Paris: Shakespeare and Co.

Hello Ladies and Gents!

I thought I would follow up Cath’s post with a little more about our visit to Shakespeare and Co. We meant to go last time we were in Paris about eight years ago and were so crestfallen when we didn’t make it. This time around we had a bit of a bother finding it, even though it’s almost visible from Notre Dame – we seemed to prefer a circuitous route when “finding” things in Paris. We made up for our grumpiness of stumbling around the same block for an hour by spending a good 2-3 hours in this wonderful place of books, beds, and old furniture.

A Brief History:
American George Whitman went to Paris to study at the Sorbonne on the GI Bill after WWII. While studying, he grew a large collection of English books and he used his apartment as an informal book store and library. In 1951 he opened Shakespeare and Co. in Paris’ Latin Quarter, just on the banks of the Seine. It became and still is, in my mind, the ultimate bohemian book store. Frequented by the Beat poets/writers and the likes of Henry Miller, Anais Nin, and Richard Wright. George passed away this December, but the store is now run by his daughter.

The shop window, with flowers left by George Whitman’s mourners.

But this place isn’t just a twee little book shop, snuggled next to cafes. If you are a working writer and wish to stay (for free!) to do a bit a writing, there are a number of beds tucked next to the packed shelves (I didn’t take any photos because cameras were prohibited in the upstairs rooms). There’s also a little writing nook with a typewriter on a desk, replete with fairy lights and notes stuck all around from fellow travelers and writers. Mr. Whitman strongly believed and followed Yeats verses, “Be not inhospitable to strangers / Lest they be angels in disguise.”

One of the many hand-drawn signs in the store.

Cath caught mid-browsing.

I thought I would throw in this outfit pic below because it’s what I wore when we went to Shakespeare and Co. Troy and I acted as the camera crew on most of our outings in Paris, so I don’t have a ton of photos of myself on our adventures. This was taken in our flat before we sent off:

Outfit details: thrifted shirt and necklace from Armstrongs, Edinburgh • Belt and jeans from Madewell • CK leg warmers • Hunter Boots wedge lace-up wellies (the laces are in the back)