Naturally, all the books lining the walls of this former family home are in the language of Shakespeare and, if you’re a bit adventurous, you can explore the upstairs where there are all sorts of nooks and crannies and even a small room in which you can succumb to the pleasures of reading. Everything in this bookstore is designed for the comfort of booklovers : There are beds here and there for use by visiting writers, who can stay there in exchange for a few hours of free lecturing. This tradition goes back to 1951 when George Whitman, who founded Shakespeare and Company, used to receive his many literary friends ; among them Henry Miller, Anais Nin and Alan Ginsberg.

Whitman came to Paris after WW2 and lived in an apartment across from Notre Dame while he studied at the Sorbonne. Not far from his digs he found the shop he eventually rented and turned into the now world renowned bookstore. His daughter, Sylvia Beach Whitman, continues the tradition her father started.