Strand Book Store

The Strand's Rare Book Room is a perfect venue for weddings, celebrations, and private events. Spend your special evening surrounded by rare and antique books curated by Strand's resident experts. The Strand was established in 1927 on Fourth Avenue, in the heart of what was then known as "Book Row." Book Row was a six-block stretch of land that housed forty-eight independent bookstores. Ben Bass, the father, was only twenty-five years old when he started his modest used bookstore in his hometown of St. Louis. Entrepreneur at heart and voracious reader by nature, this erudite gentleman began with $300 dollars of his own money and another $300 dollars in borrowed funds from a friend. Ben wished to create a space where books would be cherished and book lovers could congregate in a welcoming environment. After the London street where avant-garde writers such as Thackeray, Dickens, and Mill once congregated as well as interesting book publishers, he named his bookstore after the same street. The Strand quickly established itself as a Greenwich Village institution, where writers gathered to converse, sell their books, and hunt for a hidden treasure to purchase and keep for themselves. Today, the Strand is the only remaining structure from Book Row's illustrious past. Ben's son, Fred, was already learning the ropes of the family business at the age of thirteen. He, too, was a book enthusiast who quickly entered the book trade. After serving his country in the Armed Forces, Fred returned home to New York, where he continued to work alongside his father in the family business. By 1957, Fred had relocated the store to its current location at 12th Street and Broadway, which is just around the corner. Eventually, Fred found himself spending the majority of his time at the purchasing desk, cultivating relationships with regulars and on the lookout for the next great find... In the following generation, Fred's daughter, Nancy, joined her father in the family business. When she finished college and spent a brief period in Louisiana, she returned to her hometown and joined the Strand team at the age of twenty-five. Today, she manages the store and feels privileged to be able to carry on her family's 90-year tradition. It's still up in the air whether one, two, or all three of Nancy's children will be the next in line to join the Strand organization.