If you’re a reader of this space, you already know how we feel about bookstores. Namely, we rather appreciate their beauty. But do you know what else we like? Window shopping. And for window shopping, just like for regular shopping, bookstores are pretty much the best. But how to window shop at bookstores out of striking range from your favorite reading nook? Why, with this list of 30 excellent bookstore windows from around the world, of course. Some are magnificently decorated, some are humble, but all of them are interesting. Points for cleverness, beauty, irreverence, and evidence of being on the verge of overflowing with books. Check out a handful of excellent bookstore windows from around the world after the jump, and since there are many more where these came from (and bookstore windows are always changing!), link us to any great ones we’ve missed in the comments.
Bookman’s Corner, Chicago, IL
A gorgeous mess, and one of the best window slogans around. [Image via]
Bókin, Reykjavik
A crazy cluttered, crazy beautiful place, inside and out. [Image via]
Librairie Ptyx, Brussels, Belgium
Sure, it’s really the whole façade that catches the eye, but that big picture window is like a set of lovely eyes in a pretty face. [Image via]
A secondhand bookstore in Tokyo, Japan
Love & Books = really all you need to make a bookstore window (or a pretty good life, for that matter). Don’t miss the anthropomorphized condoms at the top of the glass. [Image via]
Jumel Terrace Books, New York City
An understated window gracing an antiquarian bookshop/B&B specializing in Harlem Heights’ history, on the bottom floor of a brownstone on West 160th street. [Image via]
Photo Credit: Brian Scantlebury
La Belle Hortense, Paris, France
Everything you could want out of a French retail establishment: books, wine, and charm right there in the window. [Image via]
Golden Hare, Edinburgh, Scotland
Who doesn’t love a good Plath-centric display? Plus, presents. [Image via]
The Bookworm, Beijing, China
Well, this place is basically all windows. Not a bad look. [Images via and via]
Reed Books 2, Aldeburgh, Suffolk
Face front! [Image via]
The American Book Center, Amsterdam
This is just one of the ABC’s many fantastic window displays. Read it (if you can) and weep. [Image via]
Hurlingham Books, London
An unusual (at least for a bookstore window) but visually arresting stacking pattern. [Images via]
A bookstore in Budapest
Highly organized chaos. [Image via]
Scarthin Books, Cromford, Derbyshire
That ragtag window treatment of flyers and notices? A sure sign of a bustling literary community surrounding this bookstore, and a little mysterious to boot. That’s some beauty right there. [Image via]
Oscar and Friends Booksellers, Sydney, Australia
Insanely gorgeous installation art by Pia Jane Bijkerk — and only one of many. [Image via]
Toko Buku, Indonesia
One of the cutest displays we’ve ever seen. [Image via]
The Last Bookstore, Los Angeles
Sure, it’s just a clever name and a cool type treatment. But that window is bringing us into that shop for sure. [Image via]
Time Out Bookstore, Mount Eden, Auckland, New Zealand
Green and lush: perfect for reading. [Image via]
Derby Square Bookstore, Salem, MA
Books almost to the ceiling: a clear sign of a bookstore that knows what it’s about. [Image via]
Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
Gorgeous hand-painted windows by Samantha Schroeder. [Images via]
A bookstore in Český Krumlov, Czech Republic
Sparse, yes — but wildly intriguing. [Image via]
The Annapolis Bookstore, Annapolis, MD
An invitation you just can’t refuse. [Image via]
Books Actually, Singapore
A fairy tale of a window if ever there was one. [Image via]
Photo Credit: Garry Knight
A bookshop on Bloomsbury Street, London
Can’t beat that. [Image via]
The Old Corner Bookstore, London
An oldie (obviously) but a goodie (double obviously). [Image via]
Awesome Books, Pittsburgh, PA
The name really says it all. [Images via and via]
Quimby’s Bookstore, Chicago, IL
Quimby’s always has amazing window displays — this one by Myles Smutney is a standout. [Images via]
Galignani, Paris
Elegant and enticing — so very like the French. [Image via]
Odyssey Bookstore, Montreal, Canada
Offbeat, jumbled, and totally lovely. [Images via and via]
Boekie Woekie, Amsterdam
If the handwritten sign (it says “BOOKS BY ARTISTS” there under the store’s name) and the random T-shirt hanging in this window don’t charm you, you might have no soul. [Image via]
Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
And this is what it all comes down to. [Image via]
