37 Rue de la Bucherie, Paris, France
You’ll find Shakespeare and Company in the shadow of Notre Dame cathedral, the two separated by the waters of the Seine lapping against stone quays. Above these are long green boxes on the parapet overlooking the river where old men resting on wooden chairs sell out of print pulp novels and magazines to passersby. Parisians weave their bikes through the traffic as police sirens wail in the distance before falling back into the soft bustle of endless human movement. In the small square beside the bookstore, tourists stand in line, coffee in hand, waiting to enter the famed shop, staring at the aging signage and bookshelves until the door opens and a member of the staff waves them in. As with most Parisian locations recognizable from films, television, and photographs, Shakespeare and Company has become as much a tourist landmark as a bookstore.
The wait on a weekend will be long and tedious, but on a Tuesday morning you might be able to step right inside as I did. There are signs asking customers to please not take photos or videos in order to respect the privacy of the staff who don’t give consent to being recorded, but most visitors ignore this. I myself only saw these signs halfway through my visit. I felt foolish, but I blame my nerves. I was ecstatic to be in such a famed store, and this eagerness blinded me a little to the details of my surroundings until I settled in. I felt bad and stowed my phone pretty quickly, but it didn’t stop most.
The staff, tucked into desks in various rooms, seemed a bit fatigued by the stream of tourists, and I don’t blame them. I’d say half the people in the shop were there to say they were in the shop, not to truly browse or purchase anything. Folks walked through with selfie sticks recording their visit for TikTok and Instagram, as obnoxious as any tourists anywhere in the world. As obnoxious as I probably have been on occasion. But this review is about the shop and the books, not just the patrons!
The shop is stunning, steeped in history, with photographs and art paying homage to all the famous writers who have read there and lined the walls with their work. Skylights overhead make each room bright and spacious, and the books are huddled onto a variety of shelves—wide and square, tall and narrow, short and wedged in wherever they fit. Upstairs are the reading rooms and the library, full of books in protective sheeting that you are allowed to read on site as you sit on one of the couches and chairs. Some patrons quietly did so during my entire visit, calmly reading, glancing around, taking in the peaceful respite. Those rooms are full of books by the long string of renowned authors who once stopped by to borrow the typewriters there, have meetings, hold readings, sleep in the beds, or just catch up with old friends.
A series of rooms with jumbled shelves and eclectic floor tiles comprise the ground floor, and there you’ll find everything from children’s books and fantasy to entire sections dedicated to the Lost and Beat Generations, plus mainstream selections, avant-garde fiction, essays and biographies, graphic novels, mysteries, and of course poetry. The shop has even published their own books, including a collection of poems about Paris curated by the staff, and I was sure to grab a copy of that.
There are countless details that makes the shop unique, from the photos and ancient beds to the grate in the floor in one of the front rooms where you can see American coins and bills slipped through and left as a tribute. I like to imagine the staff pry it up at the end of each week to buy themselves a bottle of wine. Why not? It would be in keeping with the spirit of the shop and the authors who haunt its shelves. It’s a true book-lover’s experience. Buy books, rub shoulders, bask in the hype, but also revere the artistry that once was, and still is, living on the shelves.
Atmosphere — A legendary shop, split between the bookstore on the first floor and the library on the second. The patrons are equally split between tourists busy recording their experience and the reverent sitting and reading quietly. It is a BUSY shop.
Quality — The library upstairs has some classic editions, but the bookshop downstairs is mostly new and of excellent quality.
Quantity — A good number of books for the space they have.
Diversity — It obviously leans toward literature and the greats of the 20th century and earlier, but there are plenty of new authors and titles mixed in, a great poetry selection, lots of kids books and YA. It’s nonfiction may be faintly less extensive than other stores since it is a shop so connected to its artistic past as a refuge for poets, novelists, and essayists.
Affordability — The books were all fairly priced for new books, and not much discounted.
Amenities — There are chairs and beds upstairs and a whole free library of literary and poetic greats, plus some merch, but that’s all for amenities. They do have their own café next door for snacks and drinks.
Location — Right across the Seine from Notre Dame, very easy to find.
Customer Service — The staff all looked busy and appropriately balanced the desire to be helpful against the stress of having so many tourists in all day long. I might have been more frustrated if I were them!
Overall — This shop’s epic history elevates it as one of the great bookshops of the world. It isn’t as expansive as Strand or The Last Book Shop in America, but it has the heft of nostalgia behind it, making it a special place to be. If you go, be respectful, and take a second to pause, sit, breathe it in, and don’t feel rushed. It’s a special place if you allow it to be.
