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Much more than a place to buy books
There are bookstores for every taste. Big and small. Family shops and chain stores. Specialist and general interest. Second-hand and new…
Every bookstore has its own appeal and it is hard to prefer one over another. In reality the choice of where to buy a book will depend on factors such as one’s needs or interests of the moment. And also – why not – one’s budget. But there is one criterion that may have escaped most readers but which was followed by The Guardian journalist Sean Dodson in drawing up a list of the bookstores that he regards as the best in the world.
Given the results, beauty, originality and exclusivity were what determined Dodson’s ranking. Thus in this Top Ten we find a former 13th century church with interior design reworked by architects Merkx + Girod, also responsible for the Amsterdam Hermitage. A magnificent retreat set in the Dutch city of Maastricht and which tops a list in which none of the choices will leave the visitor indifferent. All of them, as well as performing their function as bookselling establishments, offer the reader an unusual, refined and different environment, and in most cases, the chance to enjoy two near-universal pleasures: reading and good coffee.
Spanish shops left out
Spain has no representative among those regarded by Dodson as the best or most beautiful bookstores in the world, but this is no reason to think that our country lacks bookstores with charm. A good example would be El bandido doblemente armado, a small, elongated shop in central Madrid, in the district of Malasaña, where one can have a drink while browsing through the books awaiting buyers on the shelves. Occasionally they also hold book launches with authors.
Another option, though with a less magical atmosphere, is that offered by certain chains. At the Fnac, for example, you can get a book and ensconce yourself in an area fitted out for reading while you listen to music. At such places there is no coffee, but the atmosphere can be pleasant, depending on the time and how busy it is. At others, the appeal is their large stock. And at smaller, old-style or local stores, what matters is the staff’s manner and resourcefulness in getting hold of books not accessible in the big chains.
A preference for old-style bookstores and chains
Chains and old-style bookstores are what Spaniards prefer, according to the latest study by the Spanish Publishers’ Federation (FGEE). 55% of readers opt to buy books in such shops rather than in department stores (13.4%), book clubs (12.4%) or hypermarkets (10.7%). But it is true that the percentage is lower than that recorded in 2008.
Enlaces de interés
•www.guardian.co.uk
•www.fnac.es
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Published in Hobbies and Collecting by M. J. Arias on 31/03/2010
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