Dashwood Books

Always great finds. Personnel is helpful and know their books. Price is hard to talk about, because is books and they always change inventory.

This is the kind of store that can only exist in NYC. Dashwood sells only photography books and their selection seems unmatched. The employee on duty was very polite and attentive. They have out of print back issues of Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterlies featuring Bruce Weber’s work. When I asked the price for one, she told me and then asked if I liked Bruce Weber. Upon answering yes, she guided me to the Bruce Weber section where they have an extensive selection of his All American volumes. I also asked about their Sugimoto selection. Unfortunately, the store had just sold it’s last book of Sugimoto.

Such a cute little store. I’m a beginning photographer and never would’ve thought that a bookstore just for photography existed. When I walked in, I almost walked right back out because it seemed like a place for experts only, but the staff made me feel welcome and gave me some great tips on books for beginners and which ones I should move up to later on.

Wonderful selection of books! Friendly, helpful staff.

Fantastic bookstore with an incredibly well-​versed and friendly staff!

We went there today for the first time and they have a good selection of photography books, including some signed copies and some from Germany & elsewhere. The woman working there was very friendly and we enjoyed browsing. The store is really small, however (therefore it has a somewhat limited selection).

Love the lady who works here. Really sweet woman. I like the space and her collection is wonderful.

I always end up staying much longer than I ever intend to. It’s great being in a place that’s dedicated entirely to photography and to have the store workers let you browse and ask as many questions as you want. The books inside are a little expensive, bur if you’re already an active photo enthusiast, you won’t blink an eye.

Tucked away photography bookstore-​basement floor of a building. We luckily saw it and poked our head inside. It’s a rather small bookstore and there were about 5 other people in the place-​which made it pretty crowded. I wanted to ask them if they had Shibari photography books but didn’t get a chance.
Worth a peek inside.

A gem in the city, a must go for photographers, a reason for paying the ridiculous rent in New York… I have to agree with all these descriptions the other reviewers gave this store. Miwa (the charming Japanese staff) is super welcoming and helpful. Spend a little time chatting with her and you will get all the recommendations you have been looking for years. Just tell her that I like Rinko Kawauchi or Sanai Masafumi, and she will put in front of you 10 books that you will have a hard time choosing which not to buy. I spent two solid hours in the store, and now Miwa is the person that understand my photographic interest the most in the world. She offered to Email me about new books that she think I would like and I couldn’t be more looking forward to that.
One that is worth notice is that the price here though isn’t really bargain price like Strand books, but I guess that’s the cost we all have to share for such a fantastic collection.
BTW, weekend free street parking is available here for people who plan to buy a trunk load of books.

Dashwood is my favorite photography bookshop. The staff is sweet and knowledgeable, and the space, though cramped, is on a fantastic block. They’ll happily track down out-​of-​print and hard-​to-​find titles for you, and will even help you order collector’s editions from houses such as Phaidon. Dashwood is surely one of NYC’s underrated gems.

Ok, I mean… I _​know_​that photography books are expensive– especially rare ones. They have to be, and it’s good for collectors and artists. Because of this, going to Dashwood books highlights one of the ultimate ironies of many young peoples’ lives (or at least mine) – I simply can’t afford most of the books there because I work in «the arts.» But that won’t stop me from looking, even if it’s masochistic! Dashwood has an amazing inventory, especially of Japanese and German monographs. I can’t believe some of the stuff they have. Miwa is incredibly attentive and pulled at least 10 books off the shelf when I asked her for suggestions… and she didn’t care that I didn’t buy anything! It’s shops like these that remind me why free content on the internet will never amount to anything compared with the wealth of published books from the late 20^th century…

A wonderful photography bookstore with a global selection!
The folks running the place are classy and helpful. Thanks.

I’m just going to echo all the other frothy-​mouthed positive reviews. Dashwood is a gem — the kind of store that makes you remember why you endure the high rents, filth, packed trains and other dismal aspects of life in New York.
Tucked into a basement-​level storefront on an exceptional, cobbelstone-​paved block (across from 40 Bond, H&DeM’s glittering residential paean to Second Gilded Age excess), Dashwood is a temple to photo books, and a pilgrimage destination for their obsessive devotees. The staff at Dashwood, helmed by ex-​Magnum member David and his cheerful and knowledge assistant Miwa, are extremely pleasant and helpful. Often when I go in the place is full of regular customers just loitering and chatting (about current events as well as out-​of-​print Osamu Kanemura monographs) — the sign of a great bookstore for sure. If you visit with any frequency, one day you’ll find you’ve suddenly become one of these regulars. I’ve stopped in to quickly inquire about a book and finally walked out a little dazed some 45 minutes later — a slim, previously unheard-​of volume or two under my arm; my head packed full of new information; a feeling of being somehow better off for the time spent amidst the stacks, and ready for a glass of wine at Il Buco, just a few steps away.

Exclusively exclusive photobooks… if it was just an art book store, I wouldn’t be so nice about this place. But they have a really cool staff who actually know things, really good taste (a lot of contemporary Japanese and German photography) and they carry all of my favorite random Dutch trades. A suggestion: sign up for their mailing list and you will get invited to lots of cool signings where, if you’re lucky, there will be good cheese.

This fantastic quaint bookstore is the best for obscure and collectible photo books. The people are great, and very knowledgeable. I would suggest bringing another suit case for books to bring back with you if you are visiting.

Great book store.

this place is a photography lovers heaven… small, quaint little book store in the East Village/​LES area with a very knowledgeable staff…
I was walking around one day and stumbled upon this book store… I was carrying my very, very, very old manual Olympus 35 mm SLR and the lady working at this place got excited and started talking about all sorts of techniques and sharing her ideas with me… She showed me tons of books… I wish I could buy them all… She knew her stuff and was very passionate about her job.
Simply put, this place is amazing…

I haven’t been inside the store, but an employee would need to hurl insults toward my family and/​or hit me with a baseball bat to prevent a five-​star rating.
Friends of mine that are into photography are ecstatic with the selection — and it’s devoted entirely to it. That’s all it carries — photography books.
They also inform me that the employees are friendly and knowledgeable.
Hard-​to-​find Japanese books and rare collector’s editions — which you can see in their website.

Dashwood Books sells nothing but new and used books of and about photography. It’s not a very big shop, but it more than makes up for it with stock density.
Their inventory seems to be computer-​catalogued, for both new and secondhand titles, and I got immediate, definitive replies to my several «got anything by…» inquiries. The shop is furthermore run in a very browser-​friendly manner. I was handed several books I hadn’t known existed and was invited to look at them, and the sales clerk on duty seemed genuinely happy to chat about mid-​century street photographers with me. Other customers in the place at that time were receiving similar treatment.
This place is an absolute must-​stop for any book-​buying photographer or photography enthusiast visiting Manhattan. Five stars for having a worthwhile selection of books, for its sincere courtesy to its otaku clientele, and for its location– within short walking distance of many excellent bistros and restaurants.