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Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores
"True Tales and Lost Moments from Book Buyers, Booksellers, and Book Lovers."
From beloved New Yorker cartoonist Bob Eckstein, Footnotes from the World s Greatest Bookstores invites you into the heart and soul of every community: the local bookshop, each with its own quirks, charms, and legendary stories.
This collection of seventy-five of the most cherished bookstores from around the world features evocative paintings by Eckstein paired with colorful anecdotes about each shop, featuring a roster of great thinkers and artists of our time, including David Bowie, Tom Wolfe, Joe Frank, Tracy Chevalier, Jonathan Lethem, Michael Palin, Roz Chast, Deepak Chopra, Bob Odenkirk, Robin Williams, Patricia Marx, Philip Glass, Paul McCartney, Dave Berry, Michael Jackson, Jonathan Ames, Terry Gross, Mark Maron, Neil Gaiman, Ann Patchett, Jo Nesbo, Diane Keaton, Chris Ware, Molly Crabapple, Amitav Ghosh, Patti Smith, Mo Willems, Alice Munro, Dave Eggers, Roxanna Robinson, Garrison Keillor and many more.
Page by page, Eckstein perfectly captures our lifelong love affair with books, bookstores, and book-sellers that is at once heartfelt, bittersweet, and cheerfully confessional."
From beloved New Yorker cartoonist Bob Eckstein, Footnotes from the World s Greatest Bookstores invites you into the heart and soul of every community: the local bookshop, each with its own quirks, charms, and legendary stories.
This collection of seventy-five of the most cherished bookstores from around the world features evocative paintings by Eckstein paired with colorful anecdotes about each shop, featuring a roster of great thinkers and artists of our time, including David Bowie, Tom Wolfe, Joe Frank, Tracy Chevalier, Jonathan Lethem, Michael Palin, Roz Chast, Deepak Chopra, Bob Odenkirk, Robin Williams, Patricia Marx, Philip Glass, Paul McCartney, Dave Berry, Michael Jackson, Jonathan Ames, Terry Gross, Mark Maron, Neil Gaiman, Ann Patchett, Jo Nesbo, Diane Keaton, Chris Ware, Molly Crabapple, Amitav Ghosh, Patti Smith, Mo Willems, Alice Munro, Dave Eggers, Roxanna Robinson, Garrison Keillor and many more.
Page by page, Eckstein perfectly captures our lifelong love affair with books, bookstores, and book-sellers that is at once heartfelt, bittersweet, and cheerfully confessional."
176 pages, Hardcover
First published October 4, 2016
33 people are currently reading
2489 people want to read
About the author
Bob Eckstein
12 books59 followersBob Eckstein is an award-winning illustrator, NY Times bestseller, New Yorker cartoonist, and world's only snowman expert. His fields of expertise are museums, bookstores, cartoons and humor.
He is editor of the popular Substack newsletter, The Bob and host of The Cartoon Pad podcast. His cartoons, OpEds, and short stories appear regularly in the New York Times, New York Daily News, MAD magazine, Readers Digest, The Spectator, Prospect, Wall Street Journal, Playboy, Atlas Obscura, LitHub, among many others. He was a columnist for the Village Voice, New York Newsday, and TimeOut New York. He has been interviewed in over 200 TV, radio, podcasts and magazine spots, including Good Morning America and People magazine. He was selected Erma Bombeck Humorist of the Month.
Follow him on Facebook Bob Eckstein and Instagram at bob_eckstein.
Bob Eckstein spent seven years traveling the world researching and attempting to answer the age-old question, who made the first snowman?
He has spoken publicly at many venues like The Norman Rockwell Museum, Miami Book Fair, The Grolier Club, Milford Readers & Writers Festival, and the Cooperage Theater and at the Erma Bombeck Workshop and Writer's Digest Annual Humor Conference.
He now lives in Manhattan. He has taught Writing & Drawing at N.Y.U., Pratt Institute, School of Visual Arts, Yonsei University in South Korea and many other places.
