New York City has a rich history in the world of literature and publishing with literary giants like Norman Mailer and John Steinbeck having lived in the city and many more having written famous novels here. A new listing with intriguing literary roots has just popped onto the market at 196 West Houston Street asking $17.95 million. The bright and airy West Village townhouse was once the home of Grove Press publisher Barney Rosset who published the works of Henry Miller, Eugene Ionesco, Tom Stoppard, and Jean Genet. Rosset lived at this address for over 15 years and entertained a myriad of notable writers and artists here, including John Lennon.Perhaps Rosset’s greatest legacy is his role in assuring freedom of speech in literature. The publishing pioneer had legal battles that lead to the Supreme Court ruling in his favor to publish Henry Miller’s provocative Tropic of Cancer in 1964.Staying in the publishing family, the property was later sold to Peter Mayer, who was the chairman and chief executive of the Penguin Group at the time. Mayer received mounting threats, letters, and calls at this home when Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses (published under Penguin’s Viking division) was published.Now decades later, the literary gem has been renovated by an architect who is obsessed with light, quiet, and high-end finishes, offering the new owner a storied historic home with a modern aesthetic. The 5,780-square-foot house offers pristine details like black slate floors in the entryway, walls of windows, a bamboo garden, Japanese trees on the ground level, and flowering orange trees on the terrace. There are also three spacious bedrooms, a 1,640-square-foot basement with a sauna and full bath, and a two-car garage, which is certainly rare in Manhattan. With an elevator and 1,944-square-feet of outdoor space total, there is no question this West Village treasure is designed for luxurious living.Paula Del Nunzio of Brown Harris Stevens holds the listing for this residence, which is also available for rent at $49,000 per month.
