About The Guide

Hello! We are Sonja and Ivan. And this is our Bookstore Guide - an amateur guide to book shopping throughout Europe. We hope this Guide will help you find the book(stores) you are looking for. Unfortunately, the bookstores are no longer uploaded and may be out of date

Paperback Exchange, Florence

Paperback Exchange logo

Where? Florence, Italy




Recommended by
Giovanni Morozzo

Giovanni said: "I live in Florence and would definitely recommend the Paperback exchange. It deals with new and used English books. It’s been going on for at least thirty years and the staff are really helpful and friendly."

Paperback Exchange, a lovely and more importantly, independent Florentine bookstore, embarked on its long voyage in 1979, full three decades ago. First it was primarily a second-hand bookstore, which started building its stock thanks to people who brought in English titles from their homes. A small family business has blossomed into an internationally recognized bookstore selling both new and old, a place were solely books in English reside. The bookstore has changed its location in 2005 after the move to the centrally located Via delle Oche, very near the Duomo. This new address, backed by the long tradition of the bookstore, has quickly become a popular meeting point for the English speaking community of Florence. Paperback Exchange is still in possession of their original owners: Emily Rosner and Maurizio Panichi.

Paperback Exchange stocks thousands of both new and second-hand titles (and remains very active in exchanging second hand books), both paperback and hardback (despite the bookstore's name). The new and the second hand titles are mixed and the whole stock is divided into sections focused on specific subject areas. The stock is very extensive but it's still possible to point out some of its aspects which stand out - the Italian interest section, books on art, as well as original textbooks and academic titles published in the UK or the US. In fact, with their vast selection of academic titles, the bookstore is also a very important library and university supplier. Paperback Exchange also organizes various events such as poetry readings, discussions and even the children's story hour. They pride themselves in managing to persevere in this competitive market and personal attention, speed, efficiency and transparency, which are their defining values, have helped them along the way.

Paperback Exchange FlorencePaperback Exchange
Address:
Via delle Oche, 4Red
50122 Florence, Italy
Paperback Exchange bookstore Italy











Website: http://papex.it/

Phone and Email:
+39.055.293460
papex@papex.it

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 9-19:30
Sat 10:30-19:30

Extra Information:
Papex Card - for every 10 euros worth of purchase, you get 1 point - once 12 points are reached, they can be used in the next purchase
Back to the list of bookstores in Florence

Books et alia, Lille

books et alia logo

Where?
Lille, France




Recommended by:
Rebecca Grossberg from Lille

Rebecca said: "I’m writing to tell you about a bookstore in Lille which is not yet on your really impressive list of great places to buy books. If you have ever been to Lille you will know it as a charming Flemish style city, tucked into to uppermost corner of France. I’ve been living there for over ten years with my French husband and our young but increasingly bilingual daughter.

Mr Ulyett’s bookshop has been around since I have – it’s called Books et alia – and he’s always there smiling us in as we walk through the door. He will chat with you on any subject – especially his favourite topic (the English language) if he has the time. I’m a former teacher too and we share a keen eye for Frenchisms and bilingualisms. I’m not the only one to drop by for a chat – so I’ll often find him with teachers or students who want to practise their English or with another literature fanatic, discussing the merits of the original versions of Bronte or Poe... It’s right in the centre of town so I manage to swing by quite often. And Mr. Ulyett can order anything you want! He even got me some Shel Silverstein for my little girl... [H]e’ll go out of his way to find what I’m looking for – he once got me a book in from Germany which was out of print in the US!"

The recommendation we have received for this island of English reading material in the French city of Lille definitely ranks among the most passionate and persuasive ones we remember. It's really great to get this sort of proof that there are still people who have a very personal relationship with their local bookstore and also that there are still bookstore owners and staff who are able to and willing to create this sort of friendly, open and customer-oriented environment.

Books et alia has been active in Lille since 1998 as an independent supplier of imported books in English language from all over the world. Mr. Ulyett, the owner of this bookstore, has obviously succeeded in attracting a loyal and satisfied clientele, thanks to his personal approach and passion for both books and the English language. The stock of this bookstore is not specialized in a specific field, it covers different areas of interest such as children's literature, textbooks for students or teachers, modern fiction or non-fiction titles on various subjects. It is possible to order any titles that are currently not on stock and they also track down out-of-print titles. It is also important to mention that this bookstore has a second hand section as well.

books et alia lille frontBooks et alia
Address:
18 place Pierre Mendès France
Le Nouveau Siècle, 59000 Lille
books et alia Lille inside










Website:
http://www.booksetalia.fr

Phone and Email:
+33 3 20 74 32 67
info@booksetalia.fr

Working Hours:
Tue-Sat 10-13 and 14-19

Freytag & Berndt, Vienna

Freytag & Berndt logo
Where? Vienna, Austria


Recommended by
Peter from Hungary

Peter said:"I've seen that you don't list yet the best travel bookshop in Wien the Freytag und Berndt. It's like the Stanfords in miniature and in German (but there are many English titles too). Full of guidebooks, photo albums, maps, climbing literature, the only disadvantage is that it's quite small and crowded. The location is great: it's on Kohlmarkt, the middle of the historical centre and just a few steps from Stephansdom and the Hofburg."

Update: the bookstore has moved from Kohlmarkt 9 to Wallnerstraße 3, the new store is just 100m away from the old location.

