Category: books

  • Breakthrough Book Gallery 突破書廊, Hong Kong

    Breakthrough Book Gallery 突破書廊, Hong Kong

    When I(Chris) was in Hong Kong during Easter, I came across this bookstore. Breakthrough (突破) was a magazine that was published between 1973 and 1999. When I was in secondary school in Hong Kong, I was a school librarian and flipped through it. The history of the magazine, the social movement and its activities are described here.…

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  • Eldorado Bokhandel, Oslo

    Eldorado Bokhandel, Oslo

    Before we leave Oslo, we have an addition to our bookstore of the world series … Eldorado Bokhandel is the largest independent bookstore in Scandinavia offering 4,000 square metres of books, culture and music. It is located at Torggata 9A. The bookstore opened in 2013. The facade is fairly non-descript, narrow and does not reveal much…

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  • Donner Books, Rotterdam

    Another bookstore … this time in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. This one barely survived. Donner is located on Coolsingel, in a former bank building, all public areas on one floor. This bookstore and the pride of Rotterdam was swallowed up by a big chain store that unfortunately went bankrupt in 2014. The Top 10 fictions and…

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  • Oldest bookstore in the World – Livraria Bertrand, Lisbon

    Oldest bookstore in the World – Livraria Bertrand, Lisbon

    Continuing with my tour of the world’s bookstores … Livraria Bertrand at Rua Garrett 73 in Lisbon is the oldest and largest bookstore chain in Portugal. Since it was launched in 1732, the Bertrand Bookstore stayed open, and has thus entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest bookstore in the world still in operation. The…

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  • Waterstones, Edinburgh West End

    Waterstones, Edinburgh West End

    Continuing with our bookstore tour … this one in Scotland The Waterstones at Edinburgh’s West End is one of four in the city. The four-floor bookshop is right at the heart of the city, opposite Edinburgh Castle, on the capital’s main shopping street; Princes St. They have “a large and inviting Children’s department, a robust…

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  • Bookstore Librairie, Biarritz

    Bookstore Librairie, Biarritz

    Another entry to our tour of bookstores around the world … We found this gem of a bookstore in Biarritz.  The bookstore is called “BOOKSTORE”. And to confirm the nature of its business, on the storefront below the name, it says “Librairie Bookstore”. It is understandable that this establishment at a French beach town is…

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