He is editor of the popular Substack newsletter, The Bob and host of The Cartoon Pad podcast. His cartoons, OpEds, and short stories appear regularly in the New York Times, New York Daily News, MAD magazine, Readers Digest, The Spectator, Prospect, Wall Street Journal, Playboy, Atlas Obscura, LitHub, among many others. He was a columnist for the Village Voice, New York Newsday, and TimeOut New York. He has been interviewed in over 200 TV, radio, podcasts and magazine spots, including Good Morning America and People magazine. He was selected Erma Bombeck Humorist of the Month.
Follow him on Facebook Bob Eckstein and Instagram at bob_eckstein.
Bob Eckstein spent seven years traveling the world researching and attempting to answer the age-old question, who made the first snowman?
He has spoken publicly at many venues like The Norman Rockwell Museum, Miami Book Fair, The Grolier Club, Milford Readers & Writers Festival, and the Cooperage Theater and at the Erma Bombeck Workshop and Writer's Digest Annual Humor Conference.
He now lives in Manhattan. He has taught Writing & Drawing at N.Y.U., Pratt Institute, School of Visual Arts, Yonsei University in South Korea and many other places.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 324 reviews
December 20, 2019
For anyone who loves to spend time in a bookstore, this is the next best thing. Beautiful watercolor pictures of the storefronts, a short history of the store, and an anecdote about something that happened there. This was a gift from a friend, and it was perfect.
November 21, 2016
This is a gorgeous book with "footnotes" about 75 bookstores around the world. About 10 of them are closed. Bob Eckstein has produced beautiful illustrations of each bookstore. These, as much as the anecdotes, make this book a "must have" for book lovers, and those of us dedicated to the survival of independent bookstores.
December 2, 2017
This is a perfect coffee table book or gift for a book lover. It provides little snippets of information and stories from amazing independent bookstores around the world. Sometimes I found the information pages lacking – Eckstein says in the intro that he narrowed 150 potential bookstores to the 75 included in the book, and it was hard to tell what made some of these special enough to be chosen. And the list is overwhelmingly American bookstores, with stores in New York seemingly overrepresented (understandable, because this book started as an NYC project, but I’d imagine there are more varied and exciting independent bookstores around the world than a fair number of the NYC ones that made it in). But the artwork is absolutely gorgeous, and the stories are funny and heartwarming. Ultimately, this is a beautiful testament to the vibrant, quirky communities that bookstores build and support.
July 6, 2025
ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL BOOK THAT EVERY GOODREADER SHOULD ENJOY!
Was frankly underwhelmed with Eckstein's follow-up to this book, Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums, but this one was just indescribably delightful. Nice watercolors of some 75 unique bookstores, along with brief descriptions and then the wonderful stories and anecdotes that go with them—a couple samples from just the first few pages:
The book itself is an odd production, opening first vertically and then horizontally:
Not sure why, but it does probably add to the book's longevity as it then stands on its binding when shelved, rather than having the weight of all that nice heavy paper putting pressure on the spine, (although I'm sure they did it for more aesthetic reasons).
It also does have a few drawbacks. There's the whole subjectivity issue—I'm sure every reader has a few stores that they just can't believe didn't make the cut, (I would have added DC's Politics & Prose, which features regular readings and signings by nearly very political figure you can imagine; and the now closed Wanderlust in Hong Kong; would be interested to hear YOUR suggestions). And more objectively (and really annoying), there's no contents or index page—or even page numbers—so it's a bitch trying to re-find a particular store or get any sense of where the stores are located, (a world map would have been great!). But overall inconvenience aside, this was just wonderful, and something I will refer to often once I get my own copy. And buy one I will; and then carry it around during future travels to get it signed in as many stores as possible—and may I suggest you all do the same? Heck, we could even comment back and forth on who's been where, and maybe someday get a "virtual master GR copy" that's been signed everywhere!
Of the shops listed, looks like the only one's I've already been to are Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, Scribners in New York (who hasn't?), and Bókin in Reykjavik, (that one not as odd as it sounds, as Iceland is one of the cheapest, closest and most interesting destinations from Washington DC—just an hour farther than flying to San Francisco!). And I should also be able to easily add the Golden Notebook in Woodstock and Travelers Restaurant - Food and Books in Union, CT (both far from here, but close to my family), Giovanni's Room in Philly and Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem (both in PA), and Daedalus Bookshop in nearby Charlottesville, (compared to stores I probably WON'T get to in Alabama, Nebraska, Alaska and such).
