World's best photography bookstores

[chut]

Shopping for photography books at Amazon is convenient and economical, but I still enjoy the experience of browsing in a truly great bookstore. It's hard to beat the atmosphere of all those books, the serendipitous find and the interaction with quirky and erudite staff.

What are your favorite photography bookstores around the world? I posed this question to Tom Abrahamsson and he gave me his list:

Paris - Le Chambre Claire on Rue St. Sulpice, TomA: Best photo book store of them all. Haven't been there for several years. The owner recognizes me and says "Ah, once you are done I can go on vacation."

Paris - Maison de Fotographie

Tokyo - A shop in Asakusa, the name which escapes Tom for now. If anyone knows of it, please chime in.

New York - The MOMA Store

Chicago - The Art Institute bookstore


Here are some of my favorites:

Los Angeles - Arcana Books and Hennessey & Ingalls on Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica

Milan - Libreria Hoepli on via Hoepli near the Duomo and the FORMA bookshop near the Navigli

Berlin - Bucherbogen on Stadtbahnbogen by the Tiergarten


If you have any shops to add to this list, please do respond.

 

[35mmdelux]

Rizzoli, San Francisco & Newport Beach.

 

[retnull]

NYC: Dashwood Books on Bond Street. They sell photo boooks only, and are extremely knowledgeable.

 

[bmattock]

Denver: The Tattered Cover

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Photo-Eye on Garcia Street in Santa Fe. There's another one in Santa that was awesome too but I forget the name, I went to Photo-Eye a lot more.

 

[PMCC]

Rizzoli, San Francisco & Newport Beach.

Long gone, I'm afraid. As far as I know, the only Rizzoli Bookstore left in the U.S. is the flagship store in New York. Greenapple Books in SF has a big but random selection of new and used photo books, and the De Young Museum has a nicely curated selection of photo books that doesn't overlap much with that of SFMOMA. While at SFMOMA, go around the corner and visit Foto-Grafix Books at the Cartoon Museum of Art. This store was formerly the Friends of Photography when the premises housed the defunct Ansel Adams Center for Photography, and despite being in a museum of cartoons still carries photo books and prints.

When looking for photo books in NYC, also check out the venerable Strand Books, a huge but totally chaotic Aladdin's cave, and the small but choice bookstore of the International Center for Photography. Among the museum bookstores, the one at the Met now pays a lot of attention to photography, like the museum itself now does, and of course MOMA NY always has.

 

[muser53]

Arcana, Santa Monica, great store and a colorful neighborhood.

 

[PMCC]

Oh yeah, upstairs at Moe's in Berkeley for collector's items and rare volumes.

 

[WoolenMammoth]

In Amsterdam, the american book center on Spui and the book market there is definitely worth looking at. there is another shop a little north west in 9 streets which I can never remember the name of but is completely awesome.

 

[agi]

While at SFMOMA, go around the corner and visit Foto-Grafix Books at the Cartoon Museum of Art. This store was formerly the Friends of Photography when the premises housed the defunct Ansel Adams Center for Photography, and despite being in a museum of cartoons still carries photo books and prints.

Sadly Foto-Grafix Books is now gone as well. I was there today on my lunch break and it's now a comic's bookstore. I asked what happened and the person in the counter had no idea.

 

[aizan]

flying books and rathole in tokyo.

printed matter (sorta) in ny.

moca has the best selection among the museum bookshops in la.

i just came back from photola, and it takes the cake. sooo many goodies, sooo little money!

 

[Pablito]

Kowasa in Barcelona

 

[sircarl]

The bookstore at The Photographers Gallery in London was called by the London Times "the best photography bookshop in Europe." I don't know about that, but it is quite good, with a very knowledgeable staff.

 

[nksyoon]

Haven't been to any of those listed, but I can recommend these in Switzerland:

Orell Füssli Krauthammer - specialises in art and architecture books
Marktgasse 12
8001 Zürich

Kunstkiosk - antiquarian book dealer specialising in art books
Limmatquai 31
CH-8001 Zürich

Musée de l'Elysée - photography museum with an excellent bookshop
18, avenue de l'Elysée
1014 Lausanne

 

[chut]

Lots of great suggestions here. Thanks to everyone.

 

[Andrew Sowerby]

Photo Books International on Judd St. in London (Russell Sq. tube) is great for used and out of print stuff. There's a very good new photo books store on Charing Cross Rd. (second floor, across from Waterstones) but I can't remember the name. The Photographers' Gallery store is fantastic.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

The bookstore at The Photographers Gallery in London was called by the London Times "the best photography bookshop in Europe." I don't know about that, but it is quite good, with a very knowledgeable staff.

Agreed.

It is very good indeed.

 

[photorat]

There's a very good new photo books store on Charing Cross Rd. (second floor, across from Waterstones) but I can't remember the name.

Claire de Rouen Books, Specialist Photography, First Level, 125 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0EA
Telephone: 02072871813 E-mail: Clairederouen@sohobooks.co.uk

One of my favourite haunts when in centre of old empire. Check out Soho Books downstairs and Banksy's "gallery" on the same floor.

 

[robster180]

The Photographers Gallery, London, W1F 7LW

http://www.photonet.org.uk/

 

[capitalK]

I was going to mention David Mirvish Books on Art in Toronto when I saw this thread a few days ago but forgot to add it.

I found out this morning that it's closing at the end of February.

Link to Globe and Mail article