Bookshops in Berlin
23th of April, Sant Jordi in Barcelona! I can’t wait to walk through Rambla Catalunya, arrive to Plaça Catalunya and keep wandering through Las Ramblas. Yes, today I’m in the city where I was born and for me, as for Catalan people, today is a very special day because roses and books have fill up the streets! Of course I’ll take some pictures and we’ll write about it soon. But by now today’s post is about books. Well, about three bookshops we love in Berlin. Enjoy!
Buchhandlung Walther König
Buchhandlung Walther König is a library located next to Hackescher Markt. It looks quite serious from the outside, where you can read “Architektur, Design, Kunst, Fotografie” (Architecture, Design, Art, Photography), the kind of books they sell. But I’d say it’s more than that.
Opened in 2007, this library has bookshelves filled up from the floor to the roof. But you don’t feel overwhelmed at all, because you can see the cover of many of them. The shop is quite big, there must be thousands of books in it! Books about philosophy, sociology, feminism, music, cinema, photography, design, graphic design, advertising, fashion, history, art history, art theory, architecture,… And they have a fantastic collection of magazines, which are not only German but also American, English or Japanese, among others. Here you can buy Dazed and Confused, Vogue International, Dash Magazine, Corduroy, L’Officiel, Industrie, Misc, Habitus, Damn, Aesthetica, Spike, Art Review, Elephant, Flash Art, Spex,…
One of the books that I drew my attention to was “100 Artists’ Manifestos: From Futurists to the Stuckists”. They had many books of Taschen that I would have bought with my eyes closed too. There were books from other German publishing houses such as Reclam, Merve, Suhrkamp; which had a cool minimalist design of their covers.
The atmosphere in the bookshop is quite and calm. There were people that were just looking around, a mother with her child reading, a couple of old people asking for an specific book,… And the employees were absolutely nice.
If you have the chance, you shouldn’t miss this shop at all. I’m sure you would find some book you would like to buy.
Do You Read Me
You can find Do You Read Me in two locals in Berlin: one in Mitte and another one in Tiergarten. This last one has a special space dedicated to read, the Reading Room. We got to know this bookshop because Freunde von Freunden launch there their book.
As it’s said on their website, Do You Read Me has “Magazine und Lektüre der Gegenwart”(Actual Magazines and Readings). So here you can find a first-rate collection of magazines from many different places and about many different themes. Naturally all of them have something in common: they are cool, so cool. Encens, Inventory, The Gentlewoman, Mark, It’s Nice That, Milk, Muse, Candy, Wonderland, Indie, Et Alors?, Frankie, V, Dansk, Fantastic Man, Apartamento,… these are some of the names you’ll find there.
But it’s not only about magazines, they have an excellent selection of books concerning photography, food, branding, architecture, interior design, decoration, urban spaces, etc. The book I would have bought is “Typography in Magazines”, by Laura Meseguer. It just seemed to be so fascinating!
The interior design of the both shops is kind of minimalist and modern. You can feel they’ve taken care of the lighting and the colours of the walls. It’s an outstanding shop. Nevertheless, they could be a little bit more friendly with their customers. Or at least that’s the impression we’ve got every time we’ve been there.
Pro QM
Pro QM is another captivating bookshop in Berlin. Located next to Rosa-Luxemburg Platz, it’s a “Thematische Buchhandlung zu Stadt, Politik, Pop, Ökonomiekritik, Architektur, Design, Kunst und Theorie” (A Thematic Bookshop About City, Politics, Pop, Ecomomy Critics, Architecture, Design, Art and Theory).
It seems to be a library where you go because you’re looking for a specific book, author or theme; because it’s quite technical. There aren’t big spaces and most of the bookshelves start on your feet and end in the roof too, but in this case it’s a little bit overwhelming. You feel completely surrounded by books. Needless to say, a part from the books they have a magnificent selection of magazines too: Fantastic Man, Apartamento, Der Wedding, Monu, Dérive, Condition, Domus,…
Here I would have bought a book called “The First To Know”, by Lida Hujić.
Everytime we’ve been in Pro QM, the music was on. It was kind of relaxing. There were some people reading magazines, others just looking around and many asking for something in particular. The guy from the shop was totally friendly to them and us.
Text and pictures by Silvia Conde.
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
- The words are alive… « Librarian for Life
- Bookshops in Berlin | She Thought Outside The Box | Mediacodex
- Buchhandlungen in Berlin | Basedow1764's Weblog
- Fora da caixa: blog querido do momento « say it loud!
- Bookshops in Berlin: Buchhandlung Moritzplatz | She Thought Outside The Box
- Yearbook #1 by She Thought Outside The Box | She Thought Outside The Box
If and when I make it to Berlin, I’m definitely going to check out these book shops.
Yes…this looks great!
Love love LOVE quaint bookshops — can’t imagine how cool it would be to stumble upon these gems in Berlin. Fun post!
Nice POST!
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What a great post…very complete…I’ve been working on posts about small bookshops in Ottawa….this is the first part of the first one: http://wp.me/p2myO1-9F
Nice post, I would love to explore one of those bookshops.
Where would we be without books?
And the look, feel, smell of bookstores?
May it never happen!
Bookstores & library are a great repository of knowledge. I am so glad to see this post. More & more people are adapting eReaders and it is going to hurt the brick & mortar shops. Congratulations on being freshly pressed!
Yes, they are!!!! It might hurt it, but I think there are always gonna be someone that will keep enjoying a “real” book, don’t you agree?? Thank you for your comment
Wonderful post! Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
I love book shops! These that you mentioned sound very neat, I’d love to go see them someday! Who knows, maybe someday I will. There’s nothing like shopping for books, some people can’t get enough shopping for shoes, purses, clothes, etc. Just give me a book shop and I’ll be thrilled for hours!
God Bless,
Donna
I’ll be in Berlin next month, I’m so checking these out. Thanks for posting!
You can also check some of the other places from Berlin we’ve written about!!! This city is full of possibilities!!! Enjoy you visit!
Bookshops are my idea of heaven.
I’d love to go there and see these places. That’s nice camera work too!
I popped over to Berlin last autumn from the Netherlands, but am already hungry to go back – I fell in love with the culture and the grit, the grandiose and the edgy. Thank you for this little nudge to make another trip happen. (And yes, I ALWAYS buy too many books on trips!)
Ich liebe Berlin!
Reblogged this on 8BIT.
Great post, love the bookshops
Reblogged this on dante wilde and commented:
Awesome post about bookshops in Berlin
Reblogged this on livingleanandinthegreen and commented:
I love Berlin and all things German! Hopefully someday I can see these shops for myself!
Reblogged this on sofialeaa.
cool!
I wish I knew German, they seemed like cool bookshops. Are they independent?
Hoping to go to Berlin in September! I’ve already booked my one way ticket to Europe and Berlin is a hopeful stopover! As an English Major and a lover of books, I’m looking forward stumbling across lots of cute spots like this! Thanks for sharing!
Seriously, this is one awesome bookshop. Berlin is great too. That makes me want to go there and buy some.
Reblogged this on auliarahmaningtyas19 and commented:
i really like it
i want to there someday and buy some books, yippi
Beautiful city and people
You can submit your blog to websites-blogs.com so the world can see
I can’t wait to get lost here!
nice post, thanks for sharing
Wow – great post ladies! I love finding cool independent book stores where the staff really put their hearts into the shop. (It’s such a crime when bookshops don’t bother to create interesting displays or points of interest in their stores!)
All three of these book shops you feature look amazing; I will have to visit Berlin one of these days!
Reblogged this on Mademoisellelayla's Mind.
super bookshops ….i like it
I love places like that where I can dig through stuff like I was seeking for a hidden treasure. Berlin isn’t so far from place where I live, well.. maybe some day.
Nice Posting. I really like this type of book fare.
Thanks for postings
EXCELLENT PHOTOS!!!
Wow!!! That bookshop! Great stuff!!!
Lovely post, will keep in mind when in Berlin
nice post….even amazing collection…
Ahhh! Thanks for this vicarious book-browsing trip.
These bookshops look fantastic. I’m the nerd that looks up a city’s independent bookshops as soon as I consolidate plans to travel there. Sometimes it’s the best way to get a feel for the culture and attitude of a new place.
These bookshops look fantastic! I’m the nerd that always researches a city’s independent bookshops before I go on a trip. I think they’re a good way to get a feel for a city’s culture and attitude.
One day, i will go to Berlin. I love European Beauty so much. Like i love the books
great book gallery and nice post..