Recommended to literally all true book lovers, (as opposed to those whose reading is limited to the Trump/MAGA canon).
Was frankly underwhelmed with Eckstein's follow-up to this book, Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums: Stories and Memorable Moments from People Who Love Museums, but this one was just indescribably delightful. Nice watercolors of some 75 unique bookstores, along with brief descriptions and then the wonderful stories and anecdotes that go with them—a couple samples from just the first few pages:
"Once a customer came in looking for a book for his daughter. Our children's buyer, Gaela Pearson, was busy trying to put together a cardboard book display. She told the man, 'I would be happy to help you. In fact, I'll give you 20 percent off your purchase if you help me put together this display.' He said, 'No, I don't need the discount, but I'd be happy to help.' Gaela and the man sat on the floor and assembled the display. The man bought a book and then left. Gaela's daughter, working in the back of the store, said, 'You know who that was? Didn't you notice his eyes were two different colors? That was David Bowie'."The stores featured here are a highly subjective group, and weighted too heavily to cities like New York, San Francisco and Boston (with over 15 in NYC alone). However, the rest are a nice mix of stores scattered across the U.S. and a number of mainly one-off cities/countries around the world, including Buenos Aires, Slovakia, Budapest, Porto, Nanjing, Venice, Wales and many others, (Goa somehow ranks two mentions, including Singbal's Book House, which Matt Damon walks past in "The Bourne Supremacy").
"Scriber's top guy had his office above the store. Hemingway was turning in his new novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and the CEO was unhappy with a certain word in the manuscript. 'What word?' Hem asked. The CEO couldn’t bring himself to utter it, so he wrote it down on his desk calendar. Hem agreed to take it out. The following morning, the office secretary wondered why her boss had written, under 'Things To Do Today,' 'Fuck'."
The book itself is an odd production, opening first vertically and then horizontally:
Not sure why, but it does probably add to the book's longevity as it then stands on its binding when shelved, rather than having the weight of all that nice heavy paper putting pressure on the spine, (although I'm sure they did it for more aesthetic reasons).
It also does have a few drawbacks. There's the whole subjectivity issue—I'm sure every reader has a few stores that they just can't believe didn't make the cut, (I would have added DC's Politics & Prose, which features regular readings and signings by nearly very political figure you can imagine; and the now closed Wanderlust in Hong Kong; would be interested to hear YOUR suggestions). And more objectively (and really annoying), there's no contents or index page—or even page numbers—so it's a bitch trying to re-find a particular store or get any sense of where the stores are located, (a world map would have been great!). But overall inconvenience aside, this was just wonderful, and something I will refer to often once I get my own copy. And buy one I will; and then carry it around during future travels to get it signed in as many stores as possible—and may I suggest you all do the same? Heck, we could even comment back and forth on who's been where, and maybe someday get a "virtual master GR copy" that's been signed everywhere!
Of the shops listed, looks like the only one's I've already been to are Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, Scribners in New York (who hasn't?), and Bókin in Reykjavik, (that one not as odd as it sounds, as Iceland is one of the cheapest, closest and most interesting destinations from Washington DC—just an hour farther than flying to San Francisco!). And I should also be able to easily add the Golden Notebook in Woodstock and Travelers Restaurant - Food and Books in Union, CT (both far from here, but close to my family), Giovanni's Room in Philly and Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem (both in PA), and Daedalus Bookshop in nearby Charlottesville, (compared to stores I probably WON'T get to in Alabama, Nebraska, Alaska and such).
Recommended to literally all true book lovers, (as opposed to those whose reading is limited to the Trump/MAGA canon).
August 6, 2019
A bad read. There is nothing special about the book. The illustrations are weak. The word "world" should not be used because more than 70% of the stores written about are from US only, majority of them being from a single city of New York alone. Not much research has gone behind because the two stores talked about from India are hardly anything great to talk about. There are better, more popular and more historic book stores in India. Do not be misled by the tantalizing cover .
March 25, 2019
From the World might be pushing it since about 17 are from NYC.
