 Les Bouquinistes
by Nilma Dole
Les Bouquinistes or ‘book stalls
along the Seine’ are the best place to get some real deals on rare
books, vinyl discs, maps and even fridge magnets.
Some of these may include old postcards with rare photographs that go
for one euro or more which are worth collecting. Along the quay of the
Seine you can find the stalls of the ‘les bouquinistes’ where
booksellers sell all kinds of old books, but also old drawings and
prints. If you like to take your time to search for old books, it’s nice
to walk along the stalls and look around. Take in the fresh air and the
pleasant view of the Seine but keep your eyes open for a good bargain.
 For centuries, the bouquinistes sell their books along the Seine. In
the evening, they have to take their boxes with books back home. Since
the beginning of the 20th century, they were allowed to leave their
books at the stalls.
These stalls along the Seine are cute and make part of the atmosphere
and they also have a lot of souvenirs. Whether you’re in search of new
tips or just want to get comfortable in a reading hot-spot sipping some
Bordeaux, one of the best forms of exercise is to visit the bouquinistes.
Stretching out for over a mile in the centre of Paris with the Cathedral
of Notre Dame as a backdrop, and with the famous narrow streets and
restaurants of the Quartier Latin a stone’s throw away; this is
definitely a classic Parisian experience.
Nothing embodies Paris’ essence more than the Seine’s bouquinistes,
which have been “part of the furniture” for hundreds of years now. Being
completely unique to Paris, the first bouquinistes appeared as early as
the mid-16th century, when they would trade their goods from carts, more
often than not surreptitiously, as they would sell illegal Protestant
pamphlets during the Crusades.
It was after the French Revolution, that the bouquinistes of the
Seine really began to prosper because they had access to entire
libraries confiscated from the rich, although it was not until the end
of the 19th century that they were granted the right to permanently bolt
their stall boxes on the stone wall of the river banks. After 1952, the
size of the boxes and even their colour became officially regulated.
Today, one can find the bouquinistes’ stalls stretching out for over
a mile along both sides of the Seine around the Ile de la Cite, from the
Pont Marie to the Quai du Louvre on the right, and from the Quai de la
Tournelle to the Quai Malaquais on the left. Dig up antique prints and
engravings, old issues of Paris Match (a major national news magazine),
maps, old books, very old books, rare books, comic books, posters,
postcards, souvenirs and other odds and ends.
Nowadays their goods are strictly for tourists but there are still
plenty of rare and priceless items for the serious connoisseur. You
never know what will come across your way unless you rifle through the
bouquinistes’ collections.
If they don’t have what you want, some even say they’ll find it for
you as it is their trade that keeps treasures in circulation or they’ll
perish. Some of the booksellers turn to the more profitable sale of
tourist souvenirs, miniatures and trinkets but for those with a passion
for books and who value the hunt as well as the book’s “pedigree”, the
bouquinistes will always be irreplaceable. So don’t forget to drop by
and keep one of Paris’ oldest pieces of heritage alive. |
