French President Emmanuel Macron has intervened in a controversial battle to remove the bouquinistes, the legendary Parisian booksellers, from the banks of the river Seine for the upcoming Olympic Games. France24 reported that the new ruling allows hundreds of booksellers, who operate from dark green boxes by the river, to stay at their historic locations. They had been set to be temporarily removed July 26, ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony on the Seine.
The head of the Cultural Association of Booksellers of Paris had compared the removal efforts to a "tooth extraction" and the organization announced last month that it would launch legal efforts to stop the process.
Macron "has asked the interior minister and the Paris prefect's office that all of the booksellers are preserved and that none of them are forced to move," a statement from the president's office said, adding that the decision came after "no consensual and reassuring solution" could be found with the traders.
The city's police, overseen by the government-appointed prefect, had ordered the removal of some 600 of the 900 book kiosks over security concerns. France24 noted that moving the booksellers was also seen as a way of increasing the space for spectators on the banks of the river where around 300,000 ticketed fans are set to watch the show."
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The European & International Booksellers Federation has published a RISE Industry Insights research paper on E-Commerce Platforms for Independent Bookshops, EIBF's Newsflash reported. The publication delves into e-commerce platforms tailored for independent booksellers in three countries: Libris in the Netherlands, Todostuslibros in Spain, and IndieCommerce in the U.S.
EIBF noted that until recently, online sales "only represented a moderate share of the revenues of many independent bookshops. However, the global Covid-19 pandemic provided a shrill wake-up call for many regarding the benefits of having an online shop."
The report highlights a surge in new bookshops joining e-commerce platforms, while also outlining how these platforms provide crucial access to the online market. It also shows that customers are interested in shopping online through independent bookshops, even after the end of the pandemic, which emphasizes that e-commerce is not only for those large market players: there is a place and role to play for local independent bookshops, too.
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While Seoul "might be a large, sprawling metropolis, finding places where readers can buy new and used English books isn't easy," Korea JoongAng Daily noted in showcasing four independent bookstores across the city "where you can meet curated selections of English books, buy used books for a bargain, and perhaps socialize with other literature lovers through opportunities like book clubs and gatherings." The indies featured include:
Itaewon Books in Itaewon-dong, which the Seoul Metropolitan Government designated "a Seoul Future Heritage spot, recognizing it as a tangible asset worth passing on to future generations."
Sehwa's English Bookstore in Gireum-dong, a "small but charming bookstore specializing in English books [that] opened in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and boasts a quaint vibe, along with curated selections of books by the owner, Park Se-hwa."
Post Poetics in Hannam-dong, a bookstore selling only English-language arts books in the visual arts, fashion, film, architecture, photography, and music genres that "sits at the center of the hip Hangangjin area off of Itaewon in Yongsan District."
Ink N Feather in Seocho-dong, Korea's largest English books-only bookstore, featuring "more than 40,000 kinds of English books, with an extensive collection in the children's and young adult genres and other educational books." --Robert Gray