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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Books As the Kids Say, "Fap fap fap"

Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Mar 25, 2009 at 5:24 PM

Here is a photograph of the Buenos Aires-based Bookstore El Atenio:

I have to go change my pants now. More photos of crazy international bookstores and libraries are here.

Comments (18) RSS

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Not quite as large, just as classy, and a lot closer: Munro's Books in Victoria, BC. http://www.munrobooks.com/

Posted by I like class on March 25, 2009 at 5:58 PM

Yeah.... Um... The kids don't say that about fucking bookstores or libraries.

They say that about your mom. And her little dog.

Posted by Matthew on March 25, 2009 at 6:03 PM

The Jay Walker library there chaps my hide. It's a library for people who like LED displays more than they like books. He's got some real treasures in there, but it's not a place to READ. Which I'm guessing he doesn't do much of. It's all gee-whiz show-off stuff.

Posted by Fnarf on March 25, 2009 at 6:16 PM

Fnarf: I like books, and I have lots of dead trees. However, I still prefer reading them on a display than in my hand, and I'll intentionally look for that format (usually found on torrent sites, sadly) and then buy the physical book to support the author.

I don't touch the DRM crap, though, and that's why I'll never buy a Kindle. Why would I buy a device that I can't load my existing library on?

Posted by medeii on March 25, 2009 at 6:30 PM

I think it's gorgeous.

Posted by Dcal on March 25, 2009 at 6:58 PM

Follow the links for a while and you get to this mind-blowing libraries of the world….

Posted by meh on March 25, 2009 at 7:00 PM

I have been there. It is very nice. It used to be an opera house.

Posted by john on March 25, 2009 at 7:15 PM

I am just living just down the street from El Ateneo right now. And it is one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, but it is not one of the best.
It is wonderful to visit, but the selection and service is not up to the environment.
There are better bookstores in Buenos Aires, along with outside book fairs every weekend.

Not as nice looking, but a more interesting selection of books, would be places like Barts Books, in Ojai Ca, Powells, of course, or maybe the used bookstore in the Milwaukee airport, which is a branch of the much larger and even better bookstore in downtown Milwaukee, Renaissance Books.

Posted by ries on March 25, 2009 at 8:02 PM

Medii @4, you misunderstand me. I'm pretty interested in e-readers too, but I'm not talking about them; I'm talking about LEDs, as in little tiny colored lights, of which Jay Walker has a jillion of on his chandelier. Most of the stuff in his "library" is gee-whiz stuff that isn't books at all, paper or electronic. And a lot of his books are admittedly impressive illuminated medieval books and stuff, but there's little indication that he's got much stuff in there for its textual value as opposed to its iconicity.

Posted by Fnarf on March 25, 2009 at 8:21 PM

I agree with #8, but this is still a beautiful place to be. It honors the beauty of reading. Buenos Aries is a book-lovers wetdream; lots of books, cheap books -with the exchange rate especially- and people working in the stores who know books. I always come back with a suitcase full.

Posted by Ken on March 25, 2009 at 8:30 PM

I've been here. It used to be a theatre, I think. Gorgeous place.

Posted by kendra on March 25, 2009 at 8:42 PM

Not El Atenio, But El Ateneo. As in, El Gran Ateneo. The largest and most fabulous bookstore in South America, as in the entire fucking continent. I made multiple trips to El Ateneo during my stay in BsAs last May. It used to be a theater (there's a cafe on the stage; the rest is full of books). It is also a perfect place to read, and the staff is phenomonally helpful. Yes, there are better booksellers for rare editions, antiques, etc. in BsAs (in general a booklover's paradise), but in terms of a general-interest bookstore, Ateneo is tha shiz.

Posted by filolog on March 25, 2009 at 10:13 PM

Dear Paul Constant,

I love you more every day.

Love, Jocelyn.

Posted by Jocelyn on March 25, 2009 at 11:09 PM

Thanks but I'm quite happy with the newly remodelled Covington branch of KCLS.

Posted by Covington, Oh, Cov-ing-ton on March 25, 2009 at 11:34 PM

Reminded me of Gunnar Asplund's Stockholm Library:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2079/2425…

Posted by Eric F on March 26, 2009 at 12:19 AM

Paul Constant give Powell's Books can of Rize, Powell's Books drink Rize, freak out, Argentina out, POWELL'S BOOKS BECOME BOOKSTORE AL ATENIO!

BOOKSTORE AL ATENIO WILL SMASH PUNY BARNES & NOBLE!

And no, I don't feel like letting it go.

Posted by The Incredible Sulk on March 26, 2009 at 8:53 AM

#15 Thank you! Absolutely gorgeous!

Posted by subwlf on March 26, 2009 at 12:40 PM

I've been to that bookstore. Bought books -- the books-in-English section is right there in the lower left hand corner of the image. I never wanted to leave.

Posted by Arboreality on March 26, 2009 at 6:29 PM