Argosy Book Store is a rare and second-hand bookshop at 116 East 59th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues in Midtown Manhattan, New York. Although the brief refers to York, the supplied information clearly identifies this business in New York, so it should not be confused with a York bookshop. The shop occupies an entire six-storey townhouse, close to the south-east corner of Central Park and Bloomingdale’s. It is reachable via the nearby Midtown East streets, and its Google Maps listing provides the current directions, reviews and location details.
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Founded in 1925 by Louis Cohen, Argosy is now run by the third generation of his family. His daughters Judith Lowry, Naomi Hample and Adina Cohen inherited the shop in 1991, with family members Ben Lowry and Zack Hample also involved. The business focuses on out-of-print books, rare books, first editions, Americana, leather bindings, antique maps and prints, autographs and manuscripts. There are also bargain books and books sold by the foot. For anyone with a collection to deal with, the shop offers binding and restoration, appraisals, library building, custom framing and a Sell to Us service, supported by its own framing and shipping departments.
The interior is more practical and old-fashioned than polished: wall-to-wall shelves, display cases, framed art, green banker’s lamps, creaky wooden floors and a small manually operated lift connecting the upper floors. The basement has long rows of shelves covering subjects from fiction and biographies to travel, languages and essays. Higher floors hold art, maps, books about New York, trains, ships, politics and many regions of the world. Prices vary widely, from bargain stock to specialist material; the supplied information gives examples ranging from £20 to £7,000 in the numismatic section, while a limited first edition of Ulysses was quoted at £65,000. Prices are often pencilled on the first blank page of each book.
Argosy has supplied books to notable customers including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy and Bill Clinton, and has appeared in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, The Goldfinch and the documentary The Booksellers. It also recovered after Hurricane Sandy damaged the upper floors in 2012. The shop’s website is argosybooks.com, and the listed contact details are 212-753-4455 and argosy@argosybooks.com. Opening hours are not included in the supplied information, so checking the official website or Google Maps before travelling is sensible.
Published Date
21 August 2026
