With iconic New York City booksellers seemingly disappearing every month, it’s a relief to find that venerable institutions are fighting the trend and thriving. It’s particularly surprising when it comes to obscure book shops such as the little-known James Cummins Booksellers . If you didn’t know it existed, you would never stumble across this hidden gem.Tucked away on the 7th floor of 699 Madison Avenue, Cummins is the kind of bookshop that gets “passed” from collectors and book dealers to their best friends. The selection is limited, but well curated by Cummins who founded the store forty years ago.

If you are planning to visit New York, be sure to save some time to drop by. But if you can’t get there in person, check out the online e-commerce site and the bookseller’s catalogs for first editions, antiquarian and collectible books, and literary ephemera.

James Cummins Booksellers is open Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM.