Paris may be best-known as the city of love, but it's also the city of book lovers! Here are three literary landmarks you should add to your travel bucket list.
Shakespeare and Company
37 Rue de la Bûcherie
This Paris bookshop was opened in 1919 by American Sylvia Beach, on the encouragement of her French partner, Adrienne Monnier. When it opened, it primarily sold English-language books, and it attracted various iconic English-speaking clients, including Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway.
The shop was closed during the Second World War. After the war, a US ex-serviceman George Whitman opened a bookshop called Le Mistral, which he stocked with many books bought from Beach. He was a big admirer of hers, and he continued her practice of hospitality（好客） by allowing writers to sleep in the shop overnight in return for help around the shop in the day. After Beach's death, Whitman renamed his shop Shakespeare and Company, and today it is owned by his daughter Sylvia.
Abbey Bookshop
29 Rue de la Parcheminerie
One of Paris's most famous English-language bookstores, the Abbey Bookshop was established in 1989 by Canadian Brian Spence. It's a labyrinth（迷宫） of books that spill out onto the pavement outside. Spence claims to have over 40, 000 books, most of them second-hand. He often shares a cup of coffee and a story with his customers.
Le Procope
13 Rue del'Ancienne Com édie
Le Procope was opened in 1686 by Sicilian chef Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli. Located across the road from a theatre, it became a hot spot for actors, playwrights and poets. Voltaire was said to drink 40 cups of coffee a day while he worked at a table at the cafe.
