An English Bookstore in Paris: Book Lovers Only

Looking for an English bookstore in Paris? This article was originally about one bookshop in Paris, but after living here for four years I have made my way to all the English bookstores in Paris. Bibliophiles take note… each of these unique Paris bookshops are marvellous spaces to while away some time.

English Bookstores In Paris

1. Abbey Bookshop

29 rue de la Parcheminerie, 75005 Paris

Metro: Cluny-La Sorbonne

You can’t miss The Abbey Bookshop in the Latin Quarter. Books spill onto sidewalk tables in front and are stacked ceiling-high within. Up for a browse? Get lost for an hour or two looking for your favourite classics. Canadians take note! The Abbey Bookshop is owned by a former Torontonian and the last time I dropped by, I was offered an apéro at the end of the day and a delightful conversation. Check out their website here.

2. Galignani Booksellers – Librairie Galignani

224 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris

Metro: Tuileries

The minute you step into this bookstore in Paris, book lovers will know the next hour or so will disappear. Galignani knows how to deliver! They were the first English bookshop on the continent and have been in Paris since 1801. This classic bookshop with its tall wooden shelves, ladders and large windows sells English, French and Fine Arts books.

3. The Red Wheelbarrow

9 Rue de Médicis, 75006, Paris

Metro: Odéon

This small bookshop in Paris, The Red Wheelbarrow also run by a Canadian, is the perfect place to find a book on your way to the Luxembourg Gardens. Browse this Paris bookshop and head straight to one of the green metallic chairs by the fountain. Sounds like the perfect plan – non?!

4. San Francisco Book Company

17 Rue Monsieur le Prince, 75006 Paris

Metro: Odéon

If you love browsing used books, this Paris bookstore is for you. I love the surprise of finding a title I’ve been searching for or a long-forgotten paperback that is the perfect addition to my bookshelf. The San Francisco Book Company has a wide selection of books on a wide variety of topics.

5. Shakespeare And Company

37 Rue de la Bûcherie, 75005 Paris

Metro: Saint- Michel or walk over from Notre Dame Cathedral

Don’t miss Shakespeare and Company in Paris. It is a bookstore in Paris with a history and was opened at this location in 1951 by George Whitman. His invitation to enter follows:

“All the characters in this bookstore are fictitious so please leave your everyday self outside.”

Prepare to get lost for a while in the various nooks and crannies and don’t miss a trip upstairs. Read the story below. I treasure the books I have bought here with their timeless stamp reminding me of each journey down the rabbit hole. Try a visit. It seriously is like that.

If you are a budding writer and would like to stay in Paris for free at the bookstore, email the store with “Tumbleweed” in the subject line.

6. Taschen

2 Rue de Buci, 75006, Paris

Metro: Mabillon or Odéon

Coffee table books supreme. That sums Taschen up. Be prepared to be swept away by stunning books covering subjects such as art, architecture, travel, photography and even sexy books, you are in Paris, after all. Browse in this Paris bookstore once and every time you stroll down rue de Buci, you’ll find yourself, like a true bibliophile, back inside.

7. WHSmith | English Bookstore In Paris

248 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris

Metro: Concorde

Another fabulous English bookshop in Paris, WHSmith has a wide selection of books, a marvellous magazine aisle, a terrific children’s section upstairs, and a tea room (not currently open). There is also a small choice of English speciality foods such as Vegemite and Yorkshire Gold tea!

English Bookstore In Paris | The Story

“Why on earth would we go to an English bookstore in Paris?” My friend Mahira, who incidentally loves books, was extremely resistant to the idea of spending precious Paris time in an English bookstore.

I explain to her that Shakespeare & Company is no ordinary bookstore and proceed to drag her there.

“All the characters in this bookstore are fictitious so please leave your everyday self outside.”

George Whitman

It is not hard to be completely intrigued when the storefront appears before you. Partially concealed by blooming trees, the literary energy of book lovers browsing causes one to pause and partake.

“Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise.”

is the motto of this English bookstore in Paris that has long opened its arms to new and renowned authors, giving them a place to sleep and write in exchange for a few hours working in the shop.

The original bookstore, not far from this location, opened in 1919 and was owned by Sylvia Beach. Over the years it was a meeting place for authors such as Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce.

The current store was opened by George Whitman in 1951.

I climb the creaky, narrow staircase to my favourite poetry section slowing my step to absorb the Hafiz poem painted on the rise of each step.

“I wish

I could show you

when you are

lonely or

in darkness

the astonishing 

light

of your own being

being.”

A perfect prelude, setting the ambience for the sanctuary above.

Upstairs nooks and crannies with tomes spilling off the shelves, comfy corner chairs for perusing books, a captivating view of Notre Dame Cathedral and a tiny alcove with a red typewriter are solace to an avid English-speaking reader in Paris.

I longingly regard the beds. There they are, waiting to welcome “Tumbleweeds” or budding authors that arrive in Paris.  They meet at Shakespeare and Co. to create, commune with other writers and help out in the store, in exchange for a place to rest their head at night.

Upstairs, I find a sacred space where, amid the hustle of Paris, I allow myself to be swept away to another world.

 Despite the crowds,

it is possible to

sink into a fictitious world,

appreciate the history seeping from the walls,

savour the palpable creativity,

revel in the magic of every turned page,

converse with literary aficionados

and dream about leaving with a heap of new books.

I whittle down my stack to one single treasure. Le Petit Prince, in French, by Antoinette Saint-Exupéry.

Later my friend Mahira, eyes twinkling, hands me a small, brown envelope. I know immediately where it’s from. Inside are two typewritten love poems, a William Butler Yeats and a Percy Bysshe Shelley. Both have been typed on that special red typewriter in the alcove by a “Tumbleweed” in 2014.

Sometimes it is the simplest gifts that resonate with you. They stir something deep inside that you can’t quite name. I call that a gift from the heart.

Shakespeare and Company is an essential part of any visit to Paris for me now. Months later, I decide to return to my favourite English bookstore in Paris and purchase several small, brown envelopes. I want to pay it forward, to share these delightful pockets with others.

I search to no avail.

I ask the cashier, Tom, who informs me that they are out of envelopes concealing treasured poems. “If that’s what you came for, then we shall have to make it happen,” he announces while pulling a long strip of white cash register paper out for me.

Scant minutes later, I follow his knowing smile up past the Hafiz poem.  Blue typewriter.  White paper. A view of Notre Dame Cathedral. Does it get any better?

I dance between the blue typewriter and the red one investigating which has fewer frozen keys and finally settle on the red one.

With no whiteout, poor typing skills and no backspace, my lovely Rumi poems are difficult to decipher:

“Dqance when you’re broken open

Dqnce when you’ve torn the bqandqage off…..”

That “q” key!

I persist, pecking away at the keys, like an author in a Paris garret on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I feel so French.

Happily, I placed my illegible poems on their ribbon of paper in my backpack.

My string of poems accompanies me early the next morning to the market on Rue Mouffetard. I purchase a few perfect fresh figs from Africa which I place into my pack and promptly forget.

My delicious figs and Rumi poems share a hidden pocket for a few days as I saunter through Paris. The end result is not good!

When I return to Canada and see my friend Mahira, she once again slides a package in my direction. Tucked inside is a newly published book: Shakespeare and Company:  A History of the Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart.

I beam. I had no idea it even existed. Another unexpected gift from the heart.

My gift in return? A story of an English bookstore in Paris, a red typewriter and some sticky, illegible Rumi poems.

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Author: Alison BrowneCreator and Founder of Dreamer at Heart Alison, a Francophile from a young age, is following a long-held dream and has been living in Paris since 2020. Her passion for uncovering Paris and discovering the regions of France has resulted in an expertise about France that she loves to share in her articles. Also a solo traveller, Alison shares her experiences of solo travel to many corners of the world. Alison helps over 65000 readers a month plan their trips.

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