Shakespeare and Company
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What people say
Louise Baudouin
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"Shakespeare and Co was first a bookstore owned by Sylvia Beach, in the 1920s, where she welcomed all the Lost Generation. It closed at the beginning of WWII.
Later, George Whitman opened another English bookshop under the same name, where you could meet the Beat Generation (Ginsberg, Burroughs). It is still in activity today, the owner being Whitman's daughter.
This very famous library can be crowded (with a line in front), but is worth the visit, for it feels very authentic and nice. There is a very pretty 1st floor where you can play the piano and read in nice sofas.
To avoid the crowd, there is no mystery: try the opening hour, early in the morning, and enjoy the view of Notre-Dame in the morning sun 🌞
little anecdote for the curious ones: the original Shakespeare's and company (the one where Hemingway got his books) wasn't located here, but at 12, rue de l'Odéon, at a 20 min walking distance. "
Matthew Daws
"Now with some newfound energy, it's time to enter one of the best bookstores in Paris, Shakespeare and Company.
Originally, this name referred to another iconic bookstore in Saint Germain des Prés, that became a popular meeting place for American authors like Ernest Hemingway, who mentioned it a lot in A Moveable Feast. Though it closed in 1941, a new place called Le Mistral opened in the early 50s, just opposite Notre-Dame. In 1964, to celebrate the 400 year anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth and to pay tribute to the original, it was renamed to Shakespeare & Company.
Inside you will find mostly books in English, with Paris being a very obvious theme for many of the works available. On the first floor there is a wonderful used book section with spaces to sit and read, with a cat who has made that floor his home. "
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Allie Rawlings
"As an avid reader, the Shakespeare & Co bookstore was heaven! You can tell that a lot of thought was put into this space. It’s so much larger on the inside and there are multiple rooms, full of primarily English-language books. There’s a cozy room upstairs where guests can stay awhile to read. (Depending on what time you visit, you will most likely have to wait in line to enter, but I personally found that the line goes faster than you might think and it’s worth it to avoid an over-crowded bookstore.)"
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