Open to the public in The Assunta, Ignazio, Ada and Romano Peluso Exhibition Gallery
February 4-May 23, 2025

The Library’s exhibition 30 Years of the New York City Book Awards celebrates three decades of the New York Society Library’s signature book prize, the New York City Book Awards.

Established in 1995, all winning titles—regardless of genre—feature New York in an essential role, enhancing the reader’s appreciation of the city and evoking its spirit in a unique or novel way. In 2011, the Library added an additional prize, the Hornblower Award, to honor the year’s best book about the city by a first-time author.  

The exhibition:

•    recounts the history of the awards from their founding to the present;
•    describes the jury selection and judging process, and includes anecdotes from present and former jurors;
•    highlights some of the over 120 successful books and winners.

Award-winning volumes are showcased in the Library’s four display cases. The selection reflects the diversity of successful entries in terms of genre, author, and style. Comments and images from authors illustrate the writing process. These include draft pages, sketches and storyboards, as well as photos of favored writing spots.