The Book Cellar at Webster Library

This neighborhood gem is a place to go for finding anything from a beach read to a book club selection, a signed first edition or a student textbook. A great place to donate your used books and support your library by buying here.
The people who volunteer here are knowledgeable, easy going and always willing to help you find something.
Go often!

A really cosy cellar with more books than it can carry and helpful staff that get’s excited by just mentioning the word «literature». They know a great deal about their books, and have some great recommendations. I love snooping around here, and I think everyone reading this should try to do the same.
Oh, and the books are insanely cheap as well. Walked away with four books under my arm, and only left a 10 dollar bill behind.

This place is a hidden gem. Such a fantastic selection of books, some of which you can barely tell were used. And so cheap! I bought signed copies of a few and for under 10 $ walked out with 3 books! I can’t wait to come here again, will definitely be a regular here. PS cash only!

I just discovered this place — it is a wonderful resource for the neighborhood. I came to donate books and was really surprised by the lovely feeling and wide supply of
books, DVDs, CDs and tapes. Things are priced to sell, so I imagine that the turnover of merchandise is high and inventory changes warrant frequent visits. The staff actually appreciate donations (unlike Housing Works, where the staff sometimes seems annoyed to get donations) and, best of all, funds go right back to this
excellent library branch.

This place is like a mini-​Strand except the prices are lower! There’s plenty to search through including DVDs, CDs and LPs. I don’t believe I’ve ever walked out with nothing. And all the proceeds go to the public library — can’t go wrong!

It’s kind of like a smaller version of Book-​Off, except in the basement of a public library. Sometimes you find what you want, sometimes you do. I don’t come to the Upper East Side very often these days, but when I do, I try to check out The Book Cellar. Used books, DVDs, CDs, VHS tapes and records at bargain prices. The one thing I will say that it has better than Book-​Off is that you never have to pay more than $ 5 for a DVD. Book-​Off tends to charge $ 10 for many DVDs you can get for less at other places. Even Barnes & Noble sells some of those same DVDs for less. It’s also less crowded and the atmosphere is a little more pleasant with the elderly women running it being very nice.

This bookstore is a real gem!!! I was introduced to this bookstore by my mentor/​friend who lives in the neighborhood. It has the feel of an old established bookstore in a small town. The book selections are amazing and range from classics to current best sellers. The staff are so sweet and funny, they don’t seem like New Yorkers !!!
I love this place and wish there were more bookstores like it in New York.

Absolutely love this place. Very sweet and friendly staff, awesome selection of books and verry cheap prices. I visit here once a week to pickup a well thumbed ‘steal’ of a book.

You’ll browse, you’ll be surprised, you’ll find something esoteric, something at a low price… you won’t walk out without a book, record, CD, DVD ($ 3) or even a VHS tape ($ 2).
The reason this place is great, is that the supply comes via donations, and on the Upper East Side this means affluent people tossing away rarities, review copies, etc. etc. The store gets so many donations they price everything low to keep things from piling up. There are dollar book bargains galore. Big Biography section, separate room for mysteries, nice cheap kiddie book area, and the shelves for cooking, humor, Judaica, art, etc. etc. are well maintained and categorized. Very helpful friendly people here, people who love books and volunteer their time for the library.
In this neighborhood, this is really the best bookstore, a mini Strand. A kid can get a cheap copy of a classic, someone can buy a cheap brand new book, and real bibliophiles can find obscure and rare items too. Friendly fun place to browse… the customers seem to be regulars who come in all the time to chat with the staff and check out the plentiful new arrivals.

For the basement of a library, this is a great bookstore. There are literally thousands of books to choose from, but if you’re looking for children’s books, ya, science fiction and fantasy, then you’re out of luck, because while they do have alot of books, they don’t really stock up on these genres for whatever reason. The ones they do have are placed on a couple of carts outside their entrance and they’re all in paperback for $ 1 each, which is 50 cents more than they should be.

A great place to go for a search! The staff is extremely friendly, the prices are very reasonable, and the proceeds all benefit the library. It has the feel of a great used book store — sort of quite and unknown, but still a decent sized collection.
Their hours are:
Tues, Wed: 12 PM — 5 PM
Thur: 2 PM — 6:30 PM
Sat 11 AM — 4 PM
The store email was listed as

Located in the basement of the Webster Library, this place is a book lover’s heaven.
Most of their books are $ 2 a piece (a steal compared to Housing Works and Strand) and run the gamut, from fiction and poetry to travel writing and cooking to history and biography. It’s also incredibly neat and well-​organized for a used, volunteer-​operated bookstore.
The proceeds benefit the Webster Library and the volunteers, older men and women of the community, are hilarious. I love coming here just to eavesdrop on their lunchtime conversations — so New York.