The Biblioracle: Why Bookstores Are More Than Places That Sell Books

I recently had the privilege of spending three days in Paris and had the chance to see the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Rodin Museum, Picasso Museum, and Notre Dame Cathedral, but there was another Paris sight I had to visit before I ran out of time: Shakespeare and Company bookstore.

The current Shakespeare and Company store is the second store in Paris with the name (more on that store in a second). The original Shakespeare and Company was founded by erstwhile New Jersey-ite Sylvia Beach, and was housed in two Left Bank locations from 1919 to 1940.