20 of the World's Most Beautiful Bookstores

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Here we have 20 of the word’s most beautiful bookstores, as chosen by Flavorwire’s readers. Their interiors range from the magnificent to the humble, though each with a fantastic display of books. Some are old, as the cities and buildings they’re housed in, some hyper modern, and some without any walls at all! Try your hand at scanning book titles in tiny print after the jump!

The cultural news blog Flavorwire posted the article The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World earlier this year for readers to enjoy. Not only did readers find pleasure in staring in amazement at the towering bookshelves, with library style ladders with wheels, but they also became eager in wanting to contribute their own selection of beautiful world bookstores.

Complete with chandeliers, some of the older stores remind of Belle’s library from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast which we’ve decided to include a clip from, for your viewing pleasure as well as to show that our dreams, such as Belle’s, of being in a fantastic library can be a multiple reality!

In order, the 20 stores, shown above are: Chapters Runnymede (Toronto), Baldwin’s Book Barn (West Chester, PA), Bücherbogen (Berlin), Livraria Cultura (São Paulo, Brazil), Kníhkupectvo Martinus.sk (Bratislava, Slovakia), Mr. B’s Emporium of Reading Delights (Bath, England), Tattered Cover (Denver, CO), Massolit Books (Kraków, Poland), Underground bookstore in Coober Pedy (Australia), Waterstones at the Bradford Wool Exchange (Bradford, UK), Mendo (Amsterdam), Librería Rosario Castellanos (Mexico City), Daunt Books (Marylebone, London), The Honesty Bookshop (Hay-on-Wye, UK), Assouline Books (Paris, France), Leakeys Secondhand Bookshop (Iverness, Scotland), Hennessey + Ingalls (Santa Monica, CA), Academic Bookshop (Helsinki), Rizzoli (New York City), and Munro’s Books (Victoria, Canada).

And here are some of the love exteriors of the above bookstores that make us want to pay each a visit even more, even if it’s just to linger outside, peering in as we pass on by after closing hours!

written by soundfoodaround on 2012-03-02 #videos #books #lifestyle #bookstore #design #locations #exterior #interior

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the_dude_abides, tomkiddo, giuli, coca & -alia-.

10 Comments

paper_doll · 2012-03-02 13:07
i can't believe this one in Portugal is not on the list: www.360portugal.com/Distritos.QTVR/Porto.VR/vilas.cidades/P…
-alia- · 2012-03-02 14:24
i'm sorry @soundfoodaround but this is not a good "Most Beautiful Bookstores" list, @paper_doll is completely right :)
paper_doll · 2012-03-02 14:29
thanks @-alia- :) have you ever been to Lello?
soundfoodaround · 2012-03-02 14:39
@paper_doll @-alia- This is good feedback. If more users submit their choices we can have a Lomography readers' choice! Also, the lovely Livraria Lello was among the top 20 in Flavorwire's original article, the above being their readers' choice flavorwire.com/254434/the-20-most-beautiful-bookstores-in-t…
paper_doll · 2012-03-02 14:49
yes, @-alia- has already pointed that out to me, sorry about that :)
soundfoodaround · 2012-03-02 14:53
@paper_doll, no worries! Please do let us know about any other beautiful bookstore finds, and even of your own photographs if you have some :)
-alia- · 2012-03-02 14:58
@soundfoodaround my bad :) i've only checked the link after "playing patriot"!
@paper_doll :D
coca · 2012-03-02 16:46
Ateneo Bookstore in Buenos Aires!!! amazing place www.lomography.nl/homes/coca/albums/1652527-ateneo-bookstore
giuli · 2012-03-03 04:37
I WANT TO LIVE THEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!
wahiba · 2015-11-18 19:03
Wondered why a search for Bradford threw up a beautiful book store. Obvious when you think about it, but as it is just the nearest decent book shop now I just take the place for granted. At least the building is being put to good use.

Must say most visits include the media museum as well, excellent cinemas.