Literary Travel
Monday June 15, 2009
If you're traveling this summer, do a little research and give your trip a literary edge. Cities like London easily lend themselves to a literary walking tour, for instance (those short on time should at least visit the British Library), and no post-college backpacking trip would be complete without stops at places like Shakespeare and Company. But anywhere you travel, take time to visit a local independent bookstore, like Powell's in Portland, BookPeople in Austin, or St. Mark's (not to mention the Strand) in NYC.
Of course, if you're like me, the cost of summer travel is keeping you close to home. While it would be nice to get away, staying put while everyone else is gone makes it super easy to find time to write!
I visited Shakespeare & Co in Paris earlier this year. Whatever else it may have going for it, it’s got a great selection of books (especially if you count the ones that aren’t for sale…).
Shakespeare & Co. fans will also want to read “Hemingway’s Hangout Spruces Up to Defy Amazon,” on how Sylvia Beach is ensuring the bookstore’s survival in a digital age:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601093&sid=aOTs_gl0O3m4
I live in Beaverton, Oregon and absolutely love Powell’s. It brings back all the enormous feeling of wealth I had as a child walking into our school’s library. All the adventures and knowledge that line those shelves was like the best smorgasbord ever. As a publisher I always marvel at the number of books that have been written and are yet waiting to be brought into the light. Maybe yours will be in Powell’s someday.