Bought a Book at Shakespeare and Company Bookstore

I visited Shakespeare and Company a few weeks ago, but when I arrived in Paris for the second time, I could not resist visiting this bookshop again!

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After a little visit to Notre Dame Cathedral again, I walked right here!

I did not bother to sneak photos of the shelves this time, but I was intent on walking out with a book! Season four of HBO’s Game of Thrones is in full swing around the world and it got me in the mood to continue reading the book series! After reading my own copy of the first book, I knew at some point I would buy A Clash of Kings. Since I was here, might as well by it at Shakespeare and Company!

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After purchasing my book, I had a nice breakfast at Paul over George R.R. Martin’s A Clash of Kings.

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All books purchased at Shakespeare and Company receives a special signature stamp!

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I also got a tote bag!

I can’t even tell you how delightful it feels to buy a book and read it over a hot cup of coffee!

Browsing the Shelves at the Shakespeare and Company Bookstore

Across the street from Notre Dame is a small American bookstore founded by Sylvia Beach called Shakespeare and Company. This small independent bookstore is a holy ground for booklovers around the world. This is one of the few bookstores in Paris that predominantly sells books written in English. Most of the shopkeepers are American expatriates.

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The bookstore served as an intellectual hub for expatriates and traveling writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, and James Joyce during the 1920’s. However during WWII, the bookstore closed and it did not reopen until George Whitman opened a bookstore in the 1950s and renamed it Shakespeare and Company in remembrance of the original store.

The Bookstore Featured in the Movies

A number of movies were filmed here, including Midnight in Paris (2011) starring Owen Wilson and Before Sunset (2004) starring Ethan Hawke. This bookstore has such a charming haphazard layout, it seems for the perfect place for anyone to get lost in fiction!

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The bookstore is feature in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (2011).

Browsing the Shelves

So photos are not allowed in the bookstore, but I still managed to sneak a few while peeking around!

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Of course there is a Shakespeare section at the bookstore!

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The bookstore’s cat gazing out of the window.

If you are a book lover, I would HIGHLY recommend taking a quick stop at Shakespeare and Company!