Old-Fashioned Book Shops

There’s nothing more enchanting than an old-fashioned book shop filled with dusty hardbacks with yellowed pages, high shelves and just enough light to explore new worlds and ideas. It is through books that we find solace and understanding: as James Baldwin said: “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” Books help us to learn about the lives of others and allow us to take adventures into new, unchartered territories that we may otherwise never experience.

Argosy Book Store is an old six-story building in New York City that has been stocking and selling antiquarian and out-of-print books since the 1920s. It has one of the most extensive collections of works on paper in New York City. Family-owned for generations, Argosy is a relic in an asphalt jungle. In addition to Argosy, some of the most beautiful old-fashioned bookstores in the world include: Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal founded in 1906 (which features winding staircases, stained glass windows, wood carvings and, of course, many wonderful books), El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires, Argentina (built in what used to be a former theater complete with frescoed ceilings, balconies flooded with books and ornate décor), and Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice, Italy to name a few.

No matter where you find an old-fashioned book shop that may resemble something out of a fairy tale, you’re always going to find the most important thing of all: the opportunity for knowledge, examination, and study. It doesn’t matter where your interests lie you can always find something within a book that will take you on a journey.