bookstore, filled with used, vintage, and rare books in literature, culture, and the arts.

A intimate space for rare book lovers. Have many cool collections. Bookstore owner was super nice. I’m glad such a place exists in nyc.

Wonderful bookstore. Always a really great selection whenever I walk in. I especially find myself very often extremely pleased with the valuable cultural artifacts of Queer literature and arts available.

This small book store carries a selection of rare and offbeat vintage books at prices from as low as $8 to over $300. There aren't that many books displayed, but what is there is well-curated, and there is probably something to be found for everyone.

I visited Left Bank Books for the first time this weekend, as I happened to be in the area, and it did not disappoint. The store has a boutique feel and a very intimate atmosphere. With the guidance and expertise of Erik, I purchased a few first edition Africana texts. Erik went above and beyond by sharing the contact information of an Africana seller they work with. It was an excellent experience from beginning to end. I highly recommend!

Question, I have one first-edition book and another signed copy (30 years old). I was wondering if you would be interested? Who should I contact?

Absolutely the best with the greatest recommendations and selection. Could not recommend more.

I am really happy to have been in this place. Best part of my NYC trip. The guy definitely is knowledgeable and he is ready to reply your questions about the selection. It was nice to see detailed descriptions attached to the books as well. You can check out the books peacefully and I am sure you will see something for your taste. Will come back next time I am in NYC.

Small one room store with many first edition and signed books. The staff was very helpful and the music was rockin.

I found this bookstore through Yelp and decided to give it a look with my boyfriend. The store itself is a cute little walk in however its very small, a single room that isn't much bigger than a kitchen. The book selection is very tiny, this is a store more for collectors rather than book readers. While it wasn't for me, if you're a book collector I can see this place being your niche.

My headstrong wife dragged me - a very cheap, claustrophobic rube from Arizona - into this cramped, pricy space. I say pricy because I buy most of my books at Phoenix Goodwills and cant remember the last time I spent more than $2.29 for a classic. We were perfectly welcomed by a charming young saleslady (red hair) and instantly felt at home. At least to browse. I enjoyed seeing, and touching several notable specimens, but these ran $500 to even thousands of dollars. About to leave, waiting for my wife, I fingered a final super thin binding on a lower shelf so I could discern the title, and opened a crisp first edition of my ALL TIME favorite novelist, who died in 2006. It was signed. I just about died. That was the most pleasurable $145 I've spent in a long time.

Awesome place, went in mid januaey Large variety to choose from. Would go again probably!

I fortuitously stumbled upon this new Left Bank Books location, tucked into the Victorian brownstones and charming red bricks on storied Perry Street, for the first time recently. My heart broke during my visit because this may be the only shop left in the neighborhood that retains all the flavor of how it used to be when Greenwich Village was indeed a rarefied village in spirit as well as landscape, a peaceful but spellbindingly vibrant oasis within the steely metropolis, where divine sparks of creativity and existential authenticity were palpable on every street. Before Bleecker Street north of Christopher Street resigned to become like Madison Avenue with its too precious fashionista haunts, and crowded coffee shops buzzing with soulful conversation were open through night instead of keeping bankers hours these days and closing at 5 p.m. Before the area became untouchably expensive for the proverbial 99 percent and all but lost its soul. Don't let the compactness of the shop disappoint at first glance, it is a very compelling space rich with transporting literary and other cultural finds by artists mining the depths of their own voices without a care of winning over a demographic to jack up sales. I'm depending on the cyclical nature of history in hoping that the Village will soon return to being a place where inspired creativity instead of rabid real estate development rules the day and many priceless neighborhood shops like this one will thrive again.

I have a weakness for bookshops. I can only imagine how hard it is to survive when the monster chains and the internet are so powerful. This bookstore is very small, but you can find a little bit of everything there. Vintage (or used) books often contain hand-written dedications, old bookmarks, or tickets. This time I ended up with Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet", the 1979 edition. Definitely stop by to find your own treasures.

If you are a book lover and somewhat of a slave/whore to your favorite authors/poets/etc, THIS is a mecca for you. I've been twice, and it only gets better. Nestled off W 4th, its a great place to stop relax while getting lost in a literary world. What makes this experience so sublime is not only the excellent selection, but the owner and the guy at the register who's-name-i-cant-recall. They are we versed in the history of almost every pick, bios, and wil even lend you their phone if yours happens to die when you realize your running late to meet someone for dinner and need to tell them about this awesome discovery you made. i've found this makes the perfect gift for aspiring writers or literary friends ( throw in a Cross pen and your golden)

I visited this store today and it has a decent selection for such a small place, but realistically the space limitations mean the choices are rather limited. The prices seemed reasonable and the woman working there was pleasant, but I didn't think the selection would warrant another visit.

