Literary escapes: World's magical book towns

Literary escapes: World's magical book towns

Fjærland The dozens of buildings-cum-bookstores in Fjærland are prime examples of reutilization, as abandoned ferry waiting rooms, banks, grocery stores, and a post office now serve as the seasonal home of thousands of used books.

Buenos Aires With more than 180,000 volumes available, El Ateneo Grand Splendid is the biggest bookstore in Argentina and unquestionably one of the most beautiful shopping destinations on earth.

Montereggio Montereggio has a history of traveling book salesmen dating back to the Renaissance and the birth of moveable type. These men brought literature to every corner of the country.

Hobart Hobart is also home to the annual Festival of Women Writers, and hosts author readings, signings, and literary lectures throughout the year.

Óbidos Its marble altars display bestsellers, and in the middle of the room, where congregants previously knelt on pews, stand towering shelves of art books, noir novels, and biographies.

Paju Paju Book City has bookshops, a plethora of book cafes, annual book festivals attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors, and publishers.

Torup Inspired by their Scandinavian neighbors in Norway, Torup, a Denmark community divided into two parts is home to a sprawling, thoroughly charming book town.

Kolkata Formerly known as Calcutta is now a prominent book town thanks in large part to one half-mile stretch of College Street that’s recognized as the largest secondhand book market in the world.

Wünsdorf A small but significant town less than 30 miles due south of Berlin. No other book town has transformed quite so dramatically than Wünsdorf.

Clunes This Australian village just a short drive north from Melbourne is home to 1,700 people and is the only book town that can claim to be both an original gold rush site