The Grand European Book Tour

We have just returned from the Grand Tour, pitching our book to bookstores across Europe. We researched scores of stores and visited more than two dozen of them, many of which we visited multiple times, in 14 major cities across Spain, France, England, Ireland, North Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands, and Germany. Each was an immersive experience with a cornucopia of interesting titles set in engaging spaces. The owners and staff were invariably friendly, helpful and interesting in their own right. Eight of the independents now stock the book, and it is under review by the corporate buyers at several more. Hooray for independent booksellers!

It was a long drive: we bought a 2007 Opel Vectra station wagon in Madrid and mostly slept in the back. The only exercise we got was lots of urban walking and climbing the stairs from the Underground. In addition to gazing out at the varied landscapes, we ogled architecture, street murals and museum art in each city. And we enjoyed visits with several old and new friends along the way.

The bookstores were the highlight. Here are a few of our favorites:

Librería Desnivel (https://www.libreriadesnivel.com/) in Madrid is not only the premier specialty bookshop for mountaineering, travel and adventure, but also the oldest bookstore in Spain. We walked in to find a fantastic bazar of floor to ceiling books on three levels. Murals and pictures of climbers decorate the walls and an old printing press on the main floor anchors the theme.

The mural in Desnivel

Librería Calamo (https://www.calamo.com/ ). The modest storefront on a back street in Zaragoza belies the trove of books on two levels. They not only sell a carefully curated selection of good books, but also participate actively in the social and cultural life of the community; the owner was hosting a book party for a local author while we were there. Calamo's cultural work has been recognized with numerous awards and it has been heralded as one of the best bookstores in the world.

Muga ( https://muga.com/ ) in Pamplona promotes adventure with more than 10,000 travel guides, maps and travel literature arrayed in book nooks and with more online. It also sells mountain shoes, clothing, backpacks, tents and climbing accessories. The owner was a jolly young woman who exuded good cheer and offered useful advice for a newbie indie book author.

Llibreria Altair (https://www.altair.es/cat/ ) in Barcelona is one of our favorite haunts from prior years. It is the largest travel bookshop in Spain, and possibly all of Europe. The books are arranged by continents and countries. In addition to guidebooks, maps and nature guides, there is a wide selection of travel literature, including biographies, memoirs, fiction, anthropology, architecture, and even some photography and music, in Spanish, English, Catalan and other languages. It also publishes its own travel magazine and has a delightful café that doubles as a venue for events.

Altair's cafe

Libreria de Viatges Ulyssus ( https://www.ulyssus.com/cat/ ) in Girona offers books, maps and travel literature for a trip anywhere in the world, whether it be climbing mountains or a nature walk. Their collection includes globes, children's books, cookbooks and books on spirituality.

Ulyssus books and globes

Librairie Torcatis ( http://www.librairietorcatis.com/ ) in Perpignan is another wonderful bookstore, with a two-story display of books in their front window and two stories of bookshelves inside, crammed with a broad collection of books, including a respectable section on travel. We had to walk around to an unmarked door off the alley to reach the office where their very helpful business manager coached us on the paperwork.

Torcatis front window

American Book Center (https://abc.nl/ ) Amsterdam stocks a full range of English-language books with a respectable travel section. Their 48 booksellers are also their book buyers who choose what to stock based on customer interaction. Max the book buyer for the travel section bought three of our books on the spot! Their spacious Amsterdam store has been listed as one of the Ten Most Beautiful Bookshops in the World.

ABC interior

Ebert und Weber ( https://ebertundweber.de/ ) in Berlin specialize in small, independent publishers, selected fiction in German and English, and beautiful color books on graphics, design, cooking and children's books. Our book was a welcome addition to their travel literature.