My favorite city in the world!
My husband would love this place. He enjoys books with some history to them.
It is always good to be aware of good book shops so thanks for letting me know of these to check out next time in Berlin!
What completely beautiful photographs of some really wonderful shops. Thank you for sharing.
Have only ever been there once and yes it is quite glorious
AHHmazing shots! Definitely bookstores I want to check out during my travels.
~Kai
I stumbled across a couple of these stores last summer, and I can’t wait to visit the others on my next trip. Thanks for the list!
Wow, I haven’t been in Berlin since before the wall came down. I need to return. Great post and congrats on your selection in freshly pressed.
These look like great bookstores. My kind of place!
I work in a library and LOVE book shops! Thanks for sharing.
Superb, I always love to read books
Thanks for the tip! Im going to berlin (my most favourite european city) again in july and i will definitly try to visit these bookshops!
beautiful pics…
love that place, i wish could be there someday. Thanks for the nice post
I was there once in Berlin. Its beautiful. High Highly recommendable.
Like reading books especially if they are well stocked…………..
Reblogged this on Anything Interesting on WordPress.
Thank you. This was very nice. Now, I am going to write the names of the shops down in my diary thus spanning the digital and book worlds. Thanks again.
I love your blog, so colourful. Thank you.
Fascinating!
Qué buen post, Berlín es especial, tomo nota de todas las librerías para cuando vaya, ¡gracias!
Great Note: Amazing Bookshops!In my dreams one day Ill be there.
Oh, beautiful! Next stop: Berlin
Bookshops in Berlin sound interesting and quite diversified.
I am no longer on wordpress.com. I am now on wordpress.org with societyfordaintydamsels.com
Reblogged this on Black Angels NYC.
Excellent. paolosilv.wordpress.com
really great post. oh, to be swathed in theory books in elegant book shops in a fabulous city! thanks for sharing.
Great post! I was in Berlin a couple of years ago and found it a bit hard to find bookshops with English books – seems like I didn’t look hard enough… I wrote a few posts about bookshops in Paris – I just love visiting bookshops when traveling!
Reblogged this on Three Men & A Red Head.
Excellent post!
I will go to the bookshops next time I travel to Berlin…
Thanks for sharing.
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
awesome post!
I also wanna to have a look!
I also visited that book store when I was in Berlin last year, loved it!
I also visited that book store when I was in Berlin last year, I loved it! I bought some German books to practice the language, but I was suprised by the amount of English books they had in store
Reblogged this on fitri djuanda's Blog.
anything with books in it, I adore! great post
Little excites me as much as seeing so many books in one place! It looks like you could spend hours in those stores.
thank for information
Nice…..I like it. Reading a book my hobby. Thanks.
I love books; have a library in my home, so your blog is very interesting to me. Thanks for sharing. Love the pictures!
The bookshop popularity give a great help of the spread of culture and improving the citizen’s quality.
It’s a shame that this brick & mortar book stores are decreasing in numbers….
Thank you for the great info.!
I much more prefer the “off the beaten” path shops. The ones not necessarily pointed out on blogs, whether ones like this one or even my own for that matter. Any of the places which are slowly being forced out or closed by the gentrification tendencies of some of the newer visitors or people living in Berlin.
I think the other best places for those looking for the very unique, old, and rare are the smaller flea markets in the less frequented areas of the city, but then though I am American Indian, I speak and read German. Sure, places like Hackescher Market have their charm, no doubting that, but I guess for some who’ve lived in Berlin a long time though not old: the crowds of visitors with their particular noise make these places far less attractive even if you enjoy the location itself.
we can never, never, never have too many books.
I love bookshops. I could easily spend hours and a small fortune in them. My favourite has a lovely area where you can drink coffee and read. It has such a lovely atmosphere.
Congrats on freshly pressed.
Great photos! I love the composition the books created!
erinelizabethphoto.wordpress.com
Beautiful photographs! And I love the design and the look of the shops themselves… most bookstores here in Japan are quite cookie-cutter and it makes me a bit sad.
Reblogged this on Outsider's Window.
Bookshops are also my thing
One of the first things I do before entering the place is smell the aroma of old books. Thank you for sharing your fascintation with books as well!
