Are you someone who refuses to believe the theory that "print is dead"? Who always makes room in a suitcase for a paperback? Who finds it easy to spend more time at a charmingly ramshackle bookstore than a crowded tourist attraction? You're not alone.
The organizers of Independent Bookstore Day celebrate book havens and book lovers everywhere each spring, and what better way to mark the occasion than to seek out an indie book shop on your next trip?
"The idea of Bookstore Day, first and foremost, is to celebrate indie bookstores and the symbiotic community of authors, readers, booksellers, and book lovers of all stripes," Bookstore Day Program Director Samantha Schoech told me via email. Participating bookstores in the United States celebrate Bookstore Day by offering up special collectables, limited edition novels, and hosting author signings and other events for one day only—but there are plenty of picturesque print-hoarding spots around the world that are also worthy of a visit in spirit of the day year-round, even if this holiday doesn't formally broaden its reach beyond the U.S.
"We've already had a lot of contact with our counterparts in the U.K. and Canada and know that both Australia and New Zealand also have their own takes on bookstore day," Schoech says.
Here are some of the most storied book shops to celebrate the bookworm in all of us.
(Photo: Niels Mickers via flickr/CC Attribution)