Another travel-specialized bookstore added to our Guide in a very short time span. Freytag & Berndt, located in the centrally located first district, is Vienna's number one destination when it comes to maps, travel guides, magazines, or other travel related multimedia. A large number of the books and guides is available in the English language, while the magazine section also holds titles in both German and English. Actually, the amount and variety of resources for travelers available at this bookstore have earned it a great reputation way beyond Vienna's city limits. Freytag & Berndt is a true specialist in its field of operation, which means that its stock is able to satisfy even the most demanding requests of the store's customers for information on the less usual destinations. The company has a long tradition in cartography and the number of maps available at this bookstore makes this more than evident. You can even use a special map reading desk to unfold the maps you're interested in and admire them in their full size.

About the bookstore
Because of its most favorable location in the city center the bookstore is often crowded, so don't expect to enjoy solitery browsing. However, in order to find your way around more comfortably, you can always use the services of the well-informed staff, which will deny you the thrill of independent browsing and discovering, so familiar to all bookstore addicts, but most probably save you an important amount of time.

You can find one more location of Freytag & Berndt in Austria, in the city of Graz, and three more in the neighbouring country of Germany (Nürnberg, München, Regensberg).

Freytag & Berndt ViennaFreytag & Berndt
Address:
Wallnerstraße 3
1010 Vienna
Freytag Berndt Wien bookstore









Website:
http://www.freytagberndt.at

Phone and Email:
+43-1-533 86 85
shop@freytagberndt.at

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 9:30-18:30
Sat 9:30-18

Back to the list of bookstores in Vienna

Stanford's, London

Stanfords London Logo

Where? London, UK



Recommended by:
Becks from the Thorntree forum

Becks said: "Stanford's is an absolute must. A bookshop totally dedicated to travel, right down to the decor - even the floors are covered with maps. It's a complete treasure trove of travel guides, travel literature, travel photography, maps, globes and useful odd and ends for travelers. A great place to feed wanderlust or get inspired for a trip. If you're looking to go further off the beaten path, or need a topographic map of an obscure mountain range or island, Stanford's is the place that will have it (if anyplace does). They have the widest range of guidebooks for everywhere, so it's a great place to check out some less well known and independent guides, rather than just reaching for the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide every time. They also have a great little cafe out the back on the ground floor that sells organic cake and fair trade tea."

Introducing the bookshop that doesn't need any introduction - London's gem for all the travel addicts and occasional explorers alike, Stanford's has been one of the best imaginable starting points for their journeys for over a century. The three floors of their flagship store in Covent Garden offer a truly complete experience for anyone even vaguely interested in discovering distant lands and destinations. This bookshop, opened in 1901, prides itself in offering the most exhausting stock of travel related titles and maps worldwide.

Edward Stanford founded Stanford's as a specialist travel bookstore way back in 1853 and this tradition of more than 150 years adds a special value this bookstore and underlines its leading position in this specific field. During its long existence, Stanford's has served the needs of many notable personalities from David Livingstone to Michael Palin. And we have to mention that Stanford's is by no means stuck in the past - just visit the bookstore's website and enjoy a remarkably complex offer of services and information.

The stock of the Covent Garden bookshop is difficult to describe in detail, since it covers pretty much every possible travel related issue. The ground floor is focused on France, Italy, Spain and Portugal but it also stocks travel books for children, books and maps for other destinations can be found on the first floor. In addition to books, you can find vast numbers of maps of all sizes and places, globes, but also all sorts of traveling accessories.

Stanfords London books insideStanford's
Address:
12-14 Long Acre
Covent Garden
London WC2E 9LP
Stanfords Covent Garden









Website:
http://www.stanfords.co.uk/

Phone and Email:
020 7836 1321
sales@stanfords.co.uk

Working Hours:
Mon/Wed/Fri 9-19:30
Tue 9:30-19:30
Thu 9-20
Sat 10-20
Sun 12-18

Back to the list of bookstores in London

Scarthin Books, Cromford

Scarthin Books logo


Where? Cromford, Derbyshire, UK




Recommended by Eleanor Potten

Eleanor said: "My favourite bookstore currently in Derbyshire is Scarthin Books, Cromford. It's a 3-storey house over the millpond, crammed to the rafters with everything from new fiction to second-hand rare gems, sheet music to archaeology books. There's a well-stocked children's room, and a cafe and loo."

Scarthin Books has, over the years, become somewhat a real tourist attraction. The cases where people visit the little village of Cromford just for the sake of Scarthin Books are certainly not rare since the bookstore itself is highly praised for its huge stock of over 80.000 (!!!) books, excellent, knowledgeable service and a famed café overlooking the grapevine. Many agree that this bookstore is very very hard to leave.

Scarthin Books was opened in 1974 by David Mitchell and since then it struggled to grow in this competitive book market, blossoming from a one room bookstore to a twelve room one with offices and a warehouse (in order to do this, David had to buy a house next to the original store). People in Scarthin Books pride themselves in stocking three times as many titles than your ordinary chain stores despite Scarthin Book's obvious space deficiency.

Scarthin Books boasts about 'specializing in not specializing' - meaning that they stock (of course, almost) anything you can imagine. Well, no wonder since the stock consists of some 40.000 new and 45.000 secondhand books. The bookstore also has a special children's room stocking a wide selection of books for the little ones.

Another thing for which the bookstore is praised is the café, serving organic and vegetarian food (David is an organic gardener). One is able to hire the café for lectures or meetings of various sort for low prices. Furthermore, Scarthin Books is also a publisher and a major supplier of schools, colleges and libraries.

Scarthin Books InsideScarthin Books
Address:
The Promenade, Scarthin
Cromford, DE4 3QFScarthin Books bookshop










Webiste:
http://www.scarthinbooks.com

Phone and Email:
+44 (0)1629 823272
clare@scarthinbooks.com

Working Hours:
Mon-Sat 9:30-18
Sun 12-18
Closed on Christmas and Boxing Day