Book Culture

I love that we still have book stores! It literally warms my heart. This book store is a gem! There’s 2 levels, don’t let its size fool you. It’s huge! So many different genres, and selections from new to old. Prices from 98 cents and above. Books for all ages. Quality books! I can go on. They also have planners, and totes/bags, and other cute accessories! Cute touch how the staff has staff picks! I will always go back when I’m in the area! Support local book stores!!!

Looked all over the city for days for a specific translation of a book and they were the only ones with several in stock and used. Also picked up a couple of other very recent novels at a great sales price. Amazing bookstore.

Solid selection of books with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Prices are pretty standard/reasonable. Just be warned that some Columbia course books in high demand may be periodically out of stock. If you need a course wide book (i.e. the Iliad for LitHum), buy it early.

What a cute, quaint, and quirky bookstore! I can’t believe I’d never been there before! They have all of your usual book needs, along with all sorts of trinkets. My favorite part was a section called “blind date with a book” where they have wrapped up different book selections and you can select one based on certain hints (“mystery novel meets struggling millennial”). I got one and can’t wait to discover what’s inside!

Lovely book store, really friendly and helpful staff. Plus more books than one can wrap their head around! So many great books of different genres to choose from, across two floors. I spent 2 hours looking at all the books. They even have a used book section, and they’re in great condition. Definitely recommend, and I believe they have other locations across the city.

Oh, what an overwhelming book store! So many great books makes me wish I was a billionaire of time and money. This is probably one of the best book stores in the world. Great people working there, good prices and many good recomendations by the staff. This store is a must see when in New York.

On the smaller end but lovely space. Great spot to find a new read.

Great selection for browsing, but they also offer great prices when it comes to selling used books

I am so grateful Book Culture is in the neighborhood. This location is much bigger than the location around the corner on Broadway. This location has two stories - and they do have an elevator to the second story if needed. They also have a bathroom upstairs I believe. The selection of books is vast and I find at least 4-5 books I want to buy when I come here. It is so dangerous! They also sell little trinkets and greeting cards. The staff is always kind and helpful. They have a rewards program where you spend a certain amount of $ and then you get a $10 reward. Book Culture has a small children's section upstairs as well as textbooks for Columbia students. They regularly host fun events - most recently 20% off everything on New Years Day and hosted a jazz band to perform in the store! I think this store is truly a local gem and I encourage you to support them whenever possible.

While exploring the area around Columbia University, I found this little bookstore and popped in for a gift. I love independent bookstores in general, and this is a fun one. Everything is artistically arranged and the place pulls you in with different colors. I had fun looking around; it was busy which is always a great sign. Prices are reasonable as most things are cover priced. They also sell other items like paper, bookmarks, and related things. My only complaint and reason I didn't stay longer was the rude attitude of the cashier, I didn't feel welcome even when purchasing. If you're looking for a neat store to explore a curated collection of books, it's worth stopping in.

Walking around town and stumbled into this little book shop. Can't pass one up when I see one- love a good independent bookstore. The layout was sweet and simple and creative. They had a good mix of books and crafts and stickers and postcards. Lots for all ages and types. The worker was incredibly kind and seemed helpful. I got some sweet postcards for $1 each. They didn't have stamps tho.

This independent bookstore was a delightful surprise! Please note there's another Book Culture just two blocks away though.. This particular store has a lovely curation of snappy greeting cards, Miyazaki goods, poetry books, bestsellers, etc. laid out in a way that feels like an adventure. I think it's the perfect place for treating to yourself to some literary goodness or for the book lover in your life. It's definitely on the quaint side with two floors, and a small staircase to the second floor, but I never felt like I was bumping elbows with other customers. I also like that they let people sell their books here. I can't speak on part of the selling experience, but they make it very clear on the labels of pricing of used vs. new books and the used books are in pretty good condition! It was bustling when I came, and I left with a modern poetry book.

I've bought dozens and dozens of books at Book Culture over the years. Twice over the past 5 weeks, I've tried to sell books back, despite the meager amounts they pay, only to be told that they're only buying back from students until further notice despite the fact that both times there were 2 - 3 people behind the buyback desk doing nothing and no students. In fact, the store was virtually empty. I had checked the website first both times which showed the buyback hours but apparently one needs to know you need to click further through to get to the suspension notice. I'm done with Book Culture. Fortunately, there's a great new Shakespeare and Co. just a few blocks away.

Rude and pretentious. I live very close and every time I go I have a bad experience. They highlight obscure titles. I only go when I have no choice.

