VI
EN
Rice Field Bookstore
Located in an 800-year-old village, Paddy Field Bookstore is a renovated bookstore by Trace Architecture Office, transforming a long-abandoned house in the rural village of Xiadi, Fujian Province, China. While a major renovation of the space, the exterior of the building remains largely unchanged, creating a sense of wonder behind the doors. The bookstore boasts over 7,500 titles ranging from art to social sciences, along with a café overlooking the rice fields and the village. It also hosts art exhibitions, theatrical performances, and live music throughout the year.
Word on the Water - a floating bookstore in London.
Word on the Water is a floating bookstore on a barge dating back to 1920, offering high-quality used books, from classic hits to contemporary bestsellers. The barge typically travels along the Regents Canal, sometimes in Hackney, sometimes in Camden, but after a period of extensive advertising, it has secured a permanent location. Inside, the space is cozy with a warm fireplace, sofas, and, notably, two adorable cats, Queenie and Skitty. A musician is always on board so customers can enjoy music while reading.
The El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore inside the old theater.
Opened in 2000, El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookstore was renovated from the Grand Splendid Theatre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which was originally built in 1919. A vast space filled with books, El Ateneo Grand Splendid boasts magnificent Italian architectural accents on the roof, surrounded by exquisitely carved reliefs and elegant red curtains. The bookstore is always filled with soothing piano music, creating a captivating atmosphere that delights anyone who enters.
The Last Bookstore is located in an old bank.
This Last Bookstore is designed for customers to explore freely, with bookshelves randomly placed throughout the store and books arranged by color rather than by author. Used and damaged books are stacked in various ways, creating unique archways or tunnels. Remnants of the bank's architecture remain in the bookstore, such as marble columns and high ceilings. If you look closely, you can see the treasury in the back, which is now, of course, filled only with books.
Munro Bookstore, also located inside a former bank in Canada.
In 1963, Nobel Prize-winning author Alice Munro and her husband opened a small bookstore near the Victoria Theatre. In 1984, the bookstore moved to a historic building that had housed the Royal Bank of Canada since 1909. The books are displayed in the building's basement. Journalist Allan Fotheringham remarked that Munro's bookstore is the largest independent bookstore in Canada.
The Librairie Avant-Garde bookstore used to be a bomb shelter.
Located beneath the Wutaishan Stadium in Nanjing, the Librairie Avant-Garde was formerly a bomb shelter and later a parking lot. Since its establishment in 1999, the bookstore has become a popular destination for students and tourists. The bookstore specializes in religious texts, reflecting the owner's own faith. Many areas within the bookstore are decorated with large crosses, but according to the owner, knowledge is the most sacred of all. Additionally, the store houses a replica of Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker."
The Great Water Bookstore in Venice
The Libreria Acqua Alta (Great Water Bookstore) is one of Venice's most memorable destinations. To protect its books from damage caused by flooding from Venice's canals, this unique shop keeps its books in vintage bathtubs or even flat-bottomed gondolas. You can read while dipping your feet in the cool canal water, or climb stairs made entirely from old, waterlogged books. This is one of the few bookstores in the world where you need to wear boots when visiting because it is frequently flooded.
The Selexyz Dominicanen bookstore in a 700-year-old Gothic church.
Reading a book in a 700-year-old church is an experience you can only have in Selexyz Dominicanen. Here, you can admire the perfect blend of Gothic architecture and modern interiors, and of course, a vast selection of books. Originally a Catholic church, the building was repurposed by Napoleon Bonaparte in the 1790s for storage of equipment and personnel, rather than for worship. In 2005, the space was renovated into a bookstore, which it remains to this day.
The Atlantis bookstore is located in a cave in Santorini.
In 2004, two Oxford students on holiday in Santorini, while drunk, decided to open a bookstore. Although they didn't realize how bad it was when sober, after graduating they returned with a truckload of books and a sign that read: "You can rent a cat while you read." Stepping inside Atlantis Books feels a bit like entering a cave, but a cave filled with tons of books! The walls are covered with notes and messages, and the bookstore owners often host food festivals, film festivals, and book signings.
Chung Shu Pavilion - a labyrinth of mirrors and staircases in Chongqing
The Chung Shu Ge bookstore chain in China is famous for its unique architecture, using optical illusions to create surreal spaces. Mirrored ceilings, curved bookshelves placed at unusual angles, giant windows, and symmetrical arrangements make it difficult for visitors to distinguish between reality and illusion. Chung Shu Ge opened its first bookstore in Shanghai in 2013 and has expanded nationwide, from Hangzhou, Zhejiang to Chengdu, Sichuan. The Hangzhou building features bright spaces with cartoon-style bookshelves and even slides, carousels, and roller coasters. The bookstore in Xi'an uses swings and tree-shaped display stands. The Chung Shu Ge in Chongqing stands out with its transparent glass walls and wooden pillars, along with numerous staircases connecting the floors, aiming to mimic the city's mountainous terrain.
