Recently, I was browsing for books at Powerhouse Arena, in Dumbo, and noticed a sign asking people not to snap photos of the books on display. What a thing to have to ask! Here was a bookstore providing shelter, a bit of calm in the city, and tables with chosen, colorful, physical copies of books. And yet people were willing to bypass the ambiance and the expertise with an iPhone snap and an online purchase to be made later. To be in a bookstore is to feel the presence of artistic lives, a devotion to word and image. Bob Eckstein has previously drawn the bookstores of the city, and he returns here with a new set of drawings and stories. Some of these stores are thriving, some are shuttering, and some are just happy memories. — Michael Agger
Bob Eckstein has contributing to The New Yorker since 2007. He published, most recently, “The Complete Book of Cat Names (That Your Cat Won't Answer to, Anyway.”
Goings On
What we’re watching, listening to, and doing this week, online, in N.Y.C., and beyond. Paid subscribers also receive book picks.
Culture Desk
What Cartoonists Saw in Isolation: A Portrait of the Pandemic
In the spring of 2020, artists captured silliness, sexiness, despondence, and hope. What does quarantine look like when viewed from the other side?
By Gabe Fowler
Under Review
The Best Books We’ve Read in 2024 So Far
Our editors and critics review notable new fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
By The New Yorker
Infinite Scroll
The Dumbphone Boom Is Real
A burgeoning cottage industry caters to beleaguered smartphone users desperate to escape their screens.
By Kyle Chayka