Selection is also a bit hit or miss. I can understand the inclusion of many of the bookstores (Powell's, The Strand) - but seriously why isn't Foyle's mentioned? Or Kramerbooks in DC? Or Joseph Fox here in Philly? The Word in Montreal perhaps?
Some of the stories are interesting -like the one about Bowie - but it is a very strange look at the word "greatest".
Selection is also a bit hit or miss. I can understand the inclusion of many of the bookstores (Powell's, The Strand) - but seriously why isn't Foyle's mentioned? Or Kramerbooks in DC? Or Joseph Fox here in Philly? The Word in Montreal perhaps?
Some of the stories are interesting -like the one about Bowie - but it is a very strange look at the word "greatest".
April 27, 2017
Marvelous. And our bookstore is in it!
January 13, 2020
This is a beautiful book that has 75 water color paintings of used bookstores. On the right-hand side of the book (when fully opened) there is the painting along with an anecdote usually told by the owner of the bookstore, and on the left-hand side is a page telling you the name of the bookstore, where it’s at and what it is known for. These were bookstores that he went to mostly in the US (and many in NYC) but also around the world including India and Japan and Iceland. The book is written by Bob Eckstein who is an illustrator, writer and cartoonist…I know him via his watercolor covers of The New Yorker. He had a watercolor of The Strand, a famous used bookstore in New York City. I visited the Strand twice, and did not know my way around NYC but I’d be damned if I was going to miss a visit to the Strand. I think I took the subway there (which was a small feat for me because I get confused by them in big cities which shows you how addicted I was to used bookstores) and it was so exciting each time to reach my destination. All I remember about the place was that it was a madhouse…lots of employees shelving books…lots of customers buying books, ladders to reach books that you couldn’t reach from the floor (I forget if customers were allowed to use them or if you had to ask an employee...I think in my fantasies I climbed the ladder). Their selection was crazy good…they had sections of books just arrived so you could mine it for treasures. Anyway here are few choice favorite anecdotes from the book.
The Golden Notebook, Woodstock, New York: “Once, a customer came in looking for a book for his daughter. Our children’s buyer, Gaela Pearson, was busy trying to put together a cardboard book display. She told the man, ‘I would be happy to help you. In fact, I’ll give you 20 percent off your purchase if you help me put this display together. He said “No, I don’t need a discount, but I’d be happy to help.” Gaela and the man sat on the floor and assembled the display. The man bought a book and then left. Gaela’s daughter, working in the back of the store, said, “You know who that was? Didn’t you notice his eyes were two different colors? That was David Bowie.” Jacqueline Kellachan, owner
Three Lives & Company, New York City: At 600 square feet, it’s the size of a luxurious Park Avenue closet. “Any time a book is sold, the entire shelf must be rearranged since no books of the same spine color may be adjacent lest they appear erroneously as a set” – Toby Cox, Owner. Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham once said he wanted to be buried under the store, but the owners at the time told him they weren’t zoned for that.
Books & Books, south Florida: “One night when I was just about to close, my bookseller, George Henry Keen, tapped me on the back of the shoulder and said these seven magic words, ‘Paul McCartney needs your help in fiction.’ I showed him (his pregnant wife, and two bodyguards) around the store, but he was most interested in anything Dickens. He fondly remembered the Penguin editions he read at university and regaled me with stories of a particular literature professor who had a great influence on him.” Mitchell Kaplan, owner
Parnassus Books, Nashville Tennessee: “I have no interest in retail; I have no interest in opening a bookstore, But I also have no interest in living in a city without a bookstore.” Ann Patchett, who once made a plea for the value of indies on The Colbert Report
Barbara’s Bookstore, Chicago, Illinois: “A middle-aged woman asked for a book on dinosaurs, I showed her one and her response was, “Well, these illustrations are nice but are just drawings. I want one with real photographs.” I didn’t know how to break it to her that the camera wasn’t invented for another zillion years.
