At long last, the weather is warming up, allowing for long walks, open windows, and (of course) the return of reading outside. But there’s yet another pleasure that you may not have tried — browsing for books outside! Click through for a selection of libraries and bookstores from all around the world that say “phooey” to the rain and operate in the open air, perfect for those bookworms who prefer gentle breezes to that typical bookstore musk. Nothing against the musk, but it just doesn’t get much more glorious than picking out a new book in front of a warm summer… Read More
bookstores
15 Amazing Book-Filled Bars Where We’d Like to Drink
You know what’s better than a night out? A night out with a book. Or, in the case of many of these fine establishments, a whole wall of books. After all, when else will you feel as inspired to pull down a favorite tome and do a dramatic reading than when you’re on your second cocktail? We’ve collected a handful of amazing bars stocked with more than just… Read More
Peek at the Staff Picks Shelves From Indie Bookstores All Over America
We have to admit — though we love pretty much everything about brick-and-mortar bookstores, one of the best parts is often the staff picks shelf, where we’ve found (and enjoyed) many an unusual recommendation or neglected classic. To celebrate this great tradition, we asked a few of our favorite bookstores from around the country to send us pictures of their staff picks shelves, so you can soak in the expertise of hundreds of literary staffers without having to leave your seat (though, in a minute, you’re going to have to get up and go to a bookshop). After the jump, peek at the staff picks from Flavorpill’s local WORD to other indies across the land, and tell us the best book you’ve picked up after a staff recommendation in the comments. … Read More
8 Beautiful Bookstores in Residential Spaces
We’ve discovered the way we’d like to spend our golden years — turning our home into a neighborhood bookstore and café, and bringing the culture to us. Inspired by a Japanese couple who did just that, we’ve collected a few beautiful, quirky bookstores built in people’s homes. Some of these are still functioning as domiciles, the owners sleeping above (or among!) the books; some are tiny hotels; and others are simply repurposed residences, but all of them are places we’d like to… Read More
The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World
[Editor's note: In celebration of the holidays, we're counting down the top 12 Flavorwire features of 2012. This post, at #1, was originally published January 31.] With Amazon slowly taking over the publishing world and bookstores closing left and right, things can sometimes seem a little grim for the brick and mortar booksellers of the world. After all, why would anyone leave the comfort of their couch to buy a book when with just a click of a button, they could have it delivered to their door? Well, here’s why: bookstores so beautiful they’re worth getting out of the house (or the country) to visit whether you need a new hardcover or not. We can’t overestimate the importance of bookstores — they’re community centers, places to browse and discover, and monuments to literature all at once — so we’ve put together a list of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, from Belgium to Japan to Slovakia. Just so you know now, all you bookstore fiends: neither the Strand nor Powell’s is on this list. They’re both great bookstores, of course, but not particularly pretty (at least in our minds), and thus disqualified. Click through to see our picks for the most beautiful bookstores in the world, and as always, if we’ve left off your favorite, be sure to add to the collection in the comments! … Read More
10 Awesome Bookstores Repurposed from Unused Structures
A few months ago, we showed you a collection of wonderful libraries repurposed from unused buildings, but we can’t let libraries have all the fun. Despite the media-fueled fear that they’ll all be abandoned buildings themselves someday soon, brick-and-mortar bookstores are also recycling spaces, cleaning out old factories, theaters and even boats, and filling them up with books. What could be better? Click through to check out our roundup of brilliant converted bookstores, and let us know if we’ve missed your local favorite in the… Read More
10 of the Coolest Niche Bookstores From Around the World
We all know about the plight of independent and specialty bookstores, so we won’t lament it again here. Suffice it to say, fellow book and bookstore lovers, that all is not lost! We recently found out about Singularity&Co, a new specialist Sci-Fi bookstore opening up in Brooklyn with a specific mission: to rescue and preserve vintage, out of print sci-fi titles. We’re so excited about this shiny new (and also very old) bookstore that we decided to round up a few more awesome bookstores specializing in everything from murder mysteries to the sea, just waiting to fill your every need. Click through to see some of the coolest niche and specialty bookstores in the world, and since no list like this can ever be really complete, be sure to pitch in with your own favorites in the comments. … Read More
Venture Inside of Holland's Most Sacred Bookstore
A bookstore is something of a sacred place these days. The few independent outlets that remain are rare opportunities to retreat from the churning of the city and peruse an infinite number of worlds. It is no wonder that the vast library presents such an image of escape; its stores of scripts, represented by endless spines of books lined one after the other, suggests the suspension of time and a chance to retreat to places carved out by words and crafted in one’s mind.
Dutch book retailers Selexyz decided that there was no better place for their latest bookstore to occupy than a 13th century Dominican cathedral in Maastricht, Holland. According to MyModernMet, the architects at Merkx + Girod jumped on the opportunity to fuse the old with the new and created a design for Selexyz Dominicanen Maastricht that integrates a thoroughly modern bookstore within the preserved historic structure. … Read More
Readers’ Choice: 20 More Beautiful Bookstores from Around the World
Recently, we scoured the globe (and the Internet) to bring you our picks for the 20 most beautiful bookstores in the world. But of course, there are hundreds of gorgeous bookstores, and even more definitions of what makes a place beautiful, and so we asked you, our dear readers, to pitch in with your own favorites in the comments — and you all complied in force! There were so many great suggestions that we felt compelled to put together a second list, totally comprised of gorgeous bookstores recommended by our readers. Click through to see another roundup of some of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, from Slovakia to Brazil to West Chester, PA, and let us know which one is your own all-time favorite in the comments! … Read More
Urban Legend: Manhattan Street Bookseller Has Been Holding His Parking Spot for 11 Years
Is this the modern definition of a vagabond cowboy? Street bookseller Charles Mysak has kept his Upper West Side parking spot in Manhattan since he first snagged it in the year 2000. He makes a living selling books from his car, feeding the meter with $36 a day in quarters. That may seem steep, but compared… Read More
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