Do you want some real excitement? Do you want to spend hours skimming through cover flaps, making mental reading lists and searching through dusty volumes to find bargains? If literature, history and philosophy are your idea of a good time, come along today for the Buenos Aires Book Crawl—where reading is fundamentally awesome!
Ok. So maybe the idea of a crawling around to different bookstores isn’t as exciting as going to lots of pubs. If there were ever a city to explore dusty bookcases, however, Buenos Aires would be the ideal place. The city of Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar and Roberto Arlt has long been a haven for booklovers. Having somehow managed to swear off large book chains, Buenos Aires librerías offer these bibliophiles the more intimate ambiance of the independent bookstore. That’s not to say that Buenos Aires is entirely free of book chains, however. Local franchises like Yenny, Cúspide and Distal are indeed big, but they just don’t compare to regularized and limited personalities of bookstore behemoths like Borders or Barnes & Noble.
As is the case in cities the world over, finding the right bookstore is more a matter of personal preference. With Buenos Aires bookstores, there’s always something special to make you feel nice and comfortable, something that makes you want to come back. Service is always important to these porteño booksellers, as the right balance between freedom to browse and expert suggestions can really enhance a bookstore visit. Selection and price are also key, though often the two are inversely linked.
The following tour has been custom built for those of us who always answer, “a good book,” when asked what we would bring with us if stuck on a deserted island. So whether you prefer the bookstore with a vast selection, or the romance of a store with a specialized collection, here is a rough guide to some of the best spots in Buenos Aires.
Any Buenos Aires book crawl should start at Walrus Books (Estado Unidos 617) in San Telmo, a charming spot full of new and used titles in English. Just a few blocks from the Independientes station of Subte Line C, Walrus has a neighborhood feel, reasonable prices on used books and a hassle free policy that allows you to search for great deals at your own pace. This is the perfect place for people who love literature in English, and the quick turnaround of titles means that there is always a chance to find something new. Walrus also lets you sell your used books, and will buy back books previously bought at the store for a third of what you paid.
Another option for English books is KEL Ediciones (Marcelo T. de Alvear 1369), which has a large selection and very helpful employees.
From Walrus, the crawler would take the 126 or 28 bus to Plaza de Mayo, then hop on the historic Subte Line A to the Rio de Janeiro station. This leaves you just a few short blocks away from Parque Rivadavia, home of the best outdoor book fair in Buenos Aires. Located in the beautiful Caballito neighborhood, this book fair is known for harboring hidden gems and ancient additions that would be near impossible to find anywhere else. This has also become a great place to find “copies” of movies and video games, if you are into that sort of thing. It is open throughout the week, though Saturday is the best day to go, as the book fair is joined by a classic Ombu, an all out garage sale where you can find pretty much whatever you may be looking for.
A similar, yet smaller fair is held just steps from Plaza Italia in Palermo, where it is also very common to find that hard-to-find book that you’ve been looking all over for.
Speaking of Palermo, our next stop is Lilith Libros (Santa Fe 3753). Buses 15, 141 or 36 will get you within a block of this understated bookstore. This place has a very cozy atmosphere, with high stacks of books and classic rock blaring from the speakers. It is the perfect metaphor for the organized chaos that is Buenos Aires. Although Lilith may appear messy at first glance, everything is so easy to find. Lilith Libros has a wide variety of genres, including literature, history, art, religion and psychology, with a few paperback bestsellers thrown in for good measure. The staff is very knowledgeable and is equally ready to offer helpful suggestions as it is to leave you alone to search on your own.
La Cita (Charcas 3315) is a similar place, with loads of titles and plenty of people willing to help you find what you are looking for.
A short trip on either the 152 or 12 bus gets you to our final stop, El Ateneo Grand Splendid (Sante Fe 1860). I know I promised small, neighborhood bookstores before, but this place has to be an exception. Pub crawls usually end at big nightclubs, so why not end our journey at the most elaborate librería of them all? The Grand Splendid is a four-story masterpiece filled with books, movies and music. It was built as a theater in 1919, and was given a $3 million (peso) renovation in February of 2000 to convert it into a bookstore. Be sure to look to up while you’re inside El Ateneo to admire a painting of the allegory of peace, which was painted by Nazreno Orlani in response to the end of the First World War. Just walking around this place is an experience, and curling up with a novel in one of the old side-balconies is about as good as it gets for bookworms. Up on the old stage is a warm, though pricey, café, a nice place to relax with a book or with a friend.
If you are looking for another place to mix coffee and literature, check out Prometeo Libros (Honduras 4912) in Palermo, with outdoor tables that are perfect for a sunny summer’s day.
So even though nobody is likely to black out, the Buenos Aires Book Crawl should show you yet another side of all there is to do in the city. Hopefully this list helps you find a good bookstore, or at least gets you off your butt to start searching for the place that’s right for you. And don’t forget to keep reading, because reading is knowledge, knowledge is power and power is money. And while money might not be able to buy you happiness, it can definitely get you a lot more books.