The Golden Notebook, Woodstock, New York: “Once, a customer came in looking for a book for his daughter. Our children’s buyer, Gaela Pearson, was busy trying to put together a cardboard book display. She told the man, ‘I would be happy to help you. In fact, I’ll give you 20 percent off your purchase if you help me put this display together. He said “No, I don’t need a discount, but I’d be happy to help.” Gaela and the man sat on the floor and assembled the display. The man bought a book and then left. Gaela’s daughter, working in the back of the store, said, “You know who that was? Didn’t you notice his eyes were two different colors? That was David Bowie.” Jacqueline Kellachan, owner
Three Lives & Company, New York City: At 600 square feet, it’s the size of a luxurious Park Avenue closet. “Any time a book is sold, the entire shelf must be rearranged since no books of the same spine color may be adjacent lest they appear erroneously as a set” – Toby Cox, Owner. Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham once said he wanted to be buried under the store, but the owners at the time told him they weren’t zoned for that.
Books & Books, south Florida: “One night when I was just about to close, my bookseller, George Henry Keen, tapped me on the back of the shoulder and said these seven magic words, ‘Paul McCartney needs your help in fiction.’ I showed him (his pregnant wife, and two bodyguards) around the store, but he was most interested in anything Dickens. He fondly remembered the Penguin editions he read at university and regaled me with stories of a particular literature professor who had a great influence on him.” Mitchell Kaplan, owner
Parnassus Books, Nashville Tennessee: “I have no interest in retail; I have no interest in opening a bookstore, But I also have no interest in living in a city without a bookstore.” Ann Patchett, who once made a plea for the value of indies on The Colbert Report
Barbara’s Bookstore, Chicago, Illinois: “A middle-aged woman asked for a book on dinosaurs, I showed her one and her response was, “Well, these illustrations are nice but are just drawings. I want one with real photographs.” I didn’t know how to break it to her that the camera wasn’t invented for another zillion years.
February 7, 2017
This is a gem of a book for lovers of books and bookstores. New Yorker cartoonist Bob Eckstein provides paintings of 75 worldwide bookstores and anecdotes on each are provided by store-owners, clerks and/or customers. A few famous stores (e.g. Shakespeare and Company, Paris) get a 4-page write-up, but most are 2-pages. A several page overflow of anecdotes that didn't fit into the other pages are added at the backend.
Trivia:
- The book pages are unnumbered but the 176 page count includes the inside front covers, i.e. the flippable pages number 174.
- There is always one: Single typo found on pg. 66 "Steven Fry" written for Stephen Fry.
Trivia:
- The book pages are unnumbered but the 176 page count includes the inside front covers, i.e. the flippable pages number 174.
- There is always one: Single typo found on pg. 66 "Steven Fry" written for Stephen Fry.
April 26, 2017
Here is my Q&A for the Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifesty...
Bob Eckstein is a New Yorker cartoonist, a snowman expert and a passionate aficionado of local, independent bookshops. His intelligent and evocative book "Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores" offers, as its subtitle says, "True Tales and Lost Moments from Book Buyers, Booksellers, and Book Lovers," in the form of 75 gloriously colorful paintings and accompanying anecdotes about these book-filled spaces at the heart of communities around the globe.
Including contributions from such renowned readers as Terry Gross, Roz Chast and Chicago's own Chris Ware, plus a foreword by Garrison Keillor, this whimsical collection stands as a portable, hand-held compendium of the ineffable joy that is to be had in the sociable browsing of the idiosyncratic, idealistic — and all too often endangered — shops that serve as the sanctuaries of literature and the people who love it.
On the eve of Independent Bookstore Day, which this year is Saturday, Eckstein discussed his book via email. Here's an edited transcript.
Q: How did you decide to begin this project? How did you decide which stores to include?
A: This started as an assignment for The New Yorker on endangered bookstores in New York City. It immediately went viral and attracted a book deal within hours of its publication. Over the course of two years, I became a bookstore expert and became emotionally invested in this project having heard endless inspiring and heartbreaking stories from the trenches. With the help of a team of publishing experts and recommendations from hundreds of people around the world, I narrowed my list of favorite bookstores down to 150 and eventually used the best 75 for the book. My criteria were their community involvement (those that support charity and were culturally important), historic relevance, the structure's beauty, their contributions to the publishing industry, their importance to its local artists (writers, poets and musicians alike) and my personal gut feeling. There are so many incredible bookstores, and I would've included more if space allowed. At some point, I would love to create a sequel.
