The Abbey Bookshop, 29 Rue de la Parcheminerie, 5th, M° St-Michel or Cluny-La Sorbonne, ☎ 01 46 33 16 24. This independent bookshop in the Latin Quarter specializes in new and used books from Canada (in French and English), the UK and the US. The friendly Canadian owner helps newcomers navigate the densely stacked shelves, and always has a hot pot of coffee – with maple syrup sweetener!
DISCOUNTS ON FRENCH BOOKS Browse the Latin Quarter bookshops for French classics or art and design books on sale. A good place to start is under the ubiquitous yellow canopies of the Gibert Jeune stores (M° St-Michel), with several stores dominating the intersection at Place St-Michel. Many of the discounted books are stacked on tables outside, but there’s also a small English-language section (look for a shop called Langues et Lettres, 10 Place St-Michel). This is a great place to get inexpensive French notebooks and stationery, as well. |
Shakespeare & Company, 37 Rue de la Bucherie, 5th, M° St-Michel, ☎ 01 43 26 96 50, www.shakespeareco.org. Open since 1951, this independent, secondhand bookshop is the successor of Sylvia Beach’s original Shakespeare & Co. in St-Germain-des-Prés, which closed during the Nazi occupation. The expatriate American owner George Whitman and his daughter, Sylvia Beach Whitman, still provide free bunk space in the shop’s library for visiting artists and writers.
Tea & Tattered Pages, 24 Rue Maynet, 6th, M° Duroc, ☎ 01 40 65 94 35. This tiny, independent bookshop is a bit off the beaten bath, but they’ve got some of the best deals on new and used English-language books, and a tearoom serving up authentic brownies and apple pie.
Brentano’s, 37 Avenue de l’Opéra, 2nd, M° Pyramides or Opéra, ☎ 01 42 61 52 50, www.brentanos.fr. Brentano’s is the largest independent English-language bookstore in Paris, open since 1895. They specialize in the latest British-American best-sellers, with a large selection of international magazines. Check the web site under “Events, Calendar” for the schedule of upcoming readings and book signings.
Galignani, 224 Rue de Rivoli, 1st, M° Tuileries, ☎ 01 42 60 76 07. This elegantly old-fashioned French-English bookshop opened in 1802, and claims to be the first English bookseller on the Continent. They stock classic French literature, best-sellers, English travel books, international magazines and contemporary art and design books.
The Red Wheelbarrow, 22 Rue St-Paul, 4th, M° St-Paul, ☎ 01 42 77 42 17. This cozy, independently owned bookstore in the St-Paul district sells a large assortment of new books, holds regular author readings and book signings, and even has a piano hidden among the stacks for the musically inclined. Their children’s bookshop is just around the corner at 13 Rue Charles V.
