Human Relations

Great book store one of the few in the area its worth a trip

The bookstore is hard to miss on Fulton, has a vast selection of books and is truly an independent bookstore. It is small so no sitting tea but holds a ton of books and you will enjoy the feel of being in a cozy bookstore.

The place is addictive -- I end up getting a book or several every time I set my foot in. Be ready for some interesting, curious, unexpected, even a tad bizarre finds.

This bookstore is an embodiment of performative activism and is an example of why businesses who are unkind and prejudice should not be in predominantly diverse neighborhoods. I visited this bookstore on Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 7:40pm with my two friends hoping to be able to look through some books before the 8pm closing time listed on Google. When we arrived, we saw carts of $1 books outside the bookstore and stopped to look at them. We saw a woman inside lock the door as soon as we approached the bookstore. Mind you, all of their carts full of books were still left outside so it seemed okay to go through. We did see that there was a sign outside identifying their winter hours were a gentleman came outside and said that he could help me check out but that they are cash only. My friends and I started looking through our bags for exact change to make it more convenient for him. It may have taken a minute or two to look through our bags when all of a sudden, a very rude and poor-mannered woman comes out of the bookstore and says to my friends and I while gesturing for us to shoo, "Hey, can you get a move on? We've been open past closing time for an hour." Note that we had been there, at this point, for a total of probably 10 minutes now. I finally had the cash in my hands and had not fully understood what she had said to us so I said, "Excuse me?" to which she repeated, "I said, can you get a move on? We are trying to leave," again shooing us with her hands. My friends and I were in shock by her behavior but, still, I kept my composure as any normal person would and should and I told her that I was no longer interested in purchasing the books. We walked away disgusted by the kind of service we were provided and the lack of manners this woman had. It is important to mention that there are quotes from Muslim authors and lecturers on their front entrance, in an act of solidarity with Palestine and those who relate and connect to the experiences of the oppressed. My friends and I are a group of Muslim women who hoped to enjoy a local bookstore, however, we were met with such disgusting manners and a belittling attitude. It is shameful of a business that highlights literature, diversity, and intelligence to have such disrespectful and prejudice staff. I will not be coming back here and will not recommend this place to any of my family and friends going forward. Human Relations, more like human indecency.

Great selection, feedback on your choices, buyback prices are good. You get suggestions the more these folks get to know your tastes. The occasional ribbing. It's everything you'd want in your bookstore. I travel from a ways away in the city for this place.

Excellent shop. From the same cooperative owners of Book Thug Nation on N3rd in Williamsburg. Specializing here in literature, poetry, foreign language, science fiction, philosophy, radical politics, history, pulp, etc. Great vibes and always interesting finds.

Awesome selection of new and used and the folks there are SO KNOWLEDGEABLE. Especially great for sci fi and stuff in Portuguese.

Great selection, reasonable prices. Excellent option for buying used books in the area.

This is a tiny place, but has so much to offer. +1 if you're looking for any classic literature, anything in Spanish, anything in the black/gender/queer studies realm, looks like they had a solid mystery and comic selection too.

My favorite bookstore in all of Bushwick and NYC. This place has it all. There are so many hidden gems that I've purchased and read from this store, I can't even name them all. The staff is incredible, and they always give the best recommendations if you don't know what to read next. They are extremely knowledgeable about almost every genre. The best part about this store is they are superrrrr affordable, so you can buy all the books you can consume!!

Intrigued after walking past during a day of thrifting. This place is compact and filled with used and some new books on an array of subjects. I picked out Octavia Butlers Fledgling and haven't been able to put it down since. The vibe is truly chill and the people who work here are truly down to earth. I could have stayed here for hours exploring! It's tiny but patrons were safely practicing social distancing which is always great. There's even a $1 book section, which you really never see anymore. This is definitely a gem.

How f*cking hard is it to fix your hours on here & on your own website? Nothing like driving 20 min to find out they just closed. Unprofessional as f*ck

This bookstore has a collection to rival the old st marks books that used to be on Stuyvesant St in the village. I enjoy the esoteric section. With titles like the basics... religion and mysticism, then witches, the occult, psychopharmacoepia and shamanism. As soon as I see the sections I know I want to buy all the books they carry! They also have a really cool collection of vintage pulps, sci-fi and 70's classics like Jack Kerouac. It's truly endless. I also saw Octavia Butler, Audre Lorde prominently displayed. There was even a copy of the Psychick Bible by the legendary psychic tv bandmember and late artist Gênesis P Orridge. For sure this ain't no Barnes & Noble. As a sister to Book Thug Nation in Williamsburg, you'll find yourself a familiar bookmark with your purchase. :)

I had a nice experience here yesterday. I found a dollar book that I had been wanting to read for a few years, and because the smallest bill I had was a $5 they just gave it to me with the understanding that I will return to pay for it in the future. Turns out they really need $1 bills! It's just nice to go to a local business that treats their patrons in this kind of "small town" way by employing the honor system when necessary. I don't live super close by, but next time I'm in the neighborhood I'll bring them their dollar.

