Open-ended resting place for books awaiting the opportunity to be read. From books that were given away in a relationship that is no longer such. Gifts offered on New Year’s Eve and Birthdays without knowing that the recipient would never read them. Moving victims. Cellulose morgue that resists burning as in Ray Bradbury’s novel. Second-hand bookstores, in short.
Of opportunity, they have also come to be called upon. Ironic considering that those of us who frequent these points know that the most frequent opportunity is the masterpiece by Fernando de Rojas and the editions of classics published by El País and El Mundo at the turn of the millennium.
A second-hand bookstore, it should be known, is like a visit to a flea market or a flea market: you don’t go there to look for them. No way, it will be found. Let’s see what. It is more than likely that if you go on the road expecting to take with you the latest novel by Gonzalo Torné, a collection of poems by Luna Miguel and some David Foster Wallace work, you will come back empty handed.
So what is a used bookstore for? The question is answered by the first paragraph. With the fact that books deserve a second chance away from landfills and fire. Even if you don’t find what you’re looking for, there are good opportunities. That they are not the stalls present at the ticket entrances of certain Metro stops where biographies of characters without Wikipedia profiles abound.
Barcelona, as a city of immense cultural legacy and vibrant artistic activity, is one of the most read places in Spain, at least in absolute terms. And, just as here are some of the best bookstores in Spain, so are some of the most interesting book morgues in the country. For example, a few examples:
1. Re-Read bookstore network
With fourteen bookstores in the province of Barcelona, the advantages of the service offered by Re-Read are very clear: fixed and scalable price; search engine on its website that lets you know if they have what you want; the possibility of signing up for a list and, if x book arrives, be notified. Here I have come to buy Murakami, Hemingway, Martín Gaite or Javier Cercas.
Various locations
2. Taifa Books
One room for novelties and first-hand books and a second room for second-hand books. If dust allergy sufferers were to measure the quality of a used bookstore by sneezing, Taifa would take the cake. Here they also have a record of the books they sell and if they don’t have what you are looking for second hand, you can always take it new.
Verdi Street, 12.
3. Tuuulibreria
Absolute chaos in a bookstore. It is pure jenga. Once you walk in, you live with the constant feeling that if you pick up a book, the whole bookstore will fall apart. Sometimes among tons of straw you can find a gold nugget. The great thing about Tuuulibrería is that you pay whatever you want and all proceeds are donated.
Moral advice: don’t pay two cents for a book and don’t take 37 volumes.
Carrer del Planeta, 17.
4. Aida Books&More
Aida Books & More is one of the best for two reasons: there is enough quality in the catalog (I have even bought two Ishiguro books -Anagrama editions- for 3€ each) and it works as an NGO. The booksellers are volunteers and the proceeds go to fight poverty.
Carrer d’Astúries, 78.
5. The Retrobada
It is not even necessary to enter La Retrobada, it is enough to stay two meters away from the ticket, to guess a different aesthetic to what is usually found in second-hand bookstores. Less anarchic, more orderly. There is little variety, but you get the feeling that the catalog has been chosen by the bookseller: works by Errata Naturae and Acantilado at a more than reasonable price.
Carrer de Marià Aguiló, 124B.
6. Hibernian Books
THE English bookstore in Barcelona. Located in the Grácia neighborhood, it has a small section of new books, but the bulk of its pulp is used. Most of the works here are geared more towards people who already know English.
Carrer del Montseny, 17.
7. Gibernau Bookstore
In Aribau there are a number of bookstores cut from the same cloth and located on the same sidewalk that even though I have frequented them many times, I find it hard to distinguish.
Gibernau, like others on this street, is more of an antique shop than a second-hand bookstore. Put another way: it’s a better place to find an exclusive edition of Amadis de Gaula than a Houellebecq book for €4.
Carrer d’Aribau, 24.
8. Lazarus Long
Having been named after one of the most emblematic characters of the golden age of science fiction, against all odds, this is not a bookstore specializing in science fiction books. On the plus side, prices are fixed and scalable: one book for 3€, two for 5€ and five for 10€. They also have DVD’s.
Carrer de València, 582.
9. Sons of Gutenberg
More than a bookstore, it is one of the many cultural engines that make the Raval a neighborhood with a vibrant artistic activity. With a catalog of books for all audiences (“Even if the only thing you’ve read in your life is Belén Esteban, you’re welcome here,” says bookseller Adrià Rodríguez), Sons of Gutenberg does not confine itself to the concept of a bookstore. Intensive philosophy courses and exhibition curatorships, among many other things, can be found here.
Carrer de Ferlandina, 32.
10. LiberActio
From here, we like that she lets us know what’s new on Facebook. Among their latest ads is a book by Colson Whithead: it’s not a bad option to take the blue line to La Sagrera to read a Pulitzer. Good mandanga at prices ranging between the euro and the classic art ticket (5€). Oh, they also have DVD’s.
Hondures Street, 68
11. El Siglo
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Although in Sant Cugat del Vallès, El Siglo deserved a special mention. This second-hand bookstore has a collection of more than 150,000 books, magazines and documents. It is located in the Mercantic, where they also hold poetry and film series and concerts, among other activities. Surely you will find more than one jewel among its 800 square meters.
Carrer Ermita, 1 (Sant Cugat del Vallès)
BONUS TRACK
12. On The Road Bookstore
This bookstore, in addition to having the best book clubs in the city, has recently installed a temporary second-hand book section. Each copy costs only three euros or two of them for five euros. And there is everything and of the highest quality. Run before they run out.