5. Chartwell Booksellers, 55 E 52nd St.
If you go looking for Chartwell Booksellers, you may find yourself walking in circles around a Midtown block. 55 East 52nd Street is home to the investment company Blackrock, with a large indoor privately-owned public space on the ground floor. You’ll see a pleasant waterfall, a Starbucks, maybe you’ll cross the public space and find yourself on 53rd Street. But, on a wall opposite from all the buzz is a sign in a royal red color with an arrow: “CHARTWELL Booksellers. The World’s Only Winston Churchill Bookshop.” Follow it behind the elevator banks and discover a handsome store with curved window displays and wooden bookshelves, devoted to England’s most famous prime minister.
The decor is clean and crisp, just like Winston would have liked it. The books are not just biographies, but anything related to the Prime Minister, like history books on events he lived through, or works on connected politicians. Also available are various Churchill-themed antiques and collectibles. Chartwell is a testament to the tucked-away treasures among the bookstores of NYC.