I’ve forgotten the name of this bookstore, but I LOVE it! — I love the crazy chaotic beauty of it. I especially love that the floors are chequered: it compounds the confusion, sucks the eye through the doorways at the back that are lined with yet more books and more crazy chaos. and one can barely discern The Browser, engulfed as he is in the riot of colours and books; and here too is another, whose head is clearly bathed in some light of divine bookshelf emanation –
ah Paris! thou art missed. Though yesterday, in my solitary wanderings through London on my birthday, I discovered the splendid London Review of Books store near the British Museum — it stocks a copy of virtually every book reviewed by the LRB — and it was just about as good a birthday present as one could have hoped for.
The bookstore looks like heaven for the avid reader. Happy belated birthday to you.
This is a little off-topic but I’m a big fan of your blogs – especially idlethink.com. You’re an amazing writer! Your writings all tread fine line between the art and science of the English language. It’s so poetic yet succinct.
Sorry if I sound like some silly fan girl! It’s just that I’ve never come across such beautiful writing. I’m gonna go blog about your blogs now. Hope you don’t mind!
thank you for your birthday wishes & kind words, Ivy. I’m afraid idlethink.com has been somewhat more idle than think in recent times, but such is the life of the overworked PhD student… I suggest the RSS feed, if you are that way inclined
glad you stopped by!
I almost certainly bought a book there – or somewhere with a room that looks just like the one in the top photo – in 2001. A quick search of Paris English language used bookstores leads me to believe that it’s San Francisco Book Co.
that’s it! thank you
and the one below is, I think, a Canadian bookstore, though I can’t be sure right now.