bookstore

The Ten Best Bookstores For Vacation Reading

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Books

When you know exactly what books you want to read on vacation, a big chain bookstores or Amazon are quite convenient options. But when you're not quite sure what you'd like to read on the beach, or in the mountains or by that lake...when you're just experiencing an inchoate craving for a certain literary texture, you simply can't do without an independent bookstore. And while it's a comforting feeling to have your reading material lined up ahead of your vacation, I say it's even more fun to hit a terrific bookstore that's far from home. Here are ten terrific booksellers that will not to disappoint:

1. Powell's, Portland, Oregon. This is the mother ship for book nerds -- the largest independent and used bookstore in the world, which happens to be great for browsing and for when you're looking for a title in particular. If you're vacationing in the Pacific Northwest, and go a little nuts with the book purchases (and I'm not saying this has ever happened to me) Powell's does ship.

2.The Strand, New York City. This is the sole survivor of what was once known as Book Row. This venerable shop has been in business since 1927 -- it's a paradise for book browsers, although it can be rather hellish if you're looking for a particular title. Don't expect much help from the staff. Do expect to be tempted by a very cute range of tote bags.

3.Tattered Cover, Denver. You'd be hard pressed to find a more pleasant vibe in a bookstore anywhere -- it would be wrenching not to plan to spend a good couple of hours at the historic LoDo neighborhood store. (There's even a fireplace.) Bonus points if you can make it to one of the store's many author events.

4.Stanford's, London. This is the largest travel book store in the world, and it is another place where it's easy to get lost. Luckily, there are many maps and globes on offer that will help you find your way again. No matter how obscure the destination, if there's a book about it, you'll probably find it here.

5.Open Air, Toronto. An ironically-named travel book shop for a store that is underground and the most crowded bookstore I've ever been in, anywhere. This is terrific for browsing, so long as you don't topple over teetering stacks of books.

Tags: best bookstores, books, bookstore, independent

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Taschen Opens in South Beach

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

The legendary publisher Taschen is opening a brand new store in the heart of South Beach, Miami. For those of you who either live in the area or just can't get enough on the literary world even while on vacation the new space should be a welcome edition to a town not known for the pursuit of intellectual goals. That being said, Taschen is known for being not only hip and contemporary but a publisher with a long list of books that more staid institutions would be afraid to print.

As always the company is concerned with not only the design of their books but the atmosphere and space where their clients can explore their merchandise. The South Beach store is no exception to this rule. The store is one of only thirteen high-end storefronts located in a brand new building designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Maeuron. Customers can turn the pages of their favorite art books in a space created by Philippe Stark, the legendary Frenchman who has designed all the Taschen stores worldwide. The company commissioned British artist Toby Ziegler to design interior murals and a hand-poured terrazzo floor. In a nod to the location the floors of the space are composed of stones native to the area of South Florida.

The inventory at this store will include the publisher's art, photography, design, architecture, sex, travel , cinema and pop culture as well as a good selection of Portuguese and Spanish language titles. Like all things South Beach the store is planning to be open late until 10pm Sundays through Thursdays and 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. If you'd like to celebrate the opening please join the store's celebration at 1111 Lincoln Road on Saturday March 20th from 4-6pm . The event will include drinks and music from DJ Faux Real and of course lots of books.

Tags: books, bookstore, Miami, south beach, Taschen

Have a Glass of Wine at the Bookstore

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Books

A nearly 200-year-old bookstore in Sydney is uniting bibliophiles and oenophiles with a simple, yet brilliant idea: serving wine in their reading room.

Like languishing in the library of someone's country home, guests at Berkelouw Books in Leichhardt, Sydney, can lounge on plush couches and at comfortable tables with plates of cheese and Australian wines while perusing their selection of rare, out-of-print, secondhand and new books. It's a wonderful way to create community, allowing book-lovers to enjoy a book in their store the same way they would at home.

Berkelouw Books has a rich, six generation history of trading in rare and antiquarian books. "Now that people are getting to know about us, we've had great success with our boutique wines and lots of positive feedback," owner Colin Cappelleri told Reuters.

It makes the Starbucks in Barnes & Noble seem positively vulgar.

[via Reuters]

Tags: australia, Berkelouw Books, BerkelouwBooks, bookstore, rare books, RareBooks, sydney

Spike Lee to Sign "Design for Obama" at Taschen Store New York

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art, Books, Celebrity Design

It is hard to believe that it is already the first anniversary of Barack Obama's election as the first African-American President of the United States. In honor of this historic occasion Taschen books New York is holding a book signing to celebrate the publication of Design for Obama. Posters for Change: A Grassroots Anthology. Taschen a publishing house originally started in Cologne, Germany 1980 by 18 year-old Benedikt Taschen, who found himself with a huge collection of comic books, has become renowned for being the premier international publisher of stunning art books.

Unbeknown to many, hundreds of artists and designers supported Obama's campaign in an unusual way, with their talent at DesignforObama.org founded by one of the books editors Aaron Perry-Zucker. This web-site built upon the concept of volunteerism during a history making campaign provided an online forum where artworks could be uploaded and downloaded for free.

Filmaker Spike Lee and Aaron Perry-Zucker chose the best of the submissions and have compiled them into a book commemorating the 44th President and the artistic creativity that helped him win the historic election last fall. In addition to curating the artwork in the book, Lee, Perry-Zucker and design historian Steven Heller wrote essays to complement this collection of over 200 pro-Obama posters designed by everybody from renowned graphic artists to those who practice their art on the streets of our cities.

If you want to have your copy personally signed by the editors head to Taschen's New York SoHo location where the editors including Spike Lee will be on hand on November 4th, 2009 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Tags: books, bookstore, election, graphic artists, GraphicArtists, Obama, posters, Spike Lee, SpikeLee

Persephone Books in London

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Books

Photo of London's Persephone Book Store on Lamb's Conduit

In the age of digital books, the Kindle, and, ahem, blogs, one unassailable argument for the survival of paper are beautiful, lavishly designed books. Books that are actually pleasing design objects, if not works of art.

Persephone Books is a small London book publisher on a wonderful shopping street called Lamb's Conduit, which I discovered on a retail tour led by Clare Dowdy, author of One Off, about unique retailers worldwide. (Arrange Dowdy's tour through the InterContinental Park Lane London.)

Persephone, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, publishes just 83 books, and ones you won't easily find elsewhere -- neglected classics by 20th century writers who are mostly women. Their books are bound in an elegant dove gray, and the endpapers are unique to each book, and are prints of antique fabric designs. (You can get a matching bookmark.) It's fun to visit the store and hard to buy just one -- I walked away with An Interrupted Life: The Diary of Etty Hillesum, and The Journal of Katherine Mansfield -- although you can also order online.

Tags: books, bookstore, bookstores, fabric, london, tours