BOOKS & MAGS
Roppongi Tsutaya Books, Tokyo. Catering to the needs of an international community
Tsutaya Books was founded in 1983 in Osaka as a realization of the idea of a need to create a stronghold of culture for grown-ups
Worms Magazine, London. Reading and writing with Clem MacLeod
Books as protection against existential fears. «If you’re reading this, you are a Worm. We’re all Worms, and in the end, we’re going to be eaten by them»
Artazart, Paris. The design bookstore dedicated to the image
Open 363 days a year, Artazart doesn’t stop to take a breath. Often making it to top-bookstores-around-the-world listicles and guidebooks, the bookstore is currently celebrating its twenty years
OGR, Turin. The third life of a Piedmontese locomotive factory
A curated program of exhibitions and events has turned the archaeological complex of Italian industry that is OGR Turin into a reference hub for culture and technological research
FUEL, London. Changing the perception of traditional graphic design
After thirty years, the FUEL team remains to be a duo. They never employed assistants or interns, nor had ambitions to enlarge the design company
Choisi Bookshop, Lugano. A theatrical display of the processes behind art publishing
On the urgency to find a way to unveil the process behind the creation of artist books
Papercut, Stockholm. Trust in local support is a prerequisite
Opening a retail store in an industry, in which online media and webstores are overtaking control seems precarious for many. Trust in local support is prerequisite
Paper Planes, Mumbai. A milestone in the history of indie magazines
In conversation with Paper Planes founder Nupur Joshi Thanks on her digital startup focused on the evolution of design and print in India
0fr, Paris. In conversation with Alexandre Thumerelle
In conversation with the cofounder 0FR, the bookshop in Paris’ Marais district selling over 200 different publications, original or not, old or new, founded in 1996
Beige Habilleur, Paris. A collaboration with KDPresse
In conversation with Eric Namont and Alexandre Baret, managers at KDPresse, on their unexpected alliance with Beige Habilleur
In conversation with Silvia Peron of Soul Studio
The online store Soul Studio selects curated products and publications and includes a collective collaboration among designers, artists, and brands to create limited edition prints and objects
Future Library, Oslo. Will books become the next extinct species in 100 years?
The forest whose tree rings are chapters in a book. How understanding what is inherently human in the natural world can help save the environment
The Boekhandel Dominicanen, Maastricht. A Third Place for many
Three things happen. You lower your voice. You look up and realize the enormity. You make the way to the altar – in a gothic church it is all about space and light
Magalleria, Bath. An informed vision of the print industry
The current pandemic is making it hard for magazines to go into print and distribution. Internet is guaranteeing information but digital cannot replace print for good
Neue Galerie, New York. Promoting Austrian and German culture
Renée Price, the director of Neue Galerie ‘We didn’t take the route of t-shirts and iPhone cases, which can be fun, but we wanted to offer an experience’
We Love Print, London. A magazine stall in London’s oldest market
In conversation with the founder James Laffar – ‘My grandfather used to know a few of our clients back when he had bookstalls in the Sixties’
Kinokuniya, San Francisco. Culture without boundaries
Books have the power of connecting different countries and cultures. As it’s the case for the specific tie between United States and Japan created by Kinokuniya
Eslite, Hong Kong. Connecting the dots between three stores
In 2012 the first Eslite Bookstore outside Taiwan opened, located at Causeway Bay, aiming to build a peaceful dock in the busy area
Import News, New York. Are we living in an era of content overload?
While print has long been deemed as being ‘dead’, things could not be further from the truth for independent magazines. Intw Import News’ founders Sasha Laing and Ken Miller
Books and Books, Coral Gables. The unspoken literary spot of the sunshine state
The first shop was started in a 1972’ building, following completely the Coral Gables architecture with a typical Mediterranean Revival style very dear to this southern Miami’s suburb
Helsinki, Stockmann Centre. Northen Europe’s largest department store
It was 1852 when Heinrich Georg Franz Stockmann of Lübeck arrived in Finland to work as a bookkeeper and cashier at the Nuutajärvi Glassworks
Libreria Bookshop, London. A labyrinth of books
In 830 square meters space, with more than 6.000 titles, visitors have to find their way. The logic is antithetic to the algorithmic mechanism
The Open House, Bangkok. Sharing is caring
Wood carving patterns and mirrored panels on the ceiling – changing the movement of the light through the space. Architecture for intersections of light
Antenne Books, London. Signals from the outer world
A distributor is a middleman between the publisher and the bookshops. Currently Antenne Books represents publishers from the United Kingdom, Europe, USA, and Japan
Artwords Bookshop, London. A well-curated picture of contemporary society
There’s a twenty minutes walk separating Artwords Bookshop’s two outlets, one in Shoreditch and the other in Hackney.
