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Dutch / Nederlands

Bookshops

Just as writing is a passion of me, so is visiting bookshops and collecting books. Almost every Saturday when we go shopping, I go at least to one bookshop. Sometimes, I visit three bookshops, not counting the books section of the appartment store where we (used to) park our car. I have sometimes dreamed of owning a bookshop myself.

Below, a description of some of the bookshops that I like with references to stories found in my online diaries.

De Slegte in Enschede

This is probably the bookshop I visited most frequently in my whole life. Almost always when we go into the city, I walk into this store, even if it is only for a few minutes. They sell books at discount rates, both left overs from other shops and second hand books. They always keep some stock of each book in the shop. It is where I bought some of my most favourite books. The shop has three floors. On the first floor most popular books can be found. The second floor has a large collection of second hand books. The third floor has a mixture of second hand books and new books sold for discount prices.

There used to be a lot of mirrors in this shop. Some of the pillars on the first floor were covered with mirrors. Then on the stair leading to the third floor (which is now closed for public) there are mirrors around on the floor. If you were standing on the right height you can see yourself from many directions. If you were standing on the top of the this stair, you could see through these mirrors a spy mirror on the first floor reflecting part of the street in front of the store. (Both the second and third floor do not have any windows from which the street can be seen.)

Some dates on which I visited this bookshop are:

Polare (De Slegte) in Utrecht

This is the first De Slegte shop that I have visited in my life and where I bought some of my first books. Early 2014, it has been closed. Dates on which I visited this bookshop are:

Broekhuis in Enschede [logo]

Referenced in:

Kruimeltje in Enschede

A second hand bookshop in Enschede. This shop was owned for a long time by Erik Kappelhoff. Around 2006 it was taken over by Margriet Kramer. But she closed the shop in May 2013.

De Bijenkorf in Enschede

This is a large aparment store with also a considerable book section. The store was open from August 28, 2002 till January 1, 2014.

Het Goed in Enschede

This is not a bookshop but a thrift store with a good selection of secondhand books.

Rataplan

This is not a bookshop but a thrift store with a good selection of secondhand books. The shop opened on October 17, 2024.

Kringloop Enschede

This is not a bookshop but a thrift store with a selection of secondhand books.

Broese Boekverkopers in Utrecht

For some periods this shop carried the name "Selexyz Broese" and later "Polare". This bookshop is near the central public library.

Steven Sterk in Utrecht

This is often the first bookshop that I visited when I go to Utrecht.

Polare (De Slegte) in Maastricht

Referenced in:

Polare (De Slegte) in Amsterdam

March 2014, this shop has been closed. Referenced in: On May 15, 2019, a De Slegte shop was opened again in the Vijzelstraat.

Polare (De Slegte) in Nijmegen

Referenced in:

Scheltema in Amsterdam

For some periods this shop carried the name "Selexyz Scheltema" and later "Polare". In 2015 she shop moved to Rokin 9. Visited on:

Het Martyrium in Amsterdam

Xinhua International City of Books in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China

This is definitely one of the largest bookshops that I have every visited. Whether it also had the most titles, I am not sure, because they they seemed to carry multiple copies of each title. (Picture.)

Dates on which I visited this bookshop are:

Dillons in London

When I went to Eastbourne in 1978, I visited this bookshop twice (if I am not mistaken). The first time was on July 15. On July 21, I went all on my own to this bookshop in London. There I bought LISP 1.5 Programmer's Manual.

Birmingham

I remember two bookshops in Birmingham. One is the Waterstones Booksellers shop at 24 High Street. The other that I remember had exists on more than one street. I also have a vague memory that some part was on the opposite site of a little alley.

Karssen in Woerden

This was a small bookshop on Kruisstraat number 4. I bought some of my first books here, including books about puzzles and typewriters. Around 1995 is was combined with the bookshop mentioned below.

Kraayenbrink in Woerden

This was a bookshop and stationary shop in the Voorstraat (mainstreet) on the number 28 and 30. I bought several novels here, including Dune. Now the shop is owned by Fa W. Karssen en Zn.

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