This spacious book store is filled with a wonderful collection of used and new books that are fairly priced and well organized. The shopkeepers are knowledgeable and friendly.

Human Relations is just Incredible, I stopped in today and picked up 4 books that I've been looking for. Stories and Prose & Prose by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Queen of the Dark Chamber by Christiana Tsai, and two titles by Robert Frost, Early Poems and You Come Too. The customer service is Excellent, the bookshop is Very Well organized, very clean and the layout is perfect for browsing. The gentleman behind the counter is very Courteous and Knowledgeable of the stock. Just love this Bookshop, Highly Recommend A,+++++ I just retired so I'll be there alot !!!

Great used bookstore! Mostly if you know what you're looking for and it's not too new, or you're really open to browsing and finding something you didn't plan on reading, or you want something classic. You can bring in your read books and either exchange for store credit or cash!

Inside the cover of Madeleine Albright's book "Fascism: A Warning" there was a handwritten price tag and "warning": $10 (this woman killed Iraqi children later in life). C'mon, be better than that. The last thing I want is for my (favorite, albeit) bookstore to be covertly offering a political stance...especially in regard to the esteemed first female US Secretary of State. I'm bummed that the bookkeeper just lied to my face. Very bummed that there was ever a reason for him to lie in the first place. The Western Philosophy with special emphasis on the Christianity section use to be rich with ancient texts that seemingly sold well. Based on my experience here, the section -- until very recently, I'd say the last six months -- spanned two eye-level bookshelves and has now been relegated to half a shelf at floor level. When asked about this transition, the booktender denied it. If the move was in the name of multi-culturalism or expanded offerings/viewpoints -- fine, name it as such; but I think it's yetanother political denial of history, culture, and tradition. You're a local, secondhand bookshop in Brooklyn...not Amazon. Don't get into the business of limiting access to Great (christian) Books. A fine example of NYC turning it's back to reason and, yeah sure, faith. There are some of us who still like to read about virtue, discipline, self-restraint from Aquinas, Augustine, CS Lewis, the Ancients. Siikhism, that's what we're going to replace our own culture and tradition with? Anyway, back to the lie. Buck up, own the truth even if it is the wrong thing to do and show courage in the face of your clientelle.

I loved this little bookstore. Let's start with something that sets them apart. I appreciate that there is a non-English section with a number of Spanish authors. Although I can't read Spanish myself I appreciate the acknowledgement of the fact that English is not the only language on earth. We got a couple of books and spent a good 30 mins looking through this store. A good selection of Philosophy books. The background music was tasteful and the service was on point as well. My wife was looking for a specific type of book on politics and they were helpful in making sure that we got what we needed. I am happy.

Awesome bookstore! They have $1 books outside, where there are great finds. Then, inside, there's a table with thoughtfully selected new books, and shelves of different categories of books. They have a graphic novel section, and a nice Spanish language book section, which I'd like to revisit- I saw books by excellent Latin American authors.

ADORE THIS PLACE!! Just went in today for the first time - the owner was working counter & was so helpful and kind. Wonderful selection at a great price & great experience. Love having used & new books to choose from.

Cannot believe that no one has reviewed this yet! It's a wonderful little used book store on Flushing Avenue in Bushwick and my go to spot for social reading. They have racks of books outside of the store that are only $1! You can find some decent books out there that they either have too many copies of, or that have been pushed aside on the shelves for too long. Lost amongst the classics... That brings me to the classics. All of those books that you were supposed to read in high school, or the ones that you've never found the time to read. They're all here. Used copies usually ranging from $3-6. For the price of a cup of coffee you can pick up some solid subway reading. Everything is listed alphabetically by author's last name. Then they have a small room organized by topic of non-fiction stuff, with some decent books on NYC/local history. Definitely worth stopping in. Prices are all written in pencil in the top right-hand corner of the first page. They also buy books! Clear off your shelves and pick up something new!

Literally my favorite book store. I prefer used bookstore over everything but they have new titles as well. I love tha buy books it's always very fair and they offer cash or a store credit (get the store credit they always have great finds). I've had a couple of books recommended to me by the fellow that works there who is SO nice and has such good taste I always love chatting with him. The space is small but packed with tons of variety. I love coming here

Great selection of classics and books you haven't heard of, in a cozy warm atmosphere that reminds me of my favorite used bookstores in Seattle. We went to find a book for a friend. Friendly place that I would be comfortable in spending most of the day to explore, with nice classical music in the background. It's a tight space, but there are plenty of places to find a nook and discover a new title to read. A welcome respite from the unfriendly-seeming hipstery street outside!

