World's best bookstores from London to Los Angeles | CNN

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The Wonder List with Bill Weir 21 videos

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From Maastricht to Melbourne, these itineraries make bookish travelers look stylish

China's coolest bookstores include one in a massive parking lot and another that offers free stays to backpackers

Shakespeare and Company in Paris hosts writers' residencies

CNN —

Bookstores seem to be dying faster than it takes to download the complete works of Shakespeare these days, so when one comes back from the grave, it’s a cause for celebration.

As is the case in New York, where venerable retailer Rizzoli Bookstore – booted out of its grandiose West 57th Street premises in April 2014 – reopened for business in 2015. Some feared Rizzoli’s flagship would be gone for good, mounting protests to decry the loss of its elaborate ceilings bedecked with chandeliers, iron-railed balconies and, of course, its well-stocked shelves.

El Ateneo (Buenos Aires) —

All bookstores are cool, but some bookstores are cooler than others. The stunning El Ateneo in Buenos Aires was once a theater. The theater boxes have been turned into reading spaces.

Luis Davilla_Cover_Getty Images

Rizzoli Bookstore (New York) —

Much-loved retailer Rizzoli Bookstore shut down in April 2014, but thankfully has just opened grand new premises on Broadway.

Courtesy of Rizzoli Bookstore

Shakespeare and Company (Paris) —

Paris Left Bank fixture Shakespeare and Company hosts writers-in-residence and awards its own literary prize to an aspiring writer every few years.

courtesy Tobias StÄbler

The Last Bookstore (Los Angeles) —

The stylish Last Bookstore in Los Angeles has served as the backdrop for a fashion shoot in "Esquire."

courtesy martinez james

Livraria Lello (Porto, Portugal) —

Built in 1906 and originally designed as a bookstore, the Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal, features neo-Gothic architectural flair. It's become so popular with tourists, in July 2015 the store started charging entrance fees.

courtesy Livraria Lello

Assouline Venezia (Venice, Italy) —

Luxury publisher Assouline's newest opening is in an 18th-century palazzo in Venice.

courtesy Assouline

Boekhandel Dominicanen (Netherlands) —

This 800-year-old former Dominican church in Maastricht, Netherlands, was converted into a bookstore in 2006. Boekhandel Dominicanen hosts 140 literary events a year.

courtesy Boekhandel Dominicanen

Librairie Avant-Garde (Nanjing, China) —

China's most beautiful bookstore, Librairie Avant-Garde in Nanjing, is housed in an underground parking lot that once served as a bomb shelter.

courtesy Librairie Avant-Garde

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