Literary Collage from Bas Bleu
Literary Travel: 150 Bookstores You Need to Visit
For many readers, travel plans don’t begin with beaches or landmarks—they begin with bookstores.
There’s something magical about discovering a bookshop in a new city: the scent of paper, shelves filled with unfamiliar titles, and the quiet thrill of finding the perfect book to remember the journey. The beautiful coffee-table book 150 Bookstores You Need to Visit Before You Die celebrates this very experience, guiding readers on a global literary adventure through some of the world’s most remarkable bookstores.
Written by journalist Elizabeth Stamp, the book gathers 150 extraordinary bookshops from across continents—from historic literary landmarks to breathtaking modern spaces. Each store earns its place for a unique reason: an intriguing backstory, an unusual location, a spectacular design, or an extraordinary collection of books.
In Search of the Perfect Man:
Jane Austen’s Heroes
Those of us with an affinity for Jane Austen’s novels—the sly wit, the razor-sharp social commentary, the forgiving empire-waist dresses—also have a soft spot for Austen’s leading men. But while these half-dozen gentlemen all share a strong sense of honor and an affinity for bright, independent-minded women, they aren’t interchangeable. So which Austen hero is right for you?
Jane Austen’s Bookshelf
Before she was a rare book dealer, Rebecca Romney was a passionate reader of Jane Austen, drawn to her sharp wit, focus on women’s lives, and hopeful endings. In this fascinating book, Romney uncovers the lives and works of authors like Frances Burney and Ann Radcliffe, revealing how they shaped Austen’s writing, why they vanished from the literary canon, and why they deserve to return.
Pride and Prejudice Tea Towel
We can’t be reading all the time—sometimes we must cook, too. This pretty tea towel looks like an enchanting edition of Jane Austen’s classic, so beloved books are never out of mind. 100% recycled cotton. Machine wash.
Why We Make Puzzles
In a world that moves fast and demands constant attention, puzzles invite us to slow down.
At first glance, a puzzle may seem simple—just pieces waiting to be assembled. But behind every puzzle is a deeper purpose: to engage the mind, calm the spirit, and bring people together in a way few activities can.
Customer’s Top Pick
Bookshop Afternoon 500-Piece Puzzle
“Curiosity Challenge for Midlife”
Ancestry & Ink
How to Begin Writing Your Own Memoir for Your Grandchildren
Why We Still Love Handwritten Letters
(Even in the Digital Age)
What’s in a Name
From Page to Tea Cup
The Secret Light Between Pages
Difficult and Unusual Words
What color was “lusty galla” in Elizabethan England? What is the secret to IKEA product names? (They’re not random!) These delicious forays into language will entertain, enlighten, and engage word nerds from A to Z. Blackburn’s enthusiasm is infectious.
Avid wordsmiths will find it difficult to resist this handy reference guide that defines and explains more than 10,000 confusing terms. The eight sections—language, the arts, history, society, physical world, the sciences, technology, and sports and leisure—are further broken down into subcategories, making it wonderfully simple to seek out some subject-related language you’re unfamiliar with, such as idiomatic expressions, meteorological lingo, or architectural terms.
