Best Bookstores Of The World: Did Your Favorite Make The List?

Lonely Planet:

Bookshops are a traveller's best friend: they provide convenient shelter and diversion in bad weather, they're a reliable source of maps, notebooks, and travel guides, they often host readings and other cultural events, and if you raced through your lone paperback on the first leg of your trip, the bookshop is the place to go for literary replenishment. Taken from Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2011, here are our picks for the best spots to browse, buy, hang out, find sanctuary among the shelves, rave about your favourite writers and meet book-loving characters.

Read the whole story: Lonely Planet

Comments

[Tiffany Hawk]

11:34 PM on 11/22/2010

Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA. Not only is it a great store for book buying, the community they have built through classes, readings, writers groups etc. is quite phenomenal, and so rare these days.

[Number 6]

07:12 PM on 11/22/2010

There's an interesting little bookshop in San Diego, CA called "Mysterious Galaxy" that sells only Sci-Fi and Mysteries. Very nice.

[mlkx]

06:34 PM on 11/22/2010

The Bookworm in Beijing does put on a few good literary events, But NO it is not one of the world's best bookstores by any stretch of the imagination.

I have to believe the person who put together the list has never actual been there.

[PCMartin]

04:47 AM on 11/22/2010

Are Foyle's in London and Blackwell's in Oxford still considered world-class bookstores?

[lovemyluggage]

09:04 PM on 11/22/2010

Foyle's is just delicious. My favourite book shop in London, hands down.

[Sir Guy Grand]

03:24 AM on 11/21/2010

City Lights in San Francisco still is my favorite, followed by Grolier Poetry Bookshop in Harvard Square, Cambridge, third would have to be "Avenue Victor Hugo" on Newbury street in Boston - but that's out of business now.

[ThePen]

02:39 AM on 11/21/2010

Best bookstore in USA: Talking Leaves Bookstore in Buffalo, NY.

[Sacralicious]

03:24 PM on 11/20/2010

Twice Sold Tales is a great used bookstore to browse in Seattle - plus, it has sleepy kitties among the stacks!

[RedDogBear]

01:47 PM on 11/20/2010

I stumbled upon Shakespeare and Company during a casual strole through Paris. What a great little place.

[James Bankston]

08:50 PM on 11/19/2010

Galignani and La Hune in Paris.

[Schweik]

03:17 PM on 11/19/2010

Amazon is the best bookstore in the world. By far.

[raven119]

05:01 PM on 11/19/2010

It is not a book store. It is a computer screen delivery system.

oh....what's the use...

[Schweik]

11:12 PM on 11/20/2010

What's use?

You have some concept of use that is somewhat separated from reality.
Example of "use"
Amazon
Much bigger selection.
Much cheaper books.
All editions are visible in one place.
Great ljnks and reference material.
No tax.
Free shipping.
No part-time student sales help.
No sophomores blocking very narrow isles tryin' to look cool with a copy of "Being and Nothingness"
No parking tickets
No need to drive to midtown Manhattan.

Enough?.

[Elmos mom]

05:31 PM on 11/19/2010

they sell a lot more than books...

[raven119]

01:13 PM on 11/19/2010

Whenever I'm in Vermont, I like to go to Mystery on Main Street in Brattleboro. It's a tiny place on the main drag that sells only mystery books...many titles you can't find in the chain stores, including some imports.

[naschkatze]

10:53 AM on 11/20/2010

Do you have an address? I'd order by mail if I could.

[martigras]

12:45 PM on 11/19/2010

The Book Stall in Winnetka, Illinois is one of the best!

[thebigbike]

12:25 PM on 11/19/2010

Yes, Where's Powell's? I've been going to City Lights since about 1960 every few years, and to Powells a few times inthe last decade. City LIghts is one of the all time great cult favorites in the US, but Powell's is a magnificent feast for everyone. For a bookstore , too much isn't enough, but Powells actually comes close.

[kareemachan]

02:30 PM on 11/19/2010

Totally agree! Powell's is great.

[naschkatze]

05:52 PM on 11/19/2010

Powell's must not be chic enough or have enough cachet for HP, but it is my favorite too, but I am pleased City Lights is here too. City Lights is a literary landmark, but you can find about anything you want at Powell's.

[DanielAdler]

12:02 PM on 11/19/2010

where's powells? http://dadsinternetwarehouse.blogspot.com/2010/11/english-in-post-postmodernism.html

[mssreader]

01:14 PM on 11/19/2010

Daniel, good question. Powell's has to be one of the most exciting book stores in the world! And none mentioned from NY or Boston which has loads of great book stores. There's one in Florence that I especially like that I visit every time I'm there and a couple of great ones in Oxford. I guess 10 just doesn't begin to touch upon great book stores in the world.

[eleanorhawking]

01:18 PM on 11/19/2010

Big dustup on the Letizia thread. I may leave today - if so, I'll definitely keep in touch with you.