What’s your favorite bookstore in the world?
For browsing, lazy reading on a porch and general ambience, I love love love Square Books in Oxford, MS. In college, I couldn’t get enough of Trident Booksellers & Cafe—especially because it’s open late and hosts a fun trivia game. Now that Nashville’s Davis-Kidd is closed—let’s all observe a moment of silence for that sad fact—I’m spending more and more time at McKay, the used books warehouse, and BookMan/BookWoman, the delightfully cluttered used bookstore down the street from BookPage’s office.
However, next week I hope to take my bookstore visiting to a whole new level. Readers, behold this wonder in Buenos Aires:
El Ateneo Bookstore / photo by flickr: longhorndave
El Ateneo is housed in an old theater built in 1919. Lonely Planet says it’s only second to City Lights in San Francisco as the world’s greatest bookshop—and it’s “a strong contender to be the world’s most beautiful bookshop.”
As of today, I am on vacation in Argentina until May 24. Yes, I have packed way too many books, and yes, I am deliriously excited. (Let’s hope it’s not bad luck that I’m arriving on Friday the 13th.) Although I won’t be responding to comments on the blog or on Facebook and Twitter over the next week, I have scheduled a few posts and tweets to keep you entertained while I’m gone.
What are your favorite bookstores in the world?
In recent years I’ve come to like Powells in Portland Oregon, but the
single greatest bookstore on the planet is clearly New England Mobile Book Fair in Newton Highlands, Mass. Insiders (which means old timers) refer to it as Louie’s. I suppose Second Story Books in Washington DC
deserves a mention as well
Shakespeare & Company in Paris France!!!!