Q: Would you describe yourself as optimistic, pessimistic or something else when it comes to both the role and the fate of the independent bookstore in the 21st century?
A: I realize that the answer I'm supposed to give is that I'm optimistic. While it is true that the past two years has seen an upswing in support for independent bookstores, the truth is that they — and mom-and-pop shops in general — need our help in this country. In Europe, there are protections against online price wars, and the competition here is causing many to close their doors. I think price regulations are necessary to their survival; otherwise, people are going to continue to browse in person but shop on their phones. People need to reward physical stores and our neighbors who run them for paying taxes that go to our local schools, post offices, roads and whatnot, so that Main Streets don't empty out. Bookstores are the cultural hub of our towns, where like-minded people meet. This thing about drones delivering our books — I can't have a meaningful conversation with a drone.
It may sound corny, but it's pretty amazing how nobody went into the bookselling business to get rich, and yet everyone I've met has been so nice. Their main motivation is getting a book in people's hands and saving the written word.
Q: What's the best thing that's ever happened to you in a bookstore?
A: I'm going to share a story my editor and I agreed to cut from my book, but here goes. My love affair for bookstores began when, as an innocent teenager, I had a hot and heavy romantic interlude in the mysterious back aisles of New York City's Strand Bookstore.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifesty...
Bob Eckstein is a New Yorker cartoonist, a snowman expert and a passionate aficionado of local, independent bookshops. His intelligent and evocative book "Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores" offers, as its subtitle says, "True Tales and Lost Moments from Book Buyers, Booksellers, and Book Lovers," in the form of 75 gloriously colorful paintings and accompanying anecdotes about these book-filled spaces at the heart of communities around the globe.
Including contributions from such renowned readers as Terry Gross, Roz Chast and Chicago's own Chris Ware, plus a foreword by Garrison Keillor, this whimsical collection stands as a portable, hand-held compendium of the ineffable joy that is to be had in the sociable browsing of the idiosyncratic, idealistic — and all too often endangered — shops that serve as the sanctuaries of literature and the people who love it.
On the eve of Independent Bookstore Day, which this year is Saturday, Eckstein discussed his book via email. Here's an edited transcript.
Q: How did you decide to begin this project? How did you decide which stores to include?
A: This started as an assignment for The New Yorker on endangered bookstores in New York City. It immediately went viral and attracted a book deal within hours of its publication. Over the course of two years, I became a bookstore expert and became emotionally invested in this project having heard endless inspiring and heartbreaking stories from the trenches. With the help of a team of publishing experts and recommendations from hundreds of people around the world, I narrowed my list of favorite bookstores down to 150 and eventually used the best 75 for the book. My criteria were their community involvement (those that support charity and were culturally important), historic relevance, the structure's beauty, their contributions to the publishing industry, their importance to its local artists (writers, poets and musicians alike) and my personal gut feeling. There are so many incredible bookstores, and I would've included more if space allowed. At some point, I would love to create a sequel.
Q: Would you describe yourself as optimistic, pessimistic or something else when it comes to both the role and the fate of the independent bookstore in the 21st century?
A: I realize that the answer I'm supposed to give is that I'm optimistic. While it is true that the past two years has seen an upswing in support for independent bookstores, the truth is that they — and mom-and-pop shops in general — need our help in this country. In Europe, there are protections against online price wars, and the competition here is causing many to close their doors. I think price regulations are necessary to their survival; otherwise, people are going to continue to browse in person but shop on their phones. People need to reward physical stores and our neighbors who run them for paying taxes that go to our local schools, post offices, roads and whatnot, so that Main Streets don't empty out. Bookstores are the cultural hub of our towns, where like-minded people meet. This thing about drones delivering our books — I can't have a meaningful conversation with a drone.
It may sound corny, but it's pretty amazing how nobody went into the bookselling business to get rich, and yet everyone I've met has been so nice. Their main motivation is getting a book in people's hands and saving the written word.
Q: What's the best thing that's ever happened to you in a bookstore?
A: I'm going to share a story my editor and I agreed to cut from my book, but here goes. My love affair for bookstores began when, as an innocent teenager, I had a hot and heavy romantic interlude in the mysterious back aisles of New York City's Strand Bookstore.
