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 Unfortunately, the bookstores are no longer uploaded and may be out of date

Paagman, The Hague

paagman boekhandel logo

Where?
The Hague, The Netherlands




Recommended by
Thelma L. van den Hoonaard

Thelma said: "I have a suggestion for another Bookstore in The Hague or Den Haag, also 's Gravenhage in Dutch. Paagman is a bookstore, annex music store, annex stationary store, annex cafe-restaurant ( Kicking Horse Cafe), annex post office in a neighbourhood, the "Statenbuurt" frequented by a lot of ex-pats, so their choice in English books is large. A lot of international offices and justice courts are stationed close by. It is the same neighbourhood, where the Gemeentemuseum (City Museum ) built by Berlage is."

Perhaps a bit surprisingly, this modern bookstore with a very original bold look also has long history as it was originally established by Gerard Paagman in 1951. The 1990s marked a beginning of a new era of the shop and it underwent important changes under the management of the third generation of the Paagman family. As the recommendation suggests, the range of activities of this bookstore greatly surpasses the usual. Food, stationary, CDs, DVDs are all on offer, but the books still take the main stage. And although Paagman is not a specialized English bookstore, its offer of titles in English is very solid. Discussions or book launches are also quite common in the bookstore's premises. On their website you can even find a section called Paagman TV where you can view videos from one of the numerous events that took place in the bookstore.

The interior of the bookstore definitely deserves special attention and although we're primarily interested in the books, this time it's also the design which makes Paagman stand out. The red and pink bookcases, contrasting with the white lights and the white ceiling, are organized in a very peculiar way, creating the impression of a curved book aisle inviting you to take a stroll. The final result is a very modern and stylish feel, full of light and space with each and every book occupying its own place on display. Paagman has become a true cultural heart of the neighborhood, whether it's due to the quantity and quality of services it offers, the nice setting or the fact that it's open to the public seven days a week.

paagman bookstore the haguePaagman Boekhandel
Address:
Frederik Hendriklaan 217
2582 CB Den Haag NL
paagman bookshop den haag







Website:
http://www.paagman.nl

Phone and Email:
info@paagman.nl
+31 (0)70 338 38 38

Working Hours:
Mon- Fri: 9-21
Sat: 9-18
Sun: 12-17



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The European Bookshop, Brussels

The European Bookshop logo

Where? Brussels, Belgium


Recommended by
Cristina Cona

Cristina said: "This bookshop was founded in 1966 and spent most of its life in the building that used to house the translation service of the European Commission, in the very heart of the European quarter in Brussels, until the building itself was partially demolished and all its occupants had to find a home elsewhere. Nowadays the European Bookshop is to be found on a quiet street not very far from the Commission headquarters, and the move has allowed it to have more space at its disposal in the form of a downstairs section. As the name implies, it specializes in European Union affairs, and its main attraction is, of course, its uniquely large stock of books dealing with European integration: everything from the most theoretical aspects, such as the history, politics and economics of the EU, to the more mundane, such as the dozens of handbooks on CVs and multiple-choice tests for use by candidates taking part in EU job competitions. Most of the books are either in English or in French, with a sprinkling of other languages. (The range of English-language fiction, on the other hand, is poor - no more than a shelf full of airport novels). The downstairs department is good for dictionaries, conversation manuals and language courses, covering all EU languages and a few others as well. There is also a choice of travel guides, mainly in French."

A very specific bookshop indeed is the EU Bookshop, with such a long history and a stock of over 3000 titles ranging from categories such as EU Concours, Law, Politics, Lobbying, Human Rights, etc. All European Union languages reside here, mostly in forms of dictionaries, grammar books and teaching materials. It is a natural matter that a bookstore such as this one should supply various institutions within the Union and in the world.

It is definitely a peculiar store in terms of its specialization but in the city such as Brussels it has found a perfect place for its existence and is a reference point to many people living and working in the 'capital of European Union'. Oh, and there is a free delivery within EU institutions.

European Bookshop BrusselsThe European Bookshop
Address
Rue de l'Orme 1
BE 1040 Brussels
Belgium
European Bookshop Belgium










Website:
http://www.libeurop.eu

Phone and Email:
32 2 734 02 81
info@libeurop.eu

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 9-18
Sat 10-17:30






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Libreria Internazionale Luxemburg, Torino

libreria internazionale luxemburg logo

Where?
Torino, Italy




Recommended by:
Cristina Cona

Cristina said: "Although the Libreria Luxemburg website describes it as having been founded in 1872, its present name and vocation as an international bookshop are relatively new. For about a hundred years its current premises had been those of the historic Libreria Casanova, a bookshop-cum-publishing venture which in spite of its name had absolutely nothing racy about it, but was in fact a very staid, respectable institution. Casanova had acquired a decidedly old-fashioned, not to say musty, image in the last few years of its existence, and when it was bought by Angelo Pezzana, the owner of a successful international bookshop called Hellas, sometime between the mid-Seventies and the early Eighties, that was indeed the start of a new life. Today, Luxemburg is a thriving, lively bookshop located in the heart of Turin city centre, at the corner with Piazza Carignano and only about a hundred yards from the main square, Piazza Castello. Among its main attractions are the well-stocked “Judaica” section and the English-language department, which is located on the first floor.

Sadly, however, anybody who had the privilege to visit the (truly outstanding) English-language section of the old Hellas bookshop can’t help feeling disappointed at the range and quality of its successor in Libreria Luxemburg. The upstairs rooms where the foreign section is to be found contain fiction and non-fiction in four languages (English, French, German and Spanish), plus language courses and dictionaries covering a number of other languages as well. The choice of English fiction is reasonably good (by this I mean that if you walk in looking for a decent novel to read, you’ll have no problem finding something adequate), but the non-fiction shelf is not very well stocked; as well as that, when I visited the shop the books were presented in no discernible order, neither alphabetical nor subject-based. True, there were so few of them, that I reckoned it wouldn’t exactly take the customer hours to check all the titles.

Downstairs, English-speaking visitors will find a few interesting books in the “Judaica” and travel sections, as well as a good choice of magazines, not only in English, but in French, Spanish and German as well."

libreria internazionale luxemburg torinoLibreria Internazionale Luxemburg
Address:
Via Cesare Battisti 7
10123 Torino







Website:
http://www.librerialuxemburg.com

Phone and Email:
+39 011 5613896
info@librerialuxemburg.com

Working Hours:
Mon-Sat 8-19:30
Sun 10-13 & 15-19



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