What a great cute bookstore! Stumbled upon it while doing the Broad City challenge and it warmed my heart. Perfectly located on Broadway with sweet staff and great sidelines, I loved this place. They have several locations and I was shocked that I had never heard of it before. Pretty standard book selection- not super unique but fun anyways!

The guy upstairs that was handling used book purchases was extremely rude. Avoid if you're not a native English speaker. He has no patience to listen if are a slow talker or have an accent. I hope no one else will have to deal with his discriminatory behavior.

Good selection of books and gifts. However, buyer beware. If you decide to return anything you only get store credit. They do not offer any refunds.

Don't sell your books here. They're extremely picky. I came here with 20 items (good quality) and they only bought one. This is why Amazon wins.

Since the Columbus Avenue location closed, I had been making purchases at other independent bookstores in nyc online--until covid-19 and quarantine made me feel like trekking the couple miles to get to the 112th St. location so I could get some exercise while I support one of my favorite local small businesses! I not only got my pre-orders on time for their release dates, but I even got a couple of them a few days early! Fun fact is if I'd decided to pre-order these titles online via the evil Amazon, they would've arrived days after release despite paying to get them on time. 'RONA OR NO RONA, SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES!! If they don't have the book you want, they'll order it and email you pick it up. Hours for pick up are currently 3-6pm! (Way better than when they were forced to have it as 12-3 due to the MTA operating hours being reduced.)

Cute bookstore near Columbia University! My daughter comes here often to get books for pleasure reading but, since they also carry university required books, during my visit she was able to get the last book they had in stock for her Russian class. She is also a "member" and gets 10% off of every purchase, well-worth it for a bibliophile!

Worst customer service I've ever encountered. A mixture of entitled flippant boredom and unpolished social skills. Basic human eye contact and or verbal skills lost and along with my business.‍

This location is now open from 10-8 daily, as is the Broadway store (although the latter's children's section is only open from 12-6 p.m.).

Wonderful small store with lots of heart and great choices for kids. Friendly staff who are helpful and know the toys and authors make shopping a breeze. Feel good about shopping and supporting a local biz with competitive prices and a chil relaxed atmosphere. My little girl loves it here and I highly recommend this store.

For those of you who have seen Netflix's "You", this is a bookstore "Joe" would frequent. Personable book recommendations, multiple little books, you betcha! We were able to find books for our book discerning kids as well as for ourselves. Very happy to have found this place!

This bookstore is amazing. They have an expansive book selection in all the different genres, I swear you could spend a good hour if not more just looking around. Everything is super organized and staff is very helpful. I've been a few times to get baby books for my goddaughter and they have so many! The kid's section is super cute and includes a small space for kids to sit. I also like that they have a shelf outside with lots of books on sale, I always like to rummage through them and see if I find anything interesting. They have another close location in 114th and Broadway but I think this one is much better since it's bigger.

I love this bookstore but gave it a 4 because I recently ordered a book to pick up online. They said it had 2 copies in store to pick up so I would expect that I could pick it up the next day. I didn't get my book after about 3 weeks later. The confirmation said they had to order the book and would let me know when they had it. After two weeks I called to check on the status because no one emailed me back after I emailed checking on the status. The person said that they did have it in store but since I wanted to pick it up in a different location which is 2 blocks away, she said I could come in and just get the book here. The next week I got an email saying the book was available in the other location. Not sure about the miscommunication but hope they get more organìzed because then I would just order online through Amazon. I wanna support my local bookstores and if I ever pass by and see a book ill buy it in person instead of doing it online.

Great store. Courteous employees and great selection too! I ordered a book and it came in on time and I picked it up. Experience was great.

I love this place & have had a paid membership at Book Culture for five years, but- I went in a few days ago and a staff member had their mask off, was walking around the store, and was interacting with customers... I left immediately and don't imagine I'll be back until there's a vaccine. I know COVID is rough on retail stores, but you gotta do the basics!

Before Covid19 crisis: The owner aggressively behaved in an unpleasant rude strange manner telling a Columbia University Professor to leave +not return while she was browsing taking time among the books to select for her classes. Unprofessional scary behavior surely an indication of the owners' current woes. The Strand now such a superior replacement.

A great selection for a local book store, full of interesting books and helpful staff. Also, they have a pretty safe COVID protocol, which is very helpful.