Small, but full of really wonderful, uncommon books. Perhaps the reason such interesting books are ON THE SHELVES (and in stacks on the floor, and on stands, and everywhere else) instead of IN COLLECTIONS is the extremely high prices. On average, I'd say they're higher than Argosy, although thankfully cheaper than Bauman. Still worth a look, if you're in the Village.

Browsed their website, found a wonderful selection of books to take care of Christmas gifts for some special people. I ordered and was extremely pleased when the books arrived in exactly the condition that was described online. Add to that the wonderful job of preparing and wrapping my books for shipping. I am now a fan of Left Bank Books, and I look forward to visiting the shop during my next visit to NY.

I'm another who doesn't understand the 4 dollar signs. I saw things as cheap as $4 in there. This store is a treasure for any book lover. They have everything from classic used books in great condition to new books to signed copies to 1st/2nd/3rd editions of books all for very reasonable prices. It's quite small, but I swear there is something in there for everybody. On top of that the staff is super friendly. I will be back many times and will be recommending this place to everyone.

4 dollar signs on Yelp? Really? Found the prices to be very reasonable and the selection pretty solid, especially for its size.

I don't understand the $$$$. The prices are reasonable, a lot of quality books. Definitely one of the best bookstore in Manhattan.

I love this place. It is a shame that stupid marc jacobs will be taking over the store when it moves around the block in a month or so.. Left Bank has all the greats and some stuff you would never exspect but i am just sad it is leaving me. Damm you Mark Jacobs.

if i told you what lined their shelves i would (really) have to kill you and steal back the books that you've bought from here and put them on my own shelf (minus the price tag)

I saw this tucked-away little place and said, "Oooh, a used book store!" So I swung the heavy old door open and began rummaging through the shelves. The store is packed with books, every shelf bursting with old and new titles, and the smell of old-book overwhelmingly invigorating. I found a faded copy of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and opened the cover for the price-- $125! A first edition! WTF? Ohhhh, this is a VINTAGE bookstore with collector's books and incredibly old copies and first editions. Still fun to poke around in, and super fun if you're a serious collector or book fiend. Great selection of plays and art books, and the owner is brilliant. Enjoy!

Don't go looking for a specific book but just to have fun looking at wonderful collection of first editions and unusual old books, and chatting with Zeke. How they earn enough to stay in business is a mystery, but pray they stay for ever because this is the kind of store that makes the village the village.

A great store for any aspiring writer or anyone who loves books in general. Left Bank Books has a timeless feel to it's layout, with a large collection of books laid out in an organized sprawl everywhere. I stopped in with a friend intending to take a look and proceeded to have a wonderful conversation with the owner and one of his friends. In the end I left the store with $40 dollars of books! But I had gotten a collection of 5 hard to get books in excellent condition. There are actually good deals here if you are not afraid of looking around the store.

I had passed by this place often, and finally walked in to get a birthday present for my dad, who loves books and authors. I found a beautiful signed, first edition by an author he likes. And the store owner threw in, for free, a large lovely print of a photo of the author he had taken. What an unexpectedly great experience.

well its amazing and yes a slice of Paris in the village

Lots of quality books at reasonable prices. Strong on fiction, classics, and poetry. Staff is non-intrusive, informed, and willing to share their knowledgeable insights when asked. Most every shelf has a pleasant surprise -- a book or magazine that will grab your interest.

I stumbled upon this one while wandering in the village, and I'm so glad I did. It's exactly as a great bookstore should be, full of wonderful, fine old books as well as a variety of inexpensive new and used ones. The selection is fantastic, and I'm super happy that I was able to find a great first edition for a reasonable price, as well as a $5 paperback. You can tell that the owner is extremely well-read and has thoughtfully selected only the best. I'm not sure why people think this is a super pricey place. Sure they have an expensive first edition first printing of "A Hundred Years of Solitude", but they also have plenty of other great books that cost about the price of a latte. A true gem!

One of the best book shops in the city. Intelligent stuff only. No pop. Unless for critical purposes. Highly recommended for anyone actually into books. Good left wing selection. Architecture, typography, first editions, old journals, fiction, awesome place overall.