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When you walk down the quai along the Seine in Paris, there are used book kiosks for kilometers. The bouquinistes have been there for many years and maybe they
by timst4 4y ago
When you walk down the quai along the Seine in Paris, there are used book kiosks for kilometers. The bouquinistes have been there for many years and maybe they are the true enduring heart of French values. Americans consume TV like the French read books, at least in the capital. It is no surprise the overall awareness of the population is far more attuned to the realities of a modern world. America has outsourced their perception of the world to megacorporations hell bent on profit. Reading is an ethical act, and it is also a necessary one (we are finding out) for Democracy.
- pseudolus 4y agoThe bouquinistes might conjure up romantic notions of a book-loving French population but the reality is a little more complex. Bouquinistes are regulated and apparently are required to allocate three out of every four boxes of merchandise to books. This apparently is causing them some financial hardship as many are located in areas frequented by non-francophone tourists and, given the choice, many would prefer to sell postcards and the omnipresent models of the Eiffel Tower that everyone takes home with them. [0]. [0] https://publishingperspectives.com/2010/10/paris-seine-side-bookselling-bouquinistes/ https://publishingperspectives.com/2010/10/paris-seine-side-...
- throwaway821909 4y agoThat the problem is apparently only in tourist areas is further evidence that the French love books, if anything