I love this place so much. They have an excellent selection of books- I could spend hours and hours browsing. Everything is neatly organized and clean. You know how most bookshops have carts outside with $1 books that no one wants? These guys actually have really interesting books in the deals section. -good selection of books -good prices -nice employees You'll find me here again and again ;)

I really enjoyed my visit to Book Culture! I left with several books: Severance by Ling Ma, Borne by Jeff Vandermeer, The Mothers by Brit Bennett, A Woman Looking at Men by Siri Hustvedt, and others. They were doing a 20% off sale that day so it seemed like the store was busier than usual, but staff were accommodating and efficient. I was with a friend so could only stay for about half an hour, but I could have easily browsed the store for hours! The staff recommendations are fun to read and discover new titles that you wouldn't otherwise consider. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area. I do wish I got a store paper bookmark from them, but I'm not sure if they do that!

Much bigger than it appears at first due to a large upstairs. Wide selection of books, fiction and nonfiction and academic, used and new. Modest selection of graphic novels and comics. Great store!

Great to see a three store bookstore operation still kicking and they've paired with Columbia so that connection is doing them well. Professors list books for class here and clearly are making a statement as a result because B&N is on campus dishing up their wares big time. What shocked me must here wasn't the intellectual and overly academic stocked shelves but the amazing trinkets, bags, and fun things to get for book lovers. Makes you wonder if ever the iPad or Kindle were not meant to replace reading. Coming here makes it obvious that electron solutions are merely a passing phase for those seriously looking to stimulate their minds!

A mini-maze of books by class on the second floor and subject on the first floor. Watch which direction you peer through, you might knock over a stack of books with your gaze. While you can find many a strange subject here, and local publishers from the University and "thought"-provoking authors, don't expect to find much in the way of mainstream fiction or fun children's literature here... this is a bookstore that knows it caters to the university students and their professors.

Probably has the lowest prices of remainder books in the City. I found a Houellebecq there for $6 (hardcover!) and some texts pertaining to music theory and criticism. But the cutthroat factor works both ways! They offered me 50 cents / $1.00 in trade for my hardcover (okay, it was beat, and had markings all over inside of it) copy of Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections, and yet they sell paperbacks for $11, when used hardcovers can be found on the web for $4. The guy in charge of used acquisitions gave me attitude when I suggested I receive $1.50 in trade if I bought $20 worth of stuff. Huh? Maybe rent for businesses in NYC is so high that shopowners feel like they need to pinch quarters. Needless, to say, I bought the other books with cash anyways, and kept my copy of The Corrections, which means that I get to read about Alfred and Enid and Chip and DIane over and over and over ....

Lovely bookstore, with an especially impressive collection of new hardcover non-fiction and fiction. Plenty of popular and more esoteric titles, with several interesting ones you won't find at the vast majority of bookstores. Seemed to catch this store at an odd time, though, as their paperback fiction selection was very limited, and placards with detailed staff book recommendations (the heart of most good indie stores) had no actual books above them. How much of the weird gaps in the store were a result of the bookstore's transition to the new school year (students were arriving when we visited), and how much of it is the situation with their funding was unclear. Still fun to visit, with stylish ancillary items (book bags, socks, notebooks etc) and nice staff. Hope the transitional feel of the store is a temporary thing.

Very charming book store, to be quite frank. I love little indie bookstores because of the feeling and also the selection of books. At chain stores you see a lot of choices and that can be overwhelming. I love their selection and quality of books. You can tell there are some unique titles and interesting essay compilations. Very good selection of quirky cards and gifts. So go ahead, get lost in this bookstore. It's worth it.

There is nothing else like it. An extraordinary place to spend time, discover new works and hidden gems, and meet some pretty cool fellow humans. A true haven and invaluable resource for people of all kinds.

I love the other book culture on Broadway closer to Columbia, and this one should take some notes from them on customer service. I stopped in to get a specific type of notebook as a gift for someone who has another one from BC. It's usually on shelves outside but it was a rainy day so I went inside to search. First strike was that it was super empty, and yet no on greeted me when I walked in. This might not have been a huge deal if it wasn't for the fact that there were THREE workers standing right by the door holding a private convo, and none of them turned to acknowledge me. I had to walk towards the back and get the attention of another young lady who was actually doing work. She helped me look for it and we found it after she asked one of the 3 chatters who then pointed me to the correct shelf. But had they properly greeted me when I first arrived, this could've been established already. And as I search, they continued to chat and laugh, just seeming totally unprofessional. Last strike was when I went to pay and one of the girls made a comment to the guy that she didn't like this notebook because it was ugly. Is that your selling pitch? If I wasn't already set on buying it, you could've ruined my experience. It was gross and I couldn't believe that an employee would make a comment like that about a customers selection. Needless to say, I wouldn't be returning.

