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Posts Tagged ‘Shakespeare’

Independent Bookstores in the City

Tuesday, August 13th, 2013

Hello readers! I am Ryan, one of the new fall interns at Beaufort. I thought for my introductory blog post I would talk about some of the independent bookstores in the city. I just heard the good news on Shelf Awareness that Michael de Zayas, of gourmet cheese fame in Crown Heights, is creating a new bookstore on the corner of Bedford and Park Place (just one block from my apartment). De Zayas has already proven himself a capable businessman in the neighborhood: he’s the man behind Wedge, an artisan cheese and bread store, and Little Zelda, a coffeehouse next door. Given his success on Franklin Ave. with two such hipster retreats, hopes should be high for a third, especially since the nearest local bookstore is a twenty minute walk away (though some would undoubtedly claim that Unnameable Books is worth the walk).

Beaufort’s office is actually located in a particularly dense bookstore cluster, only a few blocks from the iconic Union Square triumvirate of The Strand, St. Mark’s Bookshop, and Shakespeare & Co. Booksellers.

The Strand is the biggest of the three with a huge fiction selection, three floors, great prices, and good vibes.

The Strand,

The Strand * 828 Broadway New York, NY 10003 * (212) 473-1452

St. Mark’s Bookshop is a bit more arty and spare and is located right in the heart of St. Mark’s (hence the name)—stop in for that anthology on Foucault and you will pass by the Continental bar, with its infamous 5 shots for $10 deal.

St. Mark’s * 31 3rd Ave New York, NY 10003 * (212) 260-7853

Shakespeare & Co. is part of a small NYC chain of three bookstores that form an axis on the East Side. The one I’m talking about is right next to NYU and has a definite college feel in terms of its staff and its course book offerings. It lives up to the hype of its name both in the selection for Shakespeare titles and in its smell, mahogany shelves, and comfy chairs.

Shakespeare & Co. * 716 Broadway New York, NY 10003 * (212) 529-1330

The country’s largest Barnes and Noble is also right on Union Square, and, given its huge collection, it’s a great place to find that sought after book you just can’t find anywhere else. It’s also a great place to find that sought after bathroom after drinking three cups of coffee at the Farmer’s Market.

B&N * 33 E 17th St New York, NY 10003 * (212) 253-0810

I’ve recently been working at Book Culture, an independent bookstore in Morningside Heights beloved by Columbia students. Come by our main location on 112th mid-block between Broadway and Amsterdam, or, if you are with kids or are just looking for bestselling fiction, try our newish location on 114th and Broadway.

Book Culture’s 112th location

Book Culture’s Broadway location

Since the advent of e-readers, independent booksellers have been characterized in the media as a relic of the past, but the truth is that they have actually become more important than ever. With their carefully curated selection and knowledgeable staff, they have become cultural beacons, as important as publishers in determining the trajectory of literature. Amazon may have millions of titles, but it has no way of sifting through its offerings and determining what is relevant to you, unlike the former English majors roaming the stacks and re-shelving overstock who can make recommendations, tell you what people are buying, and talk to you about your favorite authors. Apple offers great convenience with e-books, but independent bookstores offer you one-of-a-kind events in the form of author readings, lectures, and Q&As.

It’s not that Amazon and Apple are worse than independent booksellers, or vice versa—they’re just different and provide equally necessary services for the book world. So stop by and support your local store: they’ll appreciate your business and, who knows, maybe you will get to meet a really interesting person.

 

Cheerio,

BEAUseph Conrad

Beau and Arrow – BAM

Monday, March 1st, 2010

So last night I went to see The Tempest at BAM and it was amazing! The theater is so Brooklynesque, as in it’s mostly brick and needs a renovation job badly (it’s a landmark), but somehow immediately felt like home. I read The Tempest a few years ago for my college Shakespeare class, but there is just no comparison to seeing a live show. The set design was probably the most exciting part of all, with the characters wading in a shallow pool of water, and the island consisting of a circle of sand in the middle of the stage. At one point, and perhaps the best point, Caliban is introduced to the stage by eerily rising up from beneath the sand, writhing and deliberately ugly. I totally just gave away the best part, but my sister gave away another thing to me, so I’ll let you in on it. As everyone was getting seated prior to the show, a haggard man is sitting with the orchestra to the side, purportedly reading his notes. As the 7:30 showtime finally hit, we soon found out he is Prospero! He rises from his chair and puts on his robe and belt and boom! (or should I say BAM) the play started. Geniussss. Also genius, Bank of America is the play’s sponsor. Double BAM!

I finished Chelsea Handler’s Are You There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea this weekend. Mostly picked it up because of all the hype and it pretty much delivered. Reminded me of another collection of essays, Sloane Crosley’s I Was Told There’d Be Cake, which I read last month and thought was hilarious. They’re both funny, witty, quick-reads, and recommended for when you’re not in the mood to think that hard. Also, I’m thinking if I ever actually write a book, this is probably what it would look like. Short, autobiographical stories about nothing. (Ahem, my blogs, ahem).

Short autobio story of the day: I lost my cell phone at a restaurant last week and I was convinced that I left it in the bathroom and someone stole it. I had the entire staff on alert, and we even went through the garbage where the manager said people oftentimes hide things to pick up later (drug deal, hello!). This accusatory inclination was the direct result of a previous stolen cell phone fiasco, in which I used my observational skills to pinpoint the perpetrator and was ultimately reunited with my beloved Blackberry. As I tried to imagine what my life would be like without my phone, I was left with many question marks and much uneasiness. Technology is ridiculously irreplaceable, therefore unreliable, but my dependence on the little gadget is immense, my love for it, irrevocable. I found it on the floor face down under my table, and only because my metro card, which fits perfectly behind my phone case, was peeking out of the camera hole, showing a bit of white in the darkness. Catastrophe avoided! Lesson semi-learned.

Rachel Lily

From Our Beau House To Yours – Shakespeare

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Tonight I’m off to see Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Iago in Othello. The circumstances? A friend gave me a ticket last minute. This coincides with the Shakespeare course I’m currently taking, and of course, in the past 2 weeks I’ve become completely, utterly, bodily, irreconcilably obsessed with the great bard. This isn’t too uncommon for me to become obsessed with a writer, I only wish everyone felt this way about reading. When I read Virginia Woolf seriously for the first time 3 summers ago, I read every book she wrote, including her unabridged journals. I rented every film version of Mrs. Dalloway, and saw a version of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in a high school theater. Twice. It’s not just literary characters either. When I was writing the next Great Research Paper on John Adams last fall I started to think like John Adams. All of sudden his problems became my problems, his interests my interests. I spend 48 consecutive hours watching the HBO series once I discovered it existed.

What kind of effect is Shakespeare having on my life? Apart from uttering the odd “my mistress’s eyes are nothing like the sun” on the subway, or when I’m brushing my teeth a burst of Hamlet just happens to scare my roommate, or our cat Francois suddenly looks at me with disdain when I’m calling to him in iambic pentameter. And just when there was a collective lamenting throughout the city that “Shakespeare in the Park” finished with the summer (and also the just as good “Shakespeare in the Municipal Parking Lot” with the slogan “the Bard Doesn’t Need a Park.”) Never fear, I hope everyone braves monetary and geographic boundaries to see Seymour Hoffman in Othello and also Jude Law’s Hamlet, 2 wonderful productions to remind us that Shakespeare still reigns as our eternal poet.

-Nikki-Lee