There are so many wonderful and unique bookstores all over the world and I want to showcase the most amazing. It was hard to keep this to a reasonable list, so this is Part 1 of 2. Also, I focused on uniqueness, intrigue, and wow factors.
Here are my picks for the Top Bookstores in the World:
Powell’s City of Books
(Portland, OR)
Powell’s is legendary;
The City of Books (headquarters) takes up an entire city block;
it has 68,000 square feet, nine (color-coded) rooms, three floors, and 3,500 sections. This Flagship location is the world’s largest used book store (carrying new and used, over 1 million books) and said to be the largest independent chain of bookstores on the planet.
They even provide a map for navigating the “city.” It is an amazing store, and one of my favorite places. I am a Portland local and adore this store, but although I am naturally biased, Powell’s reputation is renowned beyond local fans. National Geographic listed it in the top ten bookstores, and CNN listed it among the coolest bookstores in world. The inventory for its retail and online sales is over four million new, used, rare, and out-of-print books. Powell’s buys around 3,000 used books a day. Powell’s also holds many fun book related events; book tournaments, readings, story times for kids, and book groups.
If you ever find yourself in or around the Portland area, I urge you to experience Powell’s City of Books. It is located downtown at the corner of 10th and west Burnside, and opened 365 days a year. Just be sure to give yourself a couple of days to fully take it all in.
Books for Cooks (Melbourne, Australia)
Australia’s only retail store specializing exclusively in new and old books about wine, food and the culinary arts.
Books for Cooks opened in Wattletree Rd, Melbourne in 1983. They carry over 40,000 titles in stock; from the 1780’s to the latest releases.
This bookshop is located on the ground floor of a beautiful double fronted early Victorian two-story terrace in Fitzroy. The building dates back to the 1850’s and was allegedly used as a sly grog shop almost 100 years ago. If you look closely you can even see handmade bricks in the wall.
Shakespeare and Company (Paris, France)
Tourists, customers, dirty poems, a crowd of 40 or 50 mostly attentive listeners, Shakespeare and Company is notably one of the most famous bookshops in the world. It is the name of two independent bookstores that have existed on Paris’s Left Bank.
Bookstands surround an ornate drinking fountain, erected in the 19th century to service the area’s poor. Inside, there’s an extensive stock of second-hand books. Many famous writers have left their mark at Shakespeare’s; an estimated 30,000 aspiring writers bunked over the decades, sleeping on bug infested cots and benches scattered throughout the store in exchange for a couple of hours of work a day and a promise to spend at least some of their downtime reading and writing; a one-page autobiography is mandatory.
Atlantis Books (Santorini, Greece)
Atlantis’s bookshelves, which the staff built themselves, are filled with novels, poetry, short-story collections, biographies and philosophy tomes. The staff is happy to advise on their favorites. In the spring of 2002, Oliver and Craig spent a week on the island of Santorini. The land inspired them and there was no bookshop, so they drank some wine and decided to open one. Oliver named it Atlantis Books and the two laughed about how their children would run it someday. For a more detailed story on this beautiful shop: NY Times…
Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights (Bath, UK)
Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights is an independent bookshop in Bath. It was founded by former lawyer and derivatives trader Nic Bottomley. A charming bookshop full of friendly book-lovers and packed with quirky furniture. The shop also contains a reading booth for rent and free hot drinks. Mr. B’s specializes in great books, super fast customer orders, themed literary events, reading spas and reading year gifts.
Munro’s Books
(Victoria, Canada)
A beautiful neo-classical building designed for the Royal Bank of Canada, in 1909 by Thomas Hooper, the architect of many of B.C.’s finest commercial and public buildings. Munro’s Books has been described by journalist Allan Fotheringham as “the most magnificent bookstore in Canada, possibly in North America.”
The store’s stock consisted almost entirely of paperbacks, at a time when many traditional booksellers considered anything other than hardback books to be beyond the pale, bordering on beneath contempt.
Librairie Avant-Garde
(Nanjing, China)
Located in a former underground parking garage and bomb shelter, Librairie Avant-Garde has been transformed into the most beautiful bookstore in China.
This bookshop features a cafe, pillars etched with famous verses and poems, sculptures, artwork, and one of the coolest features is a cashier counter built from thousands of old books. It is also adorned with tons of reading chairs, so you can get cozy, settle in, and forget the outside world.
This list was has been so fun to make, there are so many immensely interesting and amazing bookstores. I cannot wait to share with you the last 8 of The Top Bookstores in the World.
Which of these is your favorite? Stay tuned for Part II coming soon!
“What is this life if full of care we have no time to stand and stare.” W.H.Davies
I have only been to Powell’s a few times since I live in Bend and can’t always make it up to Portland. However, it is by far my favorite on this list. Like you, probably a little biased. Great Post!
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Nothing wrong with a little bias now and then. It’s nice to have something local to be proud of. 😀
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I am biased, of course, so Powell’s books is definitely my favorite! When I first moved to Oregon (2-3 years ago) I was genuinely shocked at how huge and incredible Powell’s was. It’s truly a book-lover’s dream. I could stay there for hours and never get bored. Great post!
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Me too. It also surprises me how few locals truly know what a gem we have in our midst.
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Really?! I had nothing like Powell’s in California! Maybe they are sick of hearing tourists (like me) talk about it lol.
