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 Unfortunately, the bookstores are no longer uploaded and may be out of date

Litteraturhuset, Oslo

litteraturhuset oslo logo
Where? Oslo, Norway


Recommended by:
James Lu

James said: "When you are in Oslo and wish to look for somewhere to relax, this would be a perfect place to drop by and visit.This bookstore is conveniently located just behind the Royal Palace on the Wergelandsveien, reachable from the city center after a few minutes of pleasant stroll on the tree-lined avenue.

On warm and sunny days, the outside porch is a perfect location for enjoying the Nordic breeze over warm coffee. If you prefer somewhere more cozy and comfortable sit, the bookstore has a couch area at the back where you can either comfortably read a book or newspapers. If you have a laptop with you, there's also free wifi for surfing the web. If you end up finding yourself staying longer, food is available at the spacious restaurant within, where you can dine surrounded by bookshelves. This place attracts the intellectual types and one can see why it's an appealing place: the stylish interiors, the amenities and the friendly staff.

Besides books in Norwegian, there is a sizable collection of English books. This place organizes quite a couple of literary events throughout the year. Incidentally, it has recently achieved the rare feat of having the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami over as a guest; apparently the tickets to this event were sold out within minutes after they were available online."

Litteraturhuset or The House of Literature came to life in the same period as Bookstore Guide - the autumn of 2007. As James pointed out, it can be found in the center of Oslo, behind the Royal Palace and we must add that it is a true palace of literature. The idea behind Litteraturhuset was to create a space dedicated to all aspects of literature - from its creation to its promotion. Besides fulfilling this goal, it also organizes and holds public debates on various topics related to literature, social changes, politics and even environmental issues.

The bookstore itself is located at the ground floor, along with the mentioned café and restaurant. The top floor is occupied by the writers. Litteraturhuset has created 50 work spaces along with other facilities which are available for free to local authors for a limited period of time and even foreign literates can receive an invitation. The scope and the number of events that take place in Litteraturhuset is awe-inspiring and the model of functioning of this institution has caught our interest so much that we plan to publish a separate article about the concept of a 'House of Literature'.

litteraturhuset osloLitteraturhuset
Address:
Wergelandsveien 29
0167 Oslo
house of literature oslo











Website:
http://www.litteraturhuset.no/english

Phone and Email:

22 95 55 30
post@litteraturhuset.no

Working Hours:

Mon-Fri 11-20
Sat 10-17
Sun 12-16



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Stromness Books and Prints, Stromness

stromness books and prints logo
Where? Stromness, Orkney, Scotland


Recommended by:
Kirsty C L Smith

Kirsty said: "Ok, the percentage of your readers venturing as far as Stromness, in Orkney, UK is probably quite low, but it's got a pretty good bookshop. Stromness Books and Prints, run by Tam McPhail, has a fairly eclectic selection of books. It just about accepts the need to stock some best sellers, but it is with reluctance - there is a much better selection of non-fiction and classic novels, which, to my mind, is all to the good, and, of course, a great selection of norse myths, sagas, all things on Orkney etc. It is a tiny store, and be warned, he does not accept cards, so it's cash or cheque. He'll order anything you want him to. This bookshop has been in place for as long as I've been going to Orkney (43 years and counting) and has never failed to temp me into buying something I really don't need - which I consider to be an important bonus in a bookshop - even if my Bank Manager may not agree. Definitely worth a visit if you are in Orkney."

As for the number of Bookstore Guide's visitors traveling to or through Stromness, we have our doubts as well. However, we're pretty sure that Stromness Books and Prints (also known as J.L. Broom Bookseller - as it was founded by John L. Broom, who no longer owns it) is a great independent bookshop and those always have their place in the Guide, regardless of their position on the map of Europe. Moreover, quality bookstores are only more valued and cherished by the local community if they are to be found in smaller towns or in more remote places, where they slowly become a solid presence in the lives of the locals. Stromness Books and Prints has achieved this status during several decades of its existence.