April 23, 2017
I would guess that if you love books, you love bookstores. Wherever I travel, I seek out a local bookstore and usually buy books, of course. That's why this book is so special. A beautifully rendered book about independent book stores. Many are well known-the Strand, Hatchard's, Powell's- some I had never heard of. The illustrations are stunning; the anecdotes and stories are charming. A bookstore lover's dream! Enjoy!
May 2, 2017
This is a lovely collection of 75 cherished bookstores, gathered by New Yorker cartoonist, Bob Eckstein. Each of the bookstores gets a full-page spread of art: a painted version of the storefront or the inside shelves, accompanied with some script of anecdotes and quotes from owners, managers, and customers.
Only downside is that it is only 75 shops, and I felt that many good ones were excluded - ones that I have enjoyed "off the beaten path". I realize that New York City is the publishing capital of the world and an amazing city, but roughly 25% of the bookstores featured here were in NYC, and a large number in the US. A few standouts of the "World's Greatest"appear in some other countries: Argentina, Portugal, China, UK, Italy... but the number is quite small compared to US, and even to NYC stores represented.
Still worth a cozy curl up with this book. Enjoy the format and the beautiful artwork!
Only downside is that it is only 75 shops, and I felt that many good ones were excluded - ones that I have enjoyed "off the beaten path". I realize that New York City is the publishing capital of the world and an amazing city, but roughly 25% of the bookstores featured here were in NYC, and a large number in the US. A few standouts of the "World's Greatest"appear in some other countries: Argentina, Portugal, China, UK, Italy... but the number is quite small compared to US, and even to NYC stores represented.
Still worth a cozy curl up with this book. Enjoy the format and the beautiful artwork!
December 4, 2017
I enjoyed this little book - it offers short introductions to bookshops, has silly or funny stories about famous literary figures going to the bookshops or interesting tidbits about customers. It also has beautiful art. I loved reading these in short bursts of 4 of 5 bookstores at a time.
February 14, 2020
What a delightful little book. I read it over lunch since it is quite short and was making notes about what bookstores I dream of visiting, if only for the joy of the atmosphere.
Bob Eckstein uses his sketches of each of the 75 featured independent bookstores (no photographs) and they add to the whimsy. He gives the years of operation (some, sadly have closed) and short snippets of information about the history and the people, including celebrities, who "hang out" in these delightful stores. It is full of short quotes, such as "It's impossible to imagine New York City without it" (Arthur Miller); "I was at the Last Book Store (Los Angeles), wandering through its vast labyrinth of bookcases. book tunnels, book archways, book pillars, and revolving books to no where. it was like experiencing temporary insanity from which I hoped I would never recover" (customer).
This book is a joy for the book lover and the lover of the ambiance of a truly personal space.
Bob Eckstein uses his sketches of each of the 75 featured independent bookstores (no photographs) and they add to the whimsy. He gives the years of operation (some, sadly have closed) and short snippets of information about the history and the people, including celebrities, who "hang out" in these delightful stores. It is full of short quotes, such as "It's impossible to imagine New York City without it" (Arthur Miller); "I was at the Last Book Store (Los Angeles), wandering through its vast labyrinth of bookcases. book tunnels, book archways, book pillars, and revolving books to no where. it was like experiencing temporary insanity from which I hoped I would never recover" (customer).
This book is a joy for the book lover and the lover of the ambiance of a truly personal space.
December 28, 2017
This was a cozy little book perfect for reading on this incredibly cold day. It contains beautiful paintings by the author along with short descriptions and anecdotes about bookstores around the world.
March 15, 2017
Cute drawings, fascinating stories from the bookstores you just want to visit each and one, I say a book kontiki tour is the way. I have never read a book like it.
February 13, 2018
A lovely little book highlighting 75 bookstores from around the world, with a watercolor painting and anecdote for each. This is one I'm perfectly fine with reading from the library and not owning.
June 16, 2024
Maybe not the “world’s” greatest since it skews heavily toward NYC, but still a delightful book.