At first, this dark and jam-packed hole in the wall is incredibly intimidating. After all, why should I expect to find anything other than pretention and haughtiness in a bookstore that's in Brooklyn's hippest neighb? Boy, my pre-judgement was totally wrong! Employees are totally chill, and completely unpretentious. Most importantly, they are really knowledgable about their store's stock, are happy to help you find a rare gem in the stacks, or to recommend something based on your taste... Surprisingly diverse selection, including the 1$ bargain shelves outside of the store. I love this place, keep up the good work!

Super nice atmosphere place.. I found this place accidentally. It was super fortune for me. Not big place but the place had a friendly old feeling.. This store was alive like wise old man.. The smell, the classical music and many books.. I will never forget this place..

Just one review? Is this a joke? Human relations has the best selection of used books filling every nook and cranny. But - You should first start outside with the 1 dollar book cart then make your way inside to an even larger range of books. The books are categorized so well that I reckon a donkey could find that old copy of bukowski he was looking for in mere 3 seconds. Because donkeys can read... It's a very unassuming shop with helpful staff and a very organized set up to navigate. The most impressive part was how great a range they have. Cookbooks, poetry, even a "NYC" section of books. Definitely going to be adding this place to my Sunday ritual, did I mention I left here with 3 great books for only 14 bucks this Sunday?

This is my favorite place in my neighborhood. The book selection here is unbelievable -- the fiction section has everything I was looking for, amazingly. It's a wonderful place to spend an afternoon.

Ended up here on my search for Eileen Myles' book "Chelsea Girls". I was sent by someone at Book Thug (in Williamsburg), who thought they might have it here. Turns out, Human Relations DID have it, and I was happy to find it at a great price for such an uncommon book. I also came across quite a few other books that I had been thinking about getting, again for a great price. I'm so happy that the person at Book Thug told me about this place. I believe they are sister bookstores, and both have great selections. Human Relations is a wonderful little place; a kind staff member helped me find exactly what I desired.

Stopped into this place because they had 4 carts outside with books priced at $1. Good books too!! Walk inside and this place is covered from top to bottom in books. Not in an overwhelming way, but in a comforting way. If that makes sense? The friend I was with actually has a list on her phone of books she's wanted to read. She was able to find almost every single on of them here. And all under $7. The lady that worked there was really friendly and helped me find some nice books on healthy lifestyles. She was super informed! Will definitely be returning to this gem of a book store!

Stumbled across this place after a refreshing afternoon cocktail at The Narrows. Excellent curation. The $1 book carts outside have very good books, Bookstore seems to lack that dusty smell which may be a plus or a minus, depending on your level of nostalgia and allergies. Certainly worth a visit.

This place is my go-to bookshop in Bushwick. Love the layout. Love the staff, especially the guy with big curly hair. He hooked me up with some sweet vintage Raymond Chandlers.

I was so excited to go here for books but unfortunately I didn't find any of the books/authors that I'm interested in. Books were stuffed on the shelves with more books overlapping them, making it difficult to get books out of the shelf. I didn't like anything about this place so I do not recommend it.

Arguably the best bookstore in the hood. I like hanging at molasses but for straight up selection HR takes the cake. Well curated and for a smallish space they made good use of shelving to jam more in then you'd think possible. Similar owners to book thig nation in wbug, but i think HR is a superior shop.

Perfect hole-in-the-wall book browsing experience, and a great place to go diving for gems. I found an edition of Soseki Natsume's Grass on the Wayside that I've been searching for for years.

This bookstore is a treasure trove! It's so much more fun to shop here than online and it feels good to support such a great local place.

My favorite bookstore in New York City. A really fantastic selection of used and new books, arrayed on satisfyingly packed floor-to-ceiling shelves and jigsawed away into every available nook and cranny. I stopped in one rainy Sunday afternoon while in the neighborhood and was able to locate a few titles I had been searching for for some time, and I thoroughly enjoyed perusing the shelves for interesting new reads and chatting with the others in the shop. The man on duty at the time had a charming way of drawing everybody out of their bookish shells - while here, I had a sensation of being a character in a book myself, which is really the highest praise I can offer a book shop, or any establishment. Will return many, many, many times.

Super knowledgeable staff and extremely friendly! I've always found just exactly what I've been looking for and more. Excellent poetry books

This place is awesome! I was just passing by on my way home from lunch, and saw a $1 book cart out on the side of the road. I ventured into this little book nook and spent a good hour browsing. They have a ton of awesome, affordable second hand books. Be careful though, you could end up spending hours in here!

total hole-in-the-wall but found several books I've been trying to find for a minute. killer selection, will be back!

I love this bookstore. The selection is phenomenal, both fiction and nonfiction. I also know that I am supporting good people by shopping here.

traded some books and the guy helped me look for all sorts of things and came across some real gems!