New York City Weird Book Hunting

February 15, 2017 1:01 PM

I'll be in NYC next week with the family. While most of my time will be occupied by escorting a 6 year old to museums, dinosaurs, and battleships, I will have a free afternoon to browse bookshops. I am looking for used bookshops with a good selection of fringe (cryptids, UFOs, psychic mysteries, etc) books. Specifically, I want mass market UFO paperbacks from the 60s-90s, but will take all comers in that vein.

I am aware of the Strand and we go there anyways. I'm not looking for New Age or witchcraft stores - I live in Salem, MA and we have 20 of them.

I need to maximize my browsing time. Please only suggest off-Manhattan options if you know for a fact they have more than one shelf of weird UFO books.

posted by robocop is bleeding to Shopping (8 answers total)

So if you want to trek out to the middle of nowhere in Brooklyn (where I live) Here's A Book Store on Coney Island Ave has, from what I recall, a pretty robust selection. I You can give them a call and see if they have more specifically what you are looking for. This is the store where I got my copy of Fingerprints of the Gods.

Also there was a vendor who specialized in exactly this who came to the Morbid Anatomy Flea Market at least once (I got a copy of Mysterious Pyramid Power there.) Unfortunately, Morbid Anatomy closed and "there was a vendor there that sold these" is as good a lead as I can provide. I just sent out a missive on Twitter to see if I know anyone who worked there so I'll follow up if I get anywhere.
posted by griphus at 1:19 PM on February 15, 2017

Singularity&Co, only 1 subway stop into Brooklyn.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 1:20 PM on February 15, 2017 [3 favorites]

Really good chance Singularity&Co is that vendor I mentioned.
posted by griphus at 1:22 PM on February 15, 2017

I was also gonna say Singularity&Co - they are more focused on fiction, though. But it's my favorite bookstore in NYC. I'd call ahead to see if they have the kind of stuff you're looking for.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:53 PM on February 15, 2017

I'd also check out East Village Books NYC
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:54 PM on February 15, 2017

Response by poster: Singularity&Co looks like it might be worth the trip out (assuming they still exist as half the webpage is borked) - I'll give them a call tomorrow.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 3:16 PM on February 15, 2017

Mysterious Bookshop in Tribeca
posted by cushie at 3:37 PM on February 15, 2017

Response by poster: Hrm. "Not a whole lot." was the answer - they have some stuff, but not the deeper cuts I am looking for.

Might have to fill that Friday hole by drinking instead.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 8:12 PM on February 16, 2017