The most frequent bookstore that I visit! I haven't purchased anything there yet but I love the atmosphere. Everyone there is so friendly and they all love my daughter. I love to take her there too. It has a nice little section just for children. I definitely would recommend going there!

Prices here for slightly used / highlighted / dog-eared / water-damaged / ex-lib. books were REALLY BLANKIN' good here when I first moved to NY. Now the prices are around $2-3 less than list price for the dingers. I don't get what happened and found myself disappointed by this during my last visit. Also wish the staffer who rung me up the last two times wasn't so bookmark stingy and that membership included a card (no stating my name to everyone on the first floor at checkout). Otherwise, I like Book Culture a lot, go whenever I pick up my mail and prefer it to most bookstores in the city. I can always find my heavy-hitters upstairs (philosophy & fiction) and somewhere in the stair pile-up. All the chintzy crap (bags, hats, notebooks, other randoms) kind of freaks me out: why is it there? who buys that stuff?? The few interactions I have had with the staff have been pleasant enough.

Nice. I came in to resell my books. The old man with the Afro was not personable at all. Never smiled. Didn't bother to greet me. Though I did . There's an upstairs and down stairs . If you have old books sell them yourself. I sold 12 books for $34. Store credit but $23. 20

First bookstore I'm leaving a review for...& with good reason. Nothing like a good bookstore with all the sidekick knick knacks of sorts to wander and trespass in for hours. (Though I'm not actually making a public recommendation to do so, but I digress.) The more I come here to read and discover other writers, the more I like this place. My last encounter at Book Culture had me reading a small, fast read about feminism. I left the place feeling like a stronger woman and a temporary feminist for the day!

Amazing selection of books and great staff always. I've also been able to put in orders for books not already on hand, and recently when I had a question about an order, one of the employees took the time to research what was happening and get back to me quickly. I am especially thankful for this during what I am sure is a very busy moment in the year.

Rude service, will not be returning. Was given attitude at the simple request of the location of a book as I was a first time shopper here. Will definitely be my last.

I visited here again today and was once again astounded by how lovely this place is when it isn't school time. As I said before, during the textbook rush times, this place is an awful place. It's overcrowded, they make you check bags, people are brusque, and so on. But, on a nice lazy Saturday like today, it was absolutely pleasant. I moved back into the neighborhood and had no books to read (they are being treated for critters... of all things). I remembered that somewhere amongst my scattered stuff, I had a coupon for 20% off my next purchase at Labyrinth. And since the coupon isn't valid for textbook purchases, I decided to go ahead and use it today. Although they didn't have any works of Mario Vargas Llosa, they did have Chang Rae Lee's "Native Speaker," which wasn't available at either St. Mark's Bookstore orThree Lives and Company. Though disappointed that they didn't carry anything by the Peruvian writer, I was happy to finally get the chance to finish "Native Speaker," which I stupidly returned back in high school having read only half of it. I also picked up two other novels, including a marked down copy of Mishima. They also have new canvas tote bags with a much better design than the last. I figured I needed a new tote bag, so I snagged myself one of those too. Anyways, they've recently (ok.. within the last year) started a Book Club program. You just sign up and you get random emails, a coupon giving you a 20% discount on non-textbook items, and a membership card. The membership card keeps track of how much you've spent, and for every $200 you spend, you get $10 in store credit... which is... better than nothing. But yes, run far away from this place in September when it's a total zoo with all those darn Columbia kids running around buying textbooks. Come here during the summer when it's nice and quiet in the neighborhood. Seriously, those Columbia kids are such pests! I should know... I'm one of them.

Manager is a dick. Rest of staff generally helpful and kind. They don't tell you that used books can only be returned within first week after purchase whereas new books can be returned in two weeks. I tried to return a book on the 8th day after it was purchased. Manager would not let me and said there was going to be a newer edition coming out soon so it wouldn't do him any good to take back the current version. Checked online afterwards and found publisher has no plans of releasing a newer edition. So the D-bag manager was quite content in lying just so he can dump his inventory on struggling college students.

My Holiday Nook will take a silent step backwards to the Book Culture's grab table of Modern Philosophy and Poetry Books. This place is a bibliophile's Tardis. It just looks small from the outside. The place is browser friendly. And have a friendly, helping, and knowledgeable staff.

