The Book-Buying Experience in Spain

All of us who love books are familiar with the book-buying experience in England. In shops such as Foyles or Waterstones the emphasis is on the time to browse, the comfort of the space and in short the pleasure of being surrounded by books. Having worked in a large high street bookshop in Madrid for the last 3 months of my time abroad I can say that, although at first glance it would appear fairly similar to an English shop, the book buying experience is altogether different.

Above is a photo of the ground floor of Casa del Libro; the shop I worked in as an intern bookseller. The interior of the shop, like an English bookshop, is geared towards a good browsing experience; the lighting is warm, there are soft chairs and the books are organised by author's surname to ensure it's easy to find the one you need. But that's where the similarities end.

In England browsing is an artform; I for one can while away a good 2 hours just wandering from shelf to shelf taking down books that catch my eye. The Spanish are much more direct when it comes to books. Once a customer caught sight of an oversized green tabard (such as the one Miguel is modelling in the photo above) they made a beeline for whoever was wearing it to ask for the book they were after to be brought to them. They had no interest in browsing seemingly intent on by-passing it altogether. So unused to browsing were they that many people were unable to find a book by themselves even with signs denoting the shop's sections and shelves.

Maybe it's just the English dislike of talking to strangers but I know that as a matter of pride I would much rather try to find a book for myself and only then ask an attendant if I couldn't find it. Doesn't it also take the pleasure out of being in the shop if you ask someone else to find a book for you? The majority of the customers in Casa del Libro treated book-buying like shopping for any other product they needed. Many had done research on the internet beforehand and came knowing the exact title they wanted, asked for it at the front desk, waited for it to be brought to them and then headed straight for the cash register. Less a pleasurable bookish experience and more a quick trip to argos!

This is of course a generalisation and there were plenty of people who also spent significant amounts of time just enjoying being in the shop and seeing what was on offer. It was interesting to see though that on the whole buying a book in Madrid seems to be a much quicker, more practical task than in England.

One of my favourite bookshops in Madrid, Desperate Literature, attempts to counter this attitude to books. In my mind there's a fine line between creating a space that's too twee or a bit naff and a welcoming, cosy shop. The trouble it seems comes when the books begin to take second place to the pottery workshops/biscuit baking/finger painting etc. Desperate Literature manages to keep the focus firmly on the books while maintaining a varied calendar of popular events for its customers. Run by a couple from France and England respectively; an un-hurried, relaxed browsing experience is their top priority. International customers seem to embrace this wholeheartedly though I have seen a couple of Spanish visitors unsure what to do when offered a cup of tea while browsing...

This just goes to show that the Spanish aren't reluctant to adopt new practices when it comes to books. The idea of the cosy, comfy English/French bookshop is now becoming a fixture on the Spanish scene. Plenty of Spaniards have enjoyed spending time browsing for their books in shops like this for years. Take the Calle de Claudio Moyano bookstalls for instance; many a madrileño's idea of heaven on a sunny morning. What is clear, however, is that the large chain bookstores with their high footfall and impeccable customer service aren't going to slow down anytime soon.

Casa del Libro, Gran Vía, 29. 28013 Madrid

Desperate Literature, Calle Campomanes, 13, 28013 Madrid

Librerías - Where to Buy Books in Madrid

A book-lover in Madrid is spoilt for choice; from huge multi-storey book empires to tiny little independent shops, the city is full of places to get your literature fix. There's nothing I like more than a mooch round the city centre on a sunny day and over the last 6 months I've discovered quite a few of these lovely spaces. So, without further ado (and in no particular order), here's a roundup of all the librerías or bookshops I've happened upon so far:

El Corte Inglés

This one is probably the easiest to find as it's right in the Puerta del Sol in the city centre.

Inside it's pretty much the Spanish equivalent of Waterstones with a similiar layout, different sections by genre/author etc, and is of a similar price range (they occasionally have "buy one half price/2 for 1" deals etc) They also have an excellent translated fiction section so if you're on the hunt for a newly released book translated into Spanish this is the place to come. As it's so close to home and has such a good range of books I'm often to be found here on rainy afternoons.

 

El Corte Inglés Preciados Libros, Calle Preciados, 2, 28013 Madrid.

 

FNAC

The FNAC building is also hard to miss; four storeys of music, electrical gear and, right at the top, books. Think HMV but MASSIVE!

I'm not such a fan of FNAC as a bookshop as I am of the other places on this list. They have some beautiful books but the browsing experience gets me down. It's always baking hot and stuffy with fluorescent lighting that just makes me want to get out and breathe some fresh air!

Having said that though this is the place to come if you're looking for graphic novels or manga. I've never seen such a large space in a bookshop dedicated to comics and illustrated books. This fits in with the cool, techie vibe of the rest of the shop perfectly. Though cool this place is pricey; FNAC's current idea of a deal is "buy 2 books and pay €1.50 for a FREE canvas book bag"...um free??

