320 W 37th Street, New York, NY
I stopped into 1804 Books on a rainy spring weekday and found much more than a bookshop. The store is part of The People’s Forum, or as they call it, “a movement incubator for working class and marginalized communities to build unity across historic lines of division at home and abroad.” The bookshop portion of the Forum occupied the space closest to the front of the shop with large windows overlooking a rather quiet portion of 37th Street. It’s not a large area of the forum, but there are enough shelves and table display to keep you browsing, introducing you to plenty of books about socialists, working class issues, union history, feminist theory and practice, and anti-colonialist causes.
Beyond that area is a much larger and colorful space with large-scale artworks, flags, open areas and private rooms for all their diverse programming, which includes author and speaker events, artistic workspace, offices for collaborative projects, rooms for meetings and film programs, and a lot more. It’s a vibrant space, but I stopped in for the books, so I’ll focus on that in this review.
The collection’s leftist and revolutionary collection includes fiction, poetry, and merch, but mostly non-fiction and educational materials. I picked up a copy of the Communist Manifesto, having never actually read the entire thing word for word, plus some books about the role of women in socialist leadership. The authors and topics cover a vast range within this political and social spectrum, everything from Americans writing about civil rights and socialist movements here at home to those from the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and all over the world, writing about class, gender, sex, politics, war, and socio-economic struggles that relate to anti-capitalist and socialist visions. I’d say more about the spectrum of ideas offered on the shelves, but I’m not as well versed on these topics as the folks who are part of the shop/forum, or those who may shop here frequently.
Aside from books and merch on sale to support the Forum, they also have a bunch of books available to loan as part of their community library. During my brief visit, people dropped in, read, studied, sat and spoke with staff and friends, and grabbed a drink at the café they have on site. Sometimes it’s nice to just have a space to be in. It felt much more like an open community space than a mere bookshop, and if you have any interest in those topics and political ideals, then this is a shop where you’ll feel right at home. I was a mere intellectual tourist, but it was a fascinating visit.
Atmosphere — A brightly-lit and colorful community space in midtown Manhattan that is much more than a bookstore for left-leaning thinkers.
Quality — The books were new, with titles from major presses as well as indie and college publications, and even some smaller pamphlets and chapbooks.
Quantity — They have a fair number of books considering the store only takes up a corner of the main space on the ground floor. The shop is about the same size as the library onsite.
Diversity — This shop has a bit of fiction, poetry, and art, but is mostly educational and nonfiction with leftist leaning ideals.
Affordability — The books were all very fairly priced, with some on a sliding scale so people can pay whatever they can. And of course, the library is free.
Amenities — The shop is basically a community space with events, private rooms, art rooms, a café, library, etc. Plenty of amenities.
Location — A short walk from both Times Square and Penn Station, on West 37th close to 8th Ave.
Customer Service — The staff on site were helpful and friendly and gave me some extra information on upcoming events.
Overall — This lively shop is part of a larger collective of services, all with the goal of serving and educating working class readers and left-leaning thinkers. With a café, event space, and a free library, it’s much more than a bookshop, it’s a community. It truly is THE shop for socialist literature.