How can an independent bookstore survive in a town of less than 2500 inhabitants for such a long time? From what we managed to find out, the answer is - by keeping it simple. The bookseller has accepted the limitations of a small town and made Stromness Books and Prints the perfect bookstore for the local community. No additional marketing activities are necessary, no interior designer was consulted (though there were some necessary investments like the new counter and a bigger parking lot) and no complementary services are offered. Stromness Books and Prints is dedicated to one sole goal - providing its customers with a small but satisfying selection of titles - and it fulfills it reliably.

stromness books and printsstromness bookshopStromness Books and Prints
Address:
1, Graham Place
Stromness
Orkney KW16 3BY







Website:
none

Phone and Email:
01856 850 565
no email

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri



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Çaglayan Kitabevi, Istanbul

Caglayan Kitabevi logo
Where? Istanbul, Turkey


Recommended by
Tan Çaglayan

Çaglayan Kitabevi was founded over half a century ago, in 1952 and throughout the years they became one of the biggest booksellers in the whole country, especially in the field of academic books. The bookstore is located in Beyoglu, a very popular and pedestrian-full district in the European part of Istanbul, near the Çiçek Pasaji (or the Flower Passage).

The main customers at Çaglayan Kitabevi are students, university professors and academics, but also local people and tourists with interests in academic titles. The offer of the bookstore is neatly divided into categories based on the subject. The stock consists of a mixture of titles in Turkish and English. This bookstore wouldn't be the best place to go looking for the latest fiction novels, but you'll surely find what you need on psychology, philosophy, law, economy or marketing, but also art , architecture and lots of others. Then there are also science related books from the fields of chemistry and physics and even astronomy and meteorology, etc. The full list of categories can be found on the bookstore's website.

Recently, Çaglayan Kitabevi has opened another branch near the Dogus Universiy and Yeditepe University in Besiktas. This branch goes by the name of Bahçeşehir Üniversitesi Bookstore and Cafe and their motto is "All book lovers may feel themselves at home in a decent environment..." - and we are certain that Mr. Çaglayan really does his best to make the visitors of his bookstores feel this way - like at home.

Bahçeşehir University Bookstore & Cafe, being located near universities, stocks mostly university books but also fiction, together with travel and reference sections. People of many different nationalities often make a stop here and, besides browsing, can get a cup of coffee, one of the herbal teas from all over the world or even a piece of American cheesecake.

Çaglayan Kitabevi
Address: Istiklal Caddesi No:76
Tokatliyan Is Hani K.1/7-8
Beyoglu, Istanbul

Website: http://www.caglayan.com

Phone and Email:
212 245 4433
info@caglayan.com

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 9-18:30

Bahçeşehir University Bookstore & Cafe
Address: Eski Yildiz caddesiBahcesehir University Bookstore Cafe
Serencebey yokusu 4
Besiktas Istanbul








Website:
Bahçeşehir University Bookstore Facebook Page

Phone and Email:
212 227 1050
bahcesehirbookstore@caglayan.com

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



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All That Stuff, Warsaw

All That Stuff Logo

Where? Warsaw, Poland



Recommended by
Alice

Alice said: "Hey, there's another one - the All That Stuff - Solec str., in the shopping mall just under the Poniatoskiego bridge - really good choice at same low prices."

With one independent secondhand bookstore in the city of Warsaw gone, it seems like new ones are emerging every now and then. Which, of course, is a more than a good thing, not only for the locals but also for tourists. And we're glad that thanks to our readers we're able to fill the void left by the closed Redding's Bookshop by adding new bookstores to our Warsaw list. All That Stuff is the new shop's name and it opened its doors in Arkada (one of Warsaw's shopping centers) in February this year (2010). It seems that in this short period of time, the bookstore has managed to gain many sympathizers among Polish natives and expats likewise.

Its owners, Poles Przemysław Kwiecień and Marek Tamborski, say that the idea behind All That Stuff dates back to many years ago and they actually owned a bookstore, located in a house. Luckily, the house was too small to hold all the books which mounted over the period of time, so they decided to reopen it in its current, bigger location. They import books from the United Kingdom and Ireland, with the stock ranging from novels to guide books with a little bit of everything in between, even a repair manual for cars. The guys at All That Stuff can also order a book you are looking for. Besides books, you can also find weekly and monthly newspapers and magazines from the UK and the USA. Oh and there are also a couple of books in French here and there.

The great thing about All That Stuff is that it's a secondhand bookstore (inexpensive and used books as they state on their website). Speaking of their website, it is probably the only minus we've been able to find - too little info on just one page, but we assume that in time this will change, as there has been an announcement of an online catalog. They do, however, have a Facebook page which seems to have more info than the website itself.

All That Stuff Bookstore WarsawAll That Stuff
Address:
Solec 81B, lok A-84
Centrum Handlowe ARKADA
Warsaw
All That Stuff Poland











Website:
http://allthatstuff.pl/

Phone and Email:
0500 595 145
info@allthatstuff.pl

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 10:30-18:30
Sat 10:30-15:30



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