Paris1972-Versailles2003

Who has not come to Paris and stop by the book stalls along the Seine river near the Notre Dame Cathedral? This is essential Paris and we have been here since 1990, in fact I still have book and frame portraits of what we purchase from them!  It is one of the wonderful walks and knowledge trip you can make in Paris and oh talk to them , they love it and will tell you many stories. I was by there again why not!  Therefore, let me tell you a bit more about the Bouquinistes of Paris, part I !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The bouquinistes of Paris are booksellers of old and used books, present on a large part of the banks of the Seine; on the right bank, from the Pont de Marie to the quai du Louvre; on the left bank, from the quai de la Tournelle to the Quai Voltaire. More than 200 booksellers manage nearly 900 boxes on the banks of the Seine !!!

At the origin of Bouquinistes or booksellers, there is the word bouquin, a familiar form of book. Printed for the first time in 1459, it was then called “boucquain” and became “bouquin” towards the end of the 16C. It comes from the Flemish word “boeckin” meaning small book (in the sense of a book of little value or little esteem, itself derived from the medieval Middle Dutch “boek”: book. The first appearance of the term “bouquiniste” is noted in the Trévoux Dictionary in 1752, with this definition: « Which is said of the sellers of old books, of books ».The term “bouquinistes” appears in the Dictionary of the French Academy in the 1762 edition. The current boxes were made official in 1891, when a municipal decree authorized booksellers to leave their merchandise overnight at the place of sale granted to them. Until then, books were offered in small, easy-to-handle wooden boxes. Around 1900, it was required that the boxes should all be the same color called “wagon green”, like the first Metro, the Wallace fountains and the Morris columns. In addition, the raised cover should not exceed 2.10 meters above the ground, so as not to block the view. During the Universal Exhibition of 1900, there were already 200 booksellers on the banks of the Seine. Today, there are 3 km of old or contemporary books, engravings, stamps and other magazines that can be surveyed. All installed on the parapets of the high quays of the two banks of the Seine enclosing the Île de la Cité and Saint-Louis On the rive droite or right bank, they are from the Pont de Marie bridge to the Pont des Arts, which is from the quay of the Hôtel de Ville to the quay of the Louvre : On the rive gauche or left bank ,they are from Pont Sully to Pont Royal which is from Quai de la Tournelle to Quai Voltaire, A wonderful sight of my Paris !

The tradition of Parisian booksellers begins around the 16C with small peddlers. Under pressure from the booksellers’ corporation, a by-law of 1649 forbade portable shops and the display of books on the Pont Neuf. The power at the time was keen to limit parallel markets not subject to censorship. Traveling booksellers are therefore, depending on the period, hunted and then reinstated under approval. During the French revolution, from 1789 to 1795, in spite of a sharp decline in editorial production, only revolutionary newspapers and pamphlets were printed, and second-hand booksellers prospered and enriched themselves with the requisitions and plunderings of libraries of the aristocracy and the clergy. Under Emperor Napoleon I, the quays are embellished and the booksellers spread from the quai Voltaire to the Pont Saint-Michel bridge. They are then finally recognized by the public authorities and they obtain the same status as the public traders of the city of Paris.

In 1859, concessions were put in place by the city of Paris and booksellers could establish themselves at fixed points. Everyone is then entitled to 10 meters of parapet for an annual license fee. Openings are from sunrise to sunset. Finally, it is in 1930 that the dimensions of the boxes are fixed.  However, if the sale of books remains the official name, these boxes have always traditionally offered other items: prints, stamps, coins and small flea markets, or even souvenirs. In 2014, second-hand booksellers launch their first festival. Fifty booksellers came together to present their best selections of old and second-hand books.

The Paris tourist office on the Bouquinistes:  https://parisjetaime.com/eng/shopping/les-bouquinistes-de-paris-p3737

There you go folks, a beauty of a walking by the Seine river. A walk along the Seine river and the wonderful bouquinistes is a must while in Paris. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Bouquinistes of Paris, part I !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!