Vald’O, San Quirico d’Orcia. A literary winery
Under the assumption that the printed paper has its own role in the publishing market, Antonio Cipriani and his wife Valentina Montisci founded a bookshop focused entirely on independent publishing houses
Reading Room, Milan. In conversation with Francesca Spiller
A selection that rewards the quality of the contents and the completeness of each editorial project rather than the originality at all costs
Ginza Tsutaya, Tokyo. The world’s best art bookstore
Ginza means «silver mint» in Japanese. From 1612 to 1800, today’s Ginza district in Tokyo was indeed the site of a silver coin mint, after which the area was eventually named
Les Abattoirs, Toulouse. An art cathedral in Occitanie
Former slaughterhouse of the city the building exemplifies the industrial architecture of the 19th-century
107Rivoli, Paris. Inside the Musée des Arts Décoratifs
The boutique takes the design outside the museum and its section to the consumer, becoming an intermediary between the story and our daily life
Newsstand Magazines, London. Filling the publishing industry’s gaps, online
Being a family business since 1898, and selling paper magazines for over 100 years, they went online in 1997
Tom Greyhound, Paris. Under the spotlight in a post-Colette world
Amongst the Marais, in 90 square meters of Parisian brick & mortar, is Tom Greyhound—the multi-brand designer concept store in a post-Colette Paris
Via Garibaldi 12, Genova. The spirit of the city in a 16th century building
Narrations, rather than objects – ‘It is as if we were collectors selling their collection, this is our Wunderkammer’
Do You Read Me?!, Berlin. A bookshop fittingly located between art galleries
A few square meters for about 2000 titles in the ‘locus amoenus’ of art. Do You Read Me?! Berlin is a gateway to publications that are hard to find
McNally Jackson Books, New York. Inside the Nolita indie scenario
While so many bookstores have cut back on inventory, McNally Jackson Books have gone deeper with their book catalogue
Le Comptoir de l’Image, Paris. Fashion photography, collector’s fever
«I look after my books, I keep some in custom sleeves and sometimes I restitch them all every night»
WHSmith, Paris. A tale of a street
WHSmith Paris on 248 Rue de Rivoli, near Place de la Concorde, is the longest branch to have remained in its original setting
Edicola Romana Non Ordinaria, Rome. New life for an old kiosk
The only way to revive printed matter is to combine it with something to do: to talk, drink, eat and share, as seen at Edicola Romana Non Ordinaria in Rome
Luxembourg Bookshop, Turin. Northern Italy in Northern Europe
Echoes of Edinburgh and of activism, among museum books and archives to consult the archives. Culture is created by selection, whereas success is guaranteed with peculiarity.
Yvon Lambert, Paris. On artistic recurrences
A return to Marais—but this time, as a bookseller and modern publisher—or Yvon Lambert Paris, the bookshop in the center of Paris.
Edicola 518, Perugia. From the ashes of an abandoned kiosk
An old unused kiosk rises to new life in four square meters and an argument in favor of independent publishing
Livraria Lello, Porto. How do you stay contemporary?
Since 2015, Livreria Lello and Irmão has introduced an entry ticket worth three euros, which will become five within four years.
The Writer’s Block, Las Vegas. Are independent bookstores the future?
Any good bookseller knows their readers – not by following algorithms or the latest trends. In the era of Amazon independent bookstores are growing
Daikanyama T-Site, Tokyo. Disrupting the model of the traditional bookstore
The future of commerce is headed in two directions: niche and mass-market, whilst one bookstore transforms into a center of culture and commerce