Shakespeare and Company
About Shakespeare and Company
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What people say
Louise Baudouin
Available for hire
"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. "
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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Emma Cregg
Available for hire
"This legendary independent Left Bank bookstore of the Lost Generation once run by Gertrude Stein is at the top of many English speaker’s list when visiting Paris. Traveling writers (nicknamed "tumbleweeds") used to be able to sleep upstairs and write in exchange for working in the bookshop. Now you can shop for old and new books, buy the iconic tote bag, get your books stamped, pet the shop cat, and grab a coffee at their café next door. Try to for a weekday morning to avoid big crowds,"
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