I have not been to Strand but I would highly recommend Powell’s. I really enjoyed the few hours I spent browsing there and got some lovely items that I’ve never seen in the UK.

It’s been a decade since i went to Strand, but I would say that you can find obscure, strange and valuable books at both. Strand isn’t as large, nor as organized as Powell’s in my memory. It is a unique and massive emporium of books though. Good question. What do you think of Strand? Is there any other massive used/new book store in NYC we should know about?

They are almost opposites, except that they both sell books. Powell’s is a much more cozy store where you can browse for hours and really enjoy shopping and hanging out. The Strand always felt very uncomfortable for me. it was difficult to browse or navigate the store. It is way too dirty and musty. It isn’t very friendly. It’s difficult to find what you’re looking for. Powell’s has a lot of new books, so if you’re looking for something in particular they’ll probably have it. Everyone that works there is extremely helpful and it’s very easy to find what you’re looking for. One thing I like better about the Strand is their Antiquarian room. They have a much larger Antiquarian section and their prices are much lower. It is one of my favorite sections in the Strand.

I’ve been to both many times. Powell’s is larger and much more organized. They may have changed this very recently, but at Strand, if you are looking for a particular book or author, you need to ask a human being for assistance, whereas Powell’s has computer catalogs available for the public. Powell’s also has a coffee shop and wider aisles. It’s not all that easy to find a place to sit at Powell’s outside of the coffee shop, but it’s damn near impossible at Strand.

That said, there have been a number of harder to find books (out of print but not necessarily rare) that I always found at Strand and not at Powell’s. Since most people don’t spend equal amounts of time in Portland and Manhattan, I’d say they’re both the best their respective areas have to offer.