About the only bookstore in NYC that is comparable to University of Chicago's Seminary Co-op, Labyrinth Books is right by Columbia University. A Columbia art history Ph.D student I knew told me that the Ph.D candidates were given a $400 scholarship by some wealthy lady to spend at Labyrinth Books. And it might be the luckiest thing to happen during the grueling Ph.D. years for some of these people. Labyrinth certainly has the wealth of art history and art criticism books to accomodate all these students. Furthermore, their holdings in all academic categories are prodigious. They boast their continuing support of poetry as a pallative to the horrors of living in U.S. post-9/11 (and rightly so). But beyond the academic categories and poetry, they also keep their current events and fiction categories well stocked with good books. They've been expanding out to set up bookstores at Yale and Princeton. This is important as chainstores such as B&N have monopolized most college bookstores and left college bookstores filled mostly with utter tripe and nonsense. As their website quotes: A room without books is like a body without a soul --- Cicero I couldn't agree more.

One of the best bookstores in New York City. You'll get smarter just walking through the door, even if you're not a student at Columbia. Labyrinth is one of the most focused cultural studies, politics, and academic bookstores I've ever seen. The selection of little magazines and journals -- academic and literary -- just inside the entry is extremely impressive. And the new-title tables remind me a little of the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Mass. (Smarter even than Bookcourt's!) The politics of the shop run slightly left of center (What do you expect from a shop that advertises in the Nation?), and that's reflected in its political, philosophy, and cultural studies sections, as well as throughout the store. Between this and St. Marks, you should be set, you pomo thinkers, you!

I went to this bookstore in the last few weeks that it was still Labyrinth. They had a great selection of academic books - the newest stuff, and discounts on older books upstairs. The joint owners split up, that's why it's called Book Culture now. And, according to a news item I read: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6473537.html The owner that kept the store said, "Our neighborhood . . . has been booming, and we're in a position to become a terrific neighborhood bookstore as well as a scholar's destination." Hopefully that just means more books, not Norah Jones, coffee and breath mints. I'm with Yelper Tim T. Besides, there's a number of well-stocked card and gift stores around the block. Book Culture should stick to what a good bookstore does best - books.

Ordered a book on September 16th, 2012 and as of today, October 16th, has yet to arrive. Seriously messing up my ability to keep up with the reading for grad school. 30 days and counting for a book? All the other books I ordered on the same day, from different stores, have arrived.

One of the only bookstores in the city that reliably has a great selection of critical theory/cultural studies and other awesome stuff. The best part is that they actually carry used books, marked by orange stickers, and I save a lot of money that way. Of course, you have to take into account how many more books I buy because they actually have them in stock, so I'm out much more in the end. Alas. Anyway, the closest thing to a brothel that a grad student ever dreams of.

A hidden gem! I needed to buy a few birthday cards and had to pull myself away from browsing the stacks. I found great products and would highly recommend checking it this spot.

I heart this bookstore. It services the columbia community and intellectuals everywhere. The true test of this is where you go: if you walk in and go straight to the back, you might as well go the Barnes and Nobles Columbia bookstore. If you head directly up the stairs lined with books, you are in search of intellectual stimulation. My favorite is the sociology and anthro section; its MASSIVE, and alll those random names your professor happens to drop during class can be found here. Ahhh, enlightenment. Also makes for an excuse to go to office hours. The best part is the friendly staff. They are happy to help, and if for some reason you cannot find what you are looking for, they will either refer you to a place known to have it in stock, or order it for you. How much more could you ask for? I like to ask for reading suggestions, since they seem to be well versed in all subjects.

As a student at Columbia, I'd have been thrown into a relationship with Book Culture eventually. It was either that, paying full price on EVERYTHING forever at the Barnes & Noble bookstore, or waiting anxiously for books to come in from half.com--70% of the time long after we'd discussed them in class. During the school year, no, Book Culture is not a fun place to go. It's clogged around the clock with students loaded up with books, the staff is too distracted to really help you out that much, and if you're buying anything that vaguely looks like a coursebook, don't think they'll let you use one of those awesome coupons you get for joining the Book Club. If you can come in on a less crowded day, though, Book Culture is one hell of an academic bookstore, and has loads of books on basically anything you can think of. And because of the unending supply of cast off books from students, you can often find a used, much less expensive copy of whatever you're looking for. For students selling, they also offer pretty good store credits in exchange, speaking in comparison to B&N or auctioning them off to Powell's. The staircase to the second floor is itself enticement enough to go upstairs, as it invariably houses marked-down books on Really Cool Stuff. A few of the employees can be a bit distracted, but the majority of the staff is really nice and eager to help you find something. Overall, a cool and well-stocked local bookseller.