 

Calle Preciados, 28, 28013 Madrid

 

Casa del Libro

This is the place to come if you want a specific book in Spanish; with its miles upon miles of shelves Casa del Libro is sure to have it somewhere. This shop also makes for a great visitor experience with squishy chairs, slidey shelves and brass staircases to book heaven.

Again expect to pay more or less what you would in Waterstones and have fun browsing 'til you drop!

Gran Vía, 29, 28013 Madrid

 

Desperate Literature

This gorgeous little shop is included in my Lonely Planet guidebook but under a different name. Petra's International Bookshop is now Desperate Literature but still sells secondhand books in Spanish, English and French.

Inside is an Aladinn's cave of twinkling fairy lights, crazily patterned carpets and floor to ceiling books.

This place is my kind of bookshop; being secondhand the books are cheaper, the selection in English is certainly my cup of tea and the staff are lovely. Speaking of tea you're likely to be offered a cup as you enter... Terry and Charlotte the couple who've recently taken charge of the shop are looking to get going with all sorts of bookish events so if you're in Madrid at any point be sure to check out Desperate Literature's facebook page (give them a "like" from me!)

Calle Campomanes, 13, 28013 Madrid

 

La Central

 

In my opinion the queen of the bookshops in Madrid is La Central; think Foyles of London and you'll know what I mean. With the selection of Casa del Libro and FNAC combined, foreign language sections and housed in a beautiful old building just off Callao it's everything you could want in a bookshop...except of course for the price. But ah well, we can't have everything.

 

 

 

In La Central a genre has its own room rather than its own shelf and what rooms they are! Just look at how they kick off the children's section:

 

 

The complete opposite of the stifling FNAC with it's honey wood staircases, creamy white walls and cosy reading room, I think I might just move in for the summer.

 

Calle del Postigo de San Martín, 8, 28013 Madrid

The next few on the list aren't exactly bookshops (more bookstalls) but I just couldn't leave them out!

San Ginés Book Stall

At the corner of San Ginés and Calle Arenal is undeniably the cutest book stall I've come across.

It stocks secondhand books but also old posters, postcards and prints. Nice for a quick browse while en route somewhere else.

Claudio Moyano Book Stalls - Retiro

This is one of my favourite places to actually buy books due to the selection and the price (the cheapest I've found in Madrid). Plus its proximity to the park doesn't hurt. Read my full blog post here: Book Stalls - Calle de Claudio Moyano

Calle Claudio Moyano, 28014 Madrid

El Rastro

And finally El Rastro, Madrid's biggest flea market, you can find pretty much anything for sale here. In terms of books look out for hidden gems amongst the jewellery, old furniture and paintings; there are some true antiques to be found. Check out my earlier post about the market here: El Rastro

Well that's it for my bookshop roundup! I've loved compiling this list and I'm sure there'll be a part two in the future what with the number of bookshops still to explore. I hope you've enjoyed reading this and if any of you have any suggestions of posts you'd like to see in the future (book-related or not) just let me know!

Book Stalls - Calle de Claudio Moyano

On Sunday I went to visit a flat and then it was such a lovely day I thought I'd walk to Retiro and take a few photos. I'd passed by the Calle de Claudio Moyano book stalls the day before with Kasia my flatmate but hadn't had my camera with me so decided to go again. The weather was beautiful! After walking for a while I ended up with my jacket, cardigan, and scarf under my arm as it was so warm.

 

 

The Calle de Claudio Moyano has been likened to the area full of book stalls that lines the Seine in Paris with its many trestle tables and wooden sheds bursting with books. The street leads up in a diagonal line at the south west corner of Retiro park and is just a little way along from Atocha metro station so it's easy to find.

 

 

 

 

 

The books are mostly secondhand and in Spanish but many stalls have a small foreign languages section with English, French, German and Italian titles. There's a good mix of modern and older titles and there are definitely some gems to be found if you do a bit of digging; I even came across a Spanish copy of Richmal Crompton's Just William along with plenty of other children's books. Amongst piles of Spanish classics I found translations of the Lord of the Rings, Twilight and Bridget Jones' Diary. There are boxes and racks of film posters, old post cards, maps and newspapers though I would definitely say that this is a place for people that mainly have books in mind. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a Sunday when I visited so some of the stalls weren't open; I'll certainly be visiting again to pick up my next Spanish book to read. The prices are pretty reasonable with an average book being around 3-5 euros, though there are plenty to be found at less than that, and stall holders are often happy to offer you a deal if there are a few that you can't bear to be parted with. I'm so happy I've found this place; it's become one of my favourite spots in Madrid and the fact that it's right next to Retiro park doesn't hurt. I've also been hearing about a potential Book Fair that might take place in the city in the summer time so am definitely looking forward to that!