Once a hidden gem for literary drifters, Shakespeare and Company has transformed into one of the most visited bookshops in the world. Tucked beside the Seine, across from Notre-Dame, it formerly was the kind of place you stumbled upon—where aspiring writers could sleep among the shelves, and curious readers could discover poetry by candlelight. Today, it’s a destination, a bucket-list stop for bibliophiles. Yet somehow, despite the crowds and the fame, Shakespeare and Company still casts its spell. No longer a “hidden” gem, perhaps. But the floorboards still creak with stories. And the magic endures.
In This Post
Shakespeare and Company – the Birth of a Literary Haven
For decades, Shakespeare and Company has been a gathering place for literary minds and bibliophiles in Paris. It has nurtured some of the best writers of our time—and there’s a reason why.
An American expatriate from New Jersey named Sylvia Beach opened Shakespeare and Company on November 19, 1919, with help from feminist novelist Annie Winifred Ellerman, who invested her inheritance. During the 1920s, the shop functioned as both a bookstore and lending library.
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A Cultural Powerhouse of the 1920s
Its growing popularity prompted a move, and soon it became the center of Anglo-American literary modernism in Paris. Aspiring writers and artists such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, Mina Loy, Man Ray, Djuna Barnes, and George Antheil could be seen combing through the stacks.
Some suggest the store was forced to close in 1941 during the Nazi occupation after Beach reportedly refused to sell a German officer the last copy of James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake.
A New Chapter: George Whitman’s Vision
In 1951, 10 years later, another American expatriate, George Whitman, opened an English-language bookshop named Le Mistral in a 16th-century monastery near Place Saint-Michel, the Latin Quarter, and the Notre-Dame cathedral. It quickly transformed into the heartbeat of bohemian literary expat culture in Paris.
Writers of the Beat Generation—Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, Gregory Corso—found refuge there, as did James Baldwin, Bertolt Brecht, Julio Cortázar, Lawrence Durrell, Max Ernst, Anaïs Nin, William Saroyan, Terry Southern, and J. Richard Wright.
A Socialist Utopia in Book Form
Whitman called his bookstore a “socialist utopia masquerading as a bookstore.” In 1958, while dining with him at a party for American novelist James Jones, Sylvia Beach passed the torch, allowing him to adopt the Shakespeare and Company name. Following her death, and on the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth, Whitman made the name official—calling it “a novel in three words.”
A Living Legacy – Shakespeare and Company
Much has changed since then. George Whitman passed away in his little apartment above the shop, and his daughter, Sylvia Whitman, now runs the store. The used books are now mostly relegated to the second floor, while new releases and popular titles line the front shelves.
Yet one thing remains unchanged: the indelible joy of picking up a good book, curling into a quiet corner, and being transported—through time, across oceans, or deeper into ourselves.
Blogger’s Tip: if you’re like me, and you can’t wait to take your newly purchased book to a nearby cafe and start reading it, you will find Odette, a charming little cafe, a short walk away. There is a tea room with a spectacular view of Notre Dame, or you can get something to go and take it to nearby Square René Vivian, the perfect spot to open a new book and start reading it in the shade of old trees.
Shakespeare and Company – Location & How to Get There
Shakespeare and Company – 37 Rue de la Bûcherie, 5ème Paris, France
Nearest Metro Station: Take Line 4 or RER B/C to Saint-Michel – Notre-Dame station. Exit toward the Seine and cross the Pont Saint-Michel. From there, stroll east along the riverbank. The bookshop appears just past the corner, tucked beside a leafy square and facing the towers of Notre-Dame. The walk takes about 5 minutes.
Discover the Latin Quarter
Set on a cobbled lane across the Seine from Notre-Dame Cathedral, Shakespeare and Company nestles within the Latin Quarter, one of the oldest and most storied parts of Paris, while the shop itself offers a pause—a breath between centuries of literary conversation.
The Latin Quarter, or Quartier Latin, is the historic heart of Paris’s Left Bank. Known for its bohemian spirit and intellectual legacy, it’s home to the Sorbonne, medieval alleyways, and a vibrant mix of cafés, jazz clubs, and bookshops.
This 5ème arrondissement neighborhood pulses with student life and literary history—perfectly framing Shakespeare and Company’s role as both a pilgrimage site and a living library.
Nearby attractions include Notre-Dame Cathedral, Square René Viviani, the Seine’s secondhand bookstalls, and the Institut du Monde Arabe.
Hotel Near Shakespeare and Company
If you would like to stay in a hotel near Shakespeare and Company, Hôtel Le Clos Notre-Dame – 22 Rue de l’Hirondelle, Paris, 6ème is just a two-minute stroll from from the bookstore. An intimate 3-star hotel, it blends 17th-century charm with modern comfort.
With only 16 rooms, Hôtel Le Clos Notre-Dame feels more like a literary hideaway than a hotel—think exposed beams, stone walls, and large-scale reproductions of historic artwork.
The breakfast room doubles as a chic little library, complete with a fireplace and curated shelves—perfect for paging through your latest Left Bank find. There’s no restaurant, but you’re surrounded by cafés, crêperies, and wine bars in every direction.
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