My Bookish Bucket List
The Gently Mad Book Shop & Bookbinder
Just a short stroll from Edinburgh’s Botanical Gardens you will find The Gently Mad, a friendly and welcoming bookshop & bookbinders. The shop was opened in 2012 by Rab Mullin and son, Baz.
This bookshop located in Squamish, BC, was founded on the principles of diversity, acceptance, and multiculturalism.
Located in Seoul, South Korea, Arc N Book is a unique cultural space shared by a bookstore and a lifestyle shop. As a cultural space promoting reading culture, Arc N Book is a curated bookstore separated into 4 themed sections: Daily, Weekend, Style, and Inspiration.
Tom Stobart opened the Paradox Book Store more than 40 years ago when he built the legacy that is the Paradox. As the oldest bookstore in the state of West Virginia, this store holds a special place in history and you are aware of it the moment you walk through the door. Stepping into this store is like stepping back in time. From the signs with handwritten calligraphy that label the store's sections to the vintage cash register, shopping here is a one-of-a-kind experience.
Leakey's Bookshop, Inverness, Scotland
Complete with an open log fireplace, Leakey’s is the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland. Over 100,000 books have been collected in this former Gaelic church, that was first opened to the public in 1979. Found in Inverness’s Old Town, it’s something of a pilgrimage site for bookworms from all over the world.
A 100 year old Dutch barge is home a unique bookshop, also known as The London Bookbarge.
The Lakovatios Library and Museum house in Kefalonia, Greece houses a large collection of antiquarian books, some dating back to the 16th-17th centuries.
The Open Door Bookshop in Rome.
El Ateneo - Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires
El Ateneo has several brick-and-mortar locations throughout Buenos Aires, but it's the one in Grand Splendid that has people the world over singing its praises.
It first opened as a performing arts theater in 1919, the Grand Splendid, designed by architects Peró and Torres Armengol, and still retains some of its original, 20th-century details. Think velvety red curtains, theater boxes with ornamented trimmings, and a fresco by Italian-Argentine artist Nazzareno Orlandi on El Ateneo's central dome.
Definitely one for the bucket list!
The Starfield Library in Seoul, South Korea
This library spans over 3 floors (from the 4th to 7th floor), with a height of 22 meters in total. The tall walls of book shelves filled with books serve as a pleasing sight and great background for many Insta-worthy shots.
Abbey Library of Saint Gall, Switzerland
It was founded in the 8th century and contains over 170,000 documents, including many rare and valuable manuscripts.
Nearly half of the handwritten books are from the Middle Ages and 400 of them are over 1000 years old!
The library is also known for its stunning baroque architecture, which was added in the 18th century.
Prague's Strahov Library is the most beautiful library in the world. Housed in the city's Clementium complex, it's not only filled with thousands of books, but gorgeous frescoes and different antique objects of historical curiosity.
