A Paris Icon: Shakespeare and Company Bookstore

One of my favorite discoveries during a recent visit to Paris was stumbling across Shakespeare and Company bookstore.

Shakespeare and Company bookstore at 37 rue de la Bucherie in Paris.

I was with a tour group that beautiful morning and we had just visited the resplendent Luxembourg Gardens. We were taking a leisurely walk before heading across the Seine to Notre-Dame Cathedral.

A place to read, relax and soak in the literary atmosphere.

I was momentarily stunned when we turned the corner and this iconic bookstore was before me. It wasn't on the tour's list of things to see, but it certainly ranked high on my list as a place I wanted to experience.

Now this isn't the same Shakespeare and Company that was founded in 1919 by Sylvia Beach and attracted such literary lions as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound and James Joyce, among many others, but it carries on in the spirit of that great bookstore that closed in 1940 because of the German occupation.

This bookstore, founded in 1951 by American George Whitman, follows in the same tradition of the original. Whitman named his store Le Mistral, but changed it to Shakespeare and Company, in 1964, in honor of great bard's 400th birthday and as a tribute to Beach. 

Through the years Whitman brought in literary greats such as Allen Ginsberg, William Styron, James Baldwin, William Burroughs and Richard Wright. 

Whitman, who was also a poet, died in 2011 at the age of 98. The bookstore is now owned by his daughter, Sylvia, who is named after Sylvia Beach, and she continues to run the business in the same spirit and tradition of her father and her namesake. 

Yours truly in his tourist attire.

I wish I could have spent more time at the bookstore, perusing the titles on the shelves, studying the photographs on the walls, and talking to some of the patrons. 

Perhaps I can if I ever return to this enchanting city.

Until the next time....

Out of Books

My wife asked me to take her to Fayette Mall in Lexington this weekend, and being the dutiful husband that I am, I agreed. Fayette Mall is the largest mall in Kentucky so you can imagine the traffic it draws from Lexington and surrounding areas. I hate dealing with traffic.

I'm not much into shopping. When we walked inside she said we could meet somewhere after she made her rounds. In the past, I'd go to Waldenbooks and browse. She'd know where to find me when she finished her shopping. And I was content to wander among the books by Kentucky authors, magazine rack, bargain books, new releases, and everything else they had to offer.

But there is no longer a Waldenbooks in the mall. There is no bookstore among the hundred-plus stores. Period. In the space once occupied by Waldenbooks is an Apple store.

So while she went to the various stores, I sat down at one the rest areas. And it got me to thinking as I people-watched.

There are a lot of people who probably don't give it much thought that there isn't a bookstore in the mall. Some may be so young that they never knew there was a bookstore and won't miss it in years to come.

They'll be content to browse the Apple store. Maybe they'll purchase an iPad or some other device to store their music, videos, photos, and perhaps even a book or two.

Until the next time...

Support Your Local Bookstore

The New York Times recently ran an article about novelist Ann Patchett opening a bookstore called Parnassus Books in Nashville.

According to the story, Patchett was concerned when a popular bookstore closed, saying she "had no interest in living in a city without a bookstore."

So Patchett and Karen Hayes, who has a background in book sales, decided to open Parnassus Books. And they did this despite the decline in independent bookstores across the United States, the newspaper noted.

Patchett, by the way, is the bestselling author of "Bel Canto," "Truth and Beauty," "State of Wonder," "The Magician's Assistant," "Taft," and "The Patron Saint of Liars." and "Run."

Photo by Mary Ann Pinney

Local bookstores are important to communities, large and small. They have a certain distinctive quality that sets them apart from the chains; offer an array of books; support area authors; provide readings and other cultural activities; and they let you know they appreciate your business.

That's not to say I don't support the national stores. Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million and others provide valuable services to consumers and authors. Because of the Amazon, readers in North America, England and Ireland can purchase my books. Amazon is also provides author pages and discussion forums. And I love to browse and purchase merchandise from B&N and BAM.  

But I think it's also important to make purchases at my local bookstore (Poor Richard's in Frankfort, Ky.). Other stores include as Morris Book Shop and Joseph-Beth Bookseller in Lexington, and Carmichael's Bookstores in Louisville. Many of the local independents have adapted to the changing marketplace by offering many of the services of the international and national stores.

So when you're in the market for books, don't forget to shop local.

Until the next time...