Community Corner
The Best New York City Books
New York's oldest library presents the New York City Book Awards
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The New York Society Library's New York City Book Awards, established in 1995, honor books of literary quality or historical importance that, in the opinion of the selection committee, evoke the spirit or enhance appreciation of New York City. As New York City’s oldest cultural institution, the Library is uniquely suited to present the New York City Book Awards.
The New York Society Library is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 New York City Book Awards.
- Jonathan Lethem, Brooklyn Crime Novel (Ecco)
- Prudence Peiffer, The Slip: The New York City Street that Changed American Art Forever (Harper)
- Jesse Rifkin, This Must Be the Place: Music, Community, and Vanished Spaces in New York City (Hanover Square Press)
- Alexander Stille, The Sullivanians: Sex, Psychotherapy, and the Wild Life of an American Commune (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
The Hornblower Award for a First Book
- Aisha Abdel Gawad, Between Two Moons: A Novel (Doubleday)
Members of the book awards selection committee read and reviewed approximately 150 books published in 2023 with New York City as their major topic or setting. The winners qualify as titles of literary quality or historical importance that evoke the spirit or enhance appreciation of New York City, shedding some new or unusual light on it. The Hornblower Award, established in 2011, is for excellent New York City-related books by first-time authors.
The selection committee was chaired by Nikhil Iyengar and included Debby Applegate, Kate Feiffer, Anita Kapadia, James Melo, and Tracy Quan.
Online resources on this year’s awardees can be found here: https://www.nysoclib.org/events/2023-2024-new-york-city-book-awards
More general information about the awards, and a complete list of winners from the awards’ past 27 years, can be found here: https://www.nysoclib.org/events/new-york-city-book-awards
The New York City Book Awards ceremony, honoring the winning authors and publishers, takes place Thursday, May 2, 2024, 6:00 PM Eastern, at the Library, with a livestream beginning at 6:30 PM.
- Ceremony (for Library members, guests, and press): https://www.nysoclib.org/events/2023-2024-new-york-city-book-awards-ceremony.
- The in-person ceremony is for Library members, invited guests, and press. To attend the in-person ceremony, RSVP to Sayer Holliday at the contact information below.
- The ceremony livestream is open to the public at the link above, free of charge, with no RSVP required.
The 2023-2024 New York City Book Awards are generously underwritten by Ellen M. Iseman. The Hornblower Award is generously underwritten by Jenny Lawrence.
About the Library
Founded in 1754 and celebrating our 270th anniversary, the New York Society Library is open to all for reading, reference, and many events. Circulation and other services are available to members. Our landmark building houses over 300,000 volumes, reading rooms, study spaces, a children’s library, and the Peluso Family Exhibition Gallery. The Library is a not-for-profit organization supported in part by tax-deductible contributions. nysoclib.org
Our first floor reading room, exhibitions, and many events are open to the public. Become a member to check out books, fully use our landmark building, access member-only events, and enjoy other benefits. The Library also offers Day Passes.
For more information, or to RSVP for the May 2 ceremony as a member of the press, contact
Sayer E. Holliday, Head of Events
The New York Society Library
53 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10075
212.288.6900 x222
sholliday@nysoclib.org (email preferred)
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