What a wonderful shop. I was last in Berlin over 20 years ago. Must have missed it then. Makes me long for the return of Borders. Books for me are like food for the soul.
Great photos; a reader’s haven. Would love to be there one day.
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Great pictures!
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Reblogged this on Notizen aus der Unterwelt and commented:
Nachricht für alle documenta-Besucher:
Great to see some fabulous bookstores still going strong!
nice book shop….
huge collection of books in your shop….
your shop is so beautiful…
reblog on my blog…
I’m quite obsessed with books when I travel and finding such bookshops! (i always tend to face weight problems for my luggage as a result) I’ll keep your list in mind for when I get to visit Berlin – with an empty suitcase too lol!
Insightful post!
Lorena from If the Bag Fits: http://www.ifthebagfits.com
love spending time at bookshops…nice blog!
LOVE spending time at the bookstore, BUT hate buying the books.. what does this make me? check out colorfulwordz
Are there a lot of language learning books?
I love bookstores too. <3
I love your post! And I love bookstores, the smell of books, etc. Kindle or electronic books are fine, but it doesn’t beat a hard copy book or magazine with its print, design, book covers, etc. I hope one day I can visit Berlin.
Fascinating. I hope I remember to reread this before I go to Berlin next time.
Ahh, for the love of books !!
Nice I do Love Deutsch
Reblogged this on Lionofaugust.
Very nice indeed. Book shops are such nice places.
Fantastic Post. I’ve got Berlin bookstores on my bookstore now thanks to you! Enjoy your time there!
Reblogged this on jamesharl – study and write and commented:
I love books. So, I’ll surely this bookshop one of these days.
What an awesome bookshop! Shopping online will never compare to the pleasure of being able to leaf through a book before buying.
And here in NZ we have special reason to like German bookstores – this year, New Zealand is feature country in the Frankfurt book festival.
Reblogged this on The Writing Corp and commented:
Reblog this at http://thewritingcorpofficial.wordpress.com
gotta visit this bookshop someday. you sound like you were enjoying !
great post
http://wp.me/p1YnLF-82
Cool post. I really want to go to Berlin. I did similar piece about Edinburgh’s bookshops a few months ago http://planetedinburgh.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/thesecretlifeofedinburghsbookshops/
Hey. Great post! Berlin’s a nice city!
Thank you for the post. This place would be paradise for me!
We have a lovely bookshop/cafe where I live, many afternoons have been haplessly enjoyed there!
wow! please keep doing this for whichever city you visit!
Reblogged this on The Realm of Wonder and commented:
Awesome! ;P
Loved the idea of themed bookstores – you are so lucky in Europe to have such bookstores – in South Africa we don’t have many bookstores. My idea of heaven is Kinokunia, in Sydney …..
gorgeous! i could spend hours, days…you get the idea…in bookshops!
Ah! We need this for London and Cape Town too, at least when I get around to hitting the Berlin streets I’ll know exactly where to head.
These are some very nice photos. There is nothing I enjoy more than the feeling I get whenever I walk into a bookstore. Even when I dont plan on buying anything, I just like to walk around and take in the atmospsphere. I love it!!!!!!
nice article
Very cool. I especially look forward to checking out Do You Read Me. Not too many places with a killer magazine selection anymore!
You made my day! As I am quite new in Berlin, I’m still swirling around in search for bookshops…Thanks for helping!
Welcome to the city then!!! Enjoy your time here!!
Reblogged this on Violet Silhouette of ….
I too love visiting book stores and libraries when traveling and then posting pictures of the titles of books in different languages on my blog. Sometimes I get the “only you visit libraries when on vacation”. Maybe I am not alone! Love your post and pics.
Ah! Books! You can live your life with…you can transcend your soul to another world..you can melt the time: past, present & future.Great post indeed.
I love book stores, in São Paulo- Brazil I can go to big stores and enjoy lots of books! great post!
Reblogged this on EMME Books and commented:
After perusing our local used bookstore today for a copy of the next book on the list, Grapes of Wrath, I thought I’d reblog this awesome post on bookshops in Berlin. There is nothing like spending time browsing through stacks of books. And by the way, I did find Grapes of Wrath, so keep reading!
This particular blog post, “Bookshops in Berlin | She Thought Outside The Box” was in fact perfect.
I am producing out a reproduce to present to my buddies.
Regards,Tory