The Book Hunter in Paris

The French writer and publisher Octave Uzanne celebrates the bouquinistes of the Paris quays in this tribute to the used book trade. For centuries, booksellers have set up their boxes on the parapets above the banks of the Seine. Uzanne, writing in the late 19th century, provides a brief history of the trade and rich descriptions of its often eccentric practitioners. Modern book shoppers will recognize the character traits of the used-booksellers from a hundred years ago. Present day booksellers will sympathize with their lamentations. Anyone who loves Paris will delight in this taste of the City of Lights from the turn of the last last century.