February 11, 2017
I really liked this book but what makes these bookstores the greatest? Is it because they are popular, well-known, or is it because many listed can boast of celebrities and big name authors shopping or visiting there? There are so many independent bookstores that are great but yet they are not worthy of the title greatest. Maybe it is because they are not located in big cities like the majority of these bookstores are which is a tad unfair. Still in an interesting book on some of the bookstores out there and I would love to visit a few of them.
February 11, 2017
I have looked at this little illustrated volume at Parnassus Books- one of the featured bookstores- but hadn't read it longer than flipping theough and selecting one or two stories. Saw it at the public library in the new arrivals section so checked it outand brought it home. What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning hour over coffee- I traveled to bookstores I have visited onmy travels and noted several to make my future destinations. Support your local independent bookstore!
July 13, 2017
A great birthday gift from my lifelong friend, Anna Shipman (friends since nursery school)! Fun book design, charming illustrations, and fun tidbits about amazing and wonderful bookstores and their denizens. Could serve as a bucket list for real-life travel, or I can just continue to enjoy it as armchair travel -- I am sure I will read it over and over, probably end up memorized by the time all's said and done. Most of all, it makes me want to open a bookstore!
June 25, 2017
If you enjoy visiting bookstores, libraries and seeing authors in person, you will most likely enjoy reading little snippets about the independent bookstores across the country and different parts of Europe. I did, and I have also written down a few I would like to visit if I ever venture in their direction! For example, there are about 3 in Chicago alone I should be able to get to sometime in the near future. :)
May 27, 2018
A beautiful little book with illustrations of some of the world's most interesting bookstores. Accompanying each picture is a brief quip or story from the owner or devoted patron. I wanted to read it slowly, enjoying each story as a tasty morsel, but my appetite got the best of me, and I devoured the entire book in haste.
While some of the bookstores are (sadly) out of business, others have been bookmarked for future visits.
While some of the bookstores are (sadly) out of business, others have been bookmarked for future visits.
May 22, 2017
4.5 Loved this collection of memories and illustrations of bookstores around the world. My only issue was that there were so many great bookstores left out and a few too many from New York. Would have been nice to see a bigger variety of locations around the globe. I've visited 9 of the 75 featured and will be adding many of the others still open to my bucket list!
June 10, 2018
This is great little book for everyone who likes books and bookshops! The only things I don't like about it is that there is no table of contents, no index and there are no page numbers. If you want to go back and look at the painting of a particular bookshop, you have to page through the entire book. Maybe that was intentional.
February 28, 2023
Cartoonist Bob Eckstein has gathered little stories from seventy-five of the world's greatest bookstores and has accompanied the stories with beautiful watercolor illustrations.
This book was a library read, but I think I need to get my own copy.
This book was a library read, but I think I need to get my own copy.
October 18, 2016
Loved this book. Lovely drawings and quotes and lil stories about each store. Made me want to visit them all!
March 26, 2017
This is such a gorgeous book. The illustrations are amazing and the anecdotes are wonderful. This book is perfect for bibliophiles, and has now given me a list of stores I have to visit!
September 16, 2017
I loved this book!!!! I've been reading a few pages over the months. The illustrations are beautiful and I now have a ton of new bookstores in my list to visit. Read it. You'll be glad you did.
December 11, 2024
Lovely colour illustrations and fun anecdotes of over 100 independent bookstores around the world, with the majority featured in USA.
From the book, my own bucket list -
City Lights - San Francisco, USA
El Ateneo Grand Splendid - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Shakespeare & Co - Paris, France
Words on the Water - London, England
Powell's Books - Portland, USA
Parnassus Books - Nashville, USA
Livraria Lello - Porto, Portugal
and a few I've been to -
Elliot Bay Books - Seattle, USA
Richard Booth's Bookshop, Hay-on-Wye, Wales
Munro's Books - Victoria, Canada
From the book, my own bucket list -
City Lights - San Francisco, USA
El Ateneo Grand Splendid - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Shakespeare & Co - Paris, France
Words on the Water - London, England
Powell's Books - Portland, USA
Parnassus Books - Nashville, USA
Livraria Lello - Porto, Portugal
and a few I've been to -
Elliot Bay Books - Seattle, USA
Richard Booth's Bookshop, Hay-on-Wye, Wales
Munro's Books - Victoria, Canada
Displaying 1 - 30 of 324 reviews