A student peers through the doorway at the Antiquarian Books section of Shakespeare & Co., Paris.
A diverse selection of books displayed in a window of the Anitquarian Books section of Shakespeare & Co.
Several coats of paint have improved the external appearance of Shakespeare & Co., although the interior of the famous book shop remains charmingly dilapidated.
On my first day in Paris, almost 35 years ago, the concierge sent me to dinner at a very small cafe on the Ile St. Louis. There was line and the man behind me asked if we could share a table. He was an American professor at the Sorbonne. He invited me to a soiree at Shakespeare & Co. to meet friends and the owner. Mr. Whitman told old and new stories about the bookstore, authors and the characters he met. In all my trips to Paris, this is the one memory I hold dear.
Posted by: Karyn Frances Gray | 12 April 2008 at 22:53
where is this store located?
Posted by: Arjun | 15 December 2007 at 01:20
ooh, one day i'd love to explore this shop. i also read jeremy mercer's book about it. thank you for the lovely photos.
amy
Posted by: amy | 21 June 2007 at 06:39
I think i like the before as much as the after photos - but hopefully I'll be able to see it for myself one day!
Posted by: Willow Grace | 21 June 2007 at 01:25
Yes, it smells fantastic in there... all those slightly dusty inky pages. If you go to Shakespeare & Co. and buy a book, they will stamp it with their famous "Point Zero" stamp inside the cover. Point Zero is the spot just across the river in front of Notre Dame from which all distances in France are measured (from Paris). My first time in Paris I made a point of coming to Shakespeare & Co. to do just that. And the book I found there, and bought to get my stamp? "Around the World in 80 Days" by Jules Verne. Very à propos for a traveling girl...
Posted by: The Bold Soul | 20 June 2007 at 10:42
Nice that they kept it the same. I bet the smell in there is intoxicating! XXOO
Posted by: Tammy | 18 June 2007 at 18:16
shakespeare & co. is definately on my list of places to go before i die. i read a book about that place earlier this year...and it has intrigued me ever since. i loved seeing these photos!
:)
Posted by: Jessie | 18 June 2007 at 16:28