If you visit Lille, France after March 21st, you will be able to browse a new bookstore, have a coffee, and even stay the night at Place Ronde – Bed, Books & Breakfast. The project is the brainchild of Fabienne van Hulle, who retired from the corporate world to pursue the dream of owning a bookshop. Located in the heart of the city, the shop will offer 4000+ titles and will specialize in women’s literature and Northern European books. Van Hulle is adding two guest rooms so that visiting bibliophiles or writers can stay the night. If you’re interested, the rooms will be available on AirbnB.
For more than 20 years, public transit riders in Santiago, Chile have been able to borrow books from a network of mini-library vending machines in Metro stations. Now the service, which is provided by the municipal government and the Directorate of Libraries, Archives, and Museums, has added access to digital books for smartphones and tablets via new scanner stations. The Bibliometro project has also expanded to 23 borrowing points in public transit stations. What a great concept.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the famous Portuguese footballer, has purchased the historic Casa del Libro bookstore building in the heart of Madrid with plans to convert it into a luxury hotel. The 95 year old bookstore is housed in a beautiful building on the Gran Via designed by architect Jose Yarnoz Larrosa. It’s a sad day for book lovers, but nothing can stop the rich from their wretched pursuit of more wealth.
La Casa del Libro, edificada en 1922 e inaugurada un año más tarde. Situada en la Avenida Pi i Margall, hoy Gran vía.
Happy Valentine’s Day ! This beautiful edition of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s romantic poems Sonnets from the Portuguese was published in Venice in 1906. The lovely miniature book was handset and bound in vellum. H/t to the University of Iowa Special Collections Library.
h/t tip Tom Gauld
Those of you who visit this blog on a regular basis already know that I have an inordinate interest in travel posters, graphic design, and especially public transport system safety posters. So it will come as little surprise that I really, really like this new series created for Transport for London.
The bold graphics communicate simple, but essential safety messages to millions of travelers who use the system each day. They are vivid, colorful, eye-catching, easy to understand, and clearly convey the intended messages.
Other than taking your chances freelance camping in Central Park, there aren’t many spots to camp out in Manhattan. But beginning this May 1st, it will be possible to do some very special glamping with views of the Statue of Liberty, the Manhattan skyline, the New York Harbor, and New Jersey. This unique opportunity will be possible due to an arrangement between the Trust for Governors Island and the private firm Collective retreats. The seasonal six-acre campsite will be set-up at the south end of Governor Island.
Collective Retreats will offer three levels of tent lodging, with fees ranging from $75 to $125 per night. The campground, which will have dining and recreational facilities, is scheduled to be open from May 1 to October 31, 2018. I can’t think of a better spot to see the 4th of July fireworks.
Governors Island was so named when the British colonial invaders reserved the island for the imperial administrator. But it had been previously occupied by the Lenape Indians for centuries until they were evicted by Dutch settlers. Today the island is a park administered by the National Park Service and the Trust for Governors Island. You can only reach the island by ferry from Manhattan or Brooklyn.
For more information on the camp site, click here.
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