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Wow!! Powell’s City of Books sounds unbelievable!! I’ve never heard of anything like it!!! Great post 🙂
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It is pretty amazing. 🙂
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While I would not mind visiting the others, Powell’s is my (admittedly biased) favorite. I do tend to go to a branch location, though. Luckily, all of the author appearances I’ve wanted to go to have been at that branch.
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It is hard for it to not be, even without the bias. 🙂
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I’ve only been to Powell’s once and I was immediately overwhelmed and in love! I live in the Seattle-Tacoma area and I can’t wait until I get a chance to drive back down to Portland to visit again!
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Reblogged this on John's Notes and commented:
Good book store suggestions. My wife and I liked Lowell’s in Seattle, WA and the Magers & Quinn store in St. Paul, MN. I’m always on the lookout for interesting book stores to visit when traveling.
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Thank you! I’m a Melburnite, but I didn’t know about Books for Cooks. Definitely one to visit.
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I’m so glad I could acquaint you. 🙂
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😀
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Munroe’s in Victoria is one of my favourite books stores in the world! So pleased you included it.
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I’m glad of it. 🙂
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Monroe’s Books in Victoria is my favorite of those listed. Hard to think of others big enough to be considered for this list. Off the top of my head I am very fond of blank can’t think of the name right now but it is in Fremont here in Seattle and it has one of my favorite resident cats and a discreet selection of books.
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p.s. It’s called Ophelia’s Books. Ophelia of course is/was the cat.
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That sounds lovely.
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Reblogged this on Janet’s thread.
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I’m so glad I read this. I’ve been planning to visit Portland and now I know, for sure, to add “lose myself in Powell’s City of Books” to the itinerary.
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You won’t be disappointed 🙂 Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to explore it.
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Will do!
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I’ve been to Shakespeare & Company and absolutely loved it. It is so quaint an beautiful. Great list!
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I hope to visit it one day.
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You’ll love it. 😊
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Munroe’s in Victoria is an incredible bookshop to visit. It is a place that I visit every time I visit my sister in Victoria. Another bookshop that I love is small but mighty — Bryan Prince, Bookseller in Hamilton, Ontario. Charles
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I know of many small hole in the wall bookshops that I adore. 🙂
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The one thing that i like about Byran Prince, Bookseller is the staff is very knowledgeable about books and they always have recommendations for me when i go in.They even have those really cool book ladders to help you get to the top shelves. It isn’t exactly a hole in the wall store as they hold themselves very well against the big book chain stores. Charles
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A good staff makes a world of difference, for good or bad. Love those ladders. 🙂
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Love Powells!
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Powell’s is my favorite as well and I’m on the other coast.
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That is a great to hear 🙂
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I just love your attention to detail and the time you must put in to sharing these wonderfully educational posts. I love bookstores!
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Thank you, I love doing it. 🙂
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Love that you found a shop in Melbourne also. Close to home as well. Nice work.xx
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Me too, I love finding a variety of culture and style all throughout! 🙂
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Shakespeare and Company for its history
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I lived in St Andrews for 5 years and in my final year, a Topping & Company Booksellers opened up. It is this cute little book shop with tall shelfs and a wide range of books. They offer tea as well while you are looking through and have a small fire place. One of my favourite book stores. I really want to go and check out Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights. Great post!
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That sounds so great. It makes me happy to hear of so many awesome little book shops.
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Wow! I’m dreaming again. I want to go to Powell’s! As in right now! 😀 Bookstores are paradise.
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They are indeed. Especially ones such as these, that we can get completely lost in. 🙂
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I live 20 minutes from Powell’s!! And I’ve been to Shakespeare & Co.! I have another suggestion from Buenos Aires: El Ateneo, which is an opera house converted to a bookstore– stunning!
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That is amazing. It should easily have made the list. It’s so great to know there are so many unique and wonderful bookstores in our world. 🙂
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Indeed! Thank you for doing these lists!
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Reblogged this on All These Prompts.
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I have shopped at Munroe’s in Toronto and Shakespeare & Co in Paris. My fav bookstore was Hoares in Toronto but sadly they went the way of so many wonderful bookstores and closed in 2013.
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That is so very sad to hear. Luckily there are still so many alive and well. Hopefully us book lovers will keep them surviving.
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Wow! Powell’s looks incredible! Where do you start in a store like that? I am pretty sure I have seen the Shakespeare and Company store in Paris in a French film starring Julie Delpy at some point…I just can’t recall the film title.
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A few days are necessary to really experience it. 🙂
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Can’t believe I’ve never been to Powells but I have been to Shakespeare and Company which always makes me smile. I love that you’re sharing these worldwide gems.
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I hope one day you get the chance 🙂
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I’ve been to Powell’s and Shakespeare & Co. Look up Malaprops in Asheville. Amazing indie bookstore.
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I will 🙂
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Despite the popularity of ebooks, I don’t think book stores will ever disappear. People understand the magic of a printed book.
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So you had already mentioned Shakespeare and co. My picks in Paris are relatively smaller, not well-known bookshops. One is “Le divan” rue de la Convention. The other is huge: la FNAC Ternes. 😉
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I like the contrast between them. Now I just need to get to Paris! 🙂
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You do. Get a ticket. Now. 🙂
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Wow the Portland one sounds amazing! Shame I’m not a local. I’ve been to Mr B’s in Bath though and it’s my absolute favourite. I had a reading spa there with my sister and it was a fantastic experience! 😍
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I feel so fortunate to live in Portland. I won’t be able to travel again for a considerable amount of time, so it is my consolation prize. Coffee and books are a big deal here 🙂
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