Paris, Banks of the Seine, Second-hand bookstalls along Seine River, Paris, France
Les bouquinistes are booksellers along the Seine who display their merchandise in green metal boxes stretching across both riverbanks. Each stall is run by an individual vendor who curates his own collection spanning various genres and eras.
The tradition of booksellers on the Seine dates to the 16th century, when traders began displaying books informally along the water. By the 1850s, vendors received official permission to install permanent green boxes on the riverbanks.
These booksellers are a familiar sight to Parisians and visitors who stroll along the river. The stalls represent a tradition where books are traded as part of daily river life rather than in enclosed shops.
The green boxes are accessible daily from sunrise to sunset, with vendors covering or closing their stalls during bad weather. Since there are no fixed hours, visiting in the afternoon often gives you access to fuller selections before closing time.
The stalls were inscribed as part of the Seine riverside UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992, recognizing this form of book trading as worth preserving. This honor acknowledges how books have circulated in this city for generations through direct human exchange.
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