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The New York Literary Society (NYLS) is an American membership organization based in New York City. Its mission is to promote an appreciation for literature.

Mission
As stated on the organization's website, The New York Literary Society is a publicly funded charity reincorporated in the State of New York in May of 1995 with the mission of enhancing literacy and promoting an appreciation for literature among adults and children. The organization further states that its mission is to serve society by helping to cultivate a literate nation through the support and promotion of quality literature.

19th Century
There is some confusion as to the date of the society's origin. Early mentions of The New York Literary Society in print include a mention of it in the Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York in 1859 honoring Charles Patrick Daly as a member, and an article in The New York Times dated June 19, 1865 referencing a letter from Count Joannes and his argument before The New York Literary Society in defense of Jeff Davis who was being charged with treason. Another mention of the Society in the mid-nineteenth century reference it along with Frances Sargent Osgood. It is important to note that the Society as it exists today may not be in any way related to The New York Literary Society of the 19th Century except, perhaps, in name only.

Early to middle 20th Century
In 1933, a skirmish with Erskine Caldwell ensued over a book entitled God's Little Acre. In 1977, while Margaret Leong was its Director, the Society published it first edition of Euterpe Poetry. Again, it is unclear if the Society that exists today is connected with The New York Literary Society of the 1930s and 1970s.