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Set in the heart of Paris on the Left Bank opposite Notre-Dame, Shakespeare and Company has grown from a bookstore into an institution. It is situated in the Latin Quarter which for centuries has been the centre of Parisian creativity and intelligentsia.

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Shakespeare and Company first opened its doors in 1951. For over fifty years, the bookshop has housed numerous writers and hosted readings by published and unpublished authors. Upon entering, you will find yourself in a place Henry Miller described "A wonderland of books".
Shakespeare and Company, Paris, is an independent bookshop and is not connected with other companies of the same name.

We will soon have a new website on www.shakespeareandcompany.com
Check again in autumn 2008 to see our new site!

George Whitman      |      Writing      |     Photographs     

George Whitman is the legendary owner of Shakespeare and Company. He originally comes from Salem, Massachusetts, but for the last sixty years has made Paris his home. George is a bibliophile of such stature that he insists his guests read a book a day and believes himself to be living in a novel. At 91 years old, he has recently retired but still sits as a figurehead above his store.

During our 2006 Literary Festival, the French Minister of Culture awarded George the "Officier des Arts et Lettres" medal for his contribution to the arts over the past fifty years.