Legendary Owner of the Strand Bookstore Dead at 89

Fred Bass first took control of the Strand in 1956.

The Strand owner Fred Bass attends The Strand Bookstore's 85th Birthday Celebration at Strand Bookstore on May 30, 2012 in New York City.  (Ilya S. Savenok/FilmMagic)
The Strand owner Fred Bass attends The Strand Bookstore's 85th Birthday Celebration at Strand Bookstore on May 30, 2012 in New York City. (Ilya S. Savenok/FilmMagic)

Fred Bass, the owner of Manhattan’s massive Strand Bookstore, died yesterday at the age of 89. Bass, who suffered congestive heart failure, heralded the Strand through decades after his father opened the store in 1927. Bass took the reins of the Strand after returning from the Korean War in 1956, at which point he moved the store to its current East Village location. The Strand’s “18 Miles of Books” slogan can be seen on bumper stickers throughout New York, and the store itself is a survivor of the bygone era of Manhattan’s “Book Row.”

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