Bookstalls on the Left Bank

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These are bookstalls on the Left Bank of the Seine River, south of Notre-Dame Cathedral, in the Latin Quarter. They are often referred to as bouquinistes in French. The books sold out of these metallic stalls (which can be closed and locked at night) are primarily rare books and magazines from times past, often in excellent condition. I don’t know where the booksellers find these old volumes and periodicals, or how often they actually sell any of them, but it is interesting to walk slowly among them and note all the various documents available.

Photographed on April 25, 1999.