Literary Tourism
*This is a project to map beautiful spaces that house human knowledge and to aspire curious travel. *
About the Project:
Some argue that stacked bookshelves and piles of books, even if not read, serve as an inspiration and a humbling reminder of vast knowledge accumulated by humans. As we became digital, not the biggest libraries in the world can compete with an online database of knowledge. But I do not believe that a database can raises anxiety and desire to read more. Hence physical presence of books is crucial.
There are only two types of places to witness the overbearing presence of books: bookstores and libraries. And while it’s admirable to support your favorite neighborhood bookstore around the corner, I hold a point of view that visiting bookstores while traveling to other cities and countries can be revelatory. Foreign bookstores will expose new authors and the people who read them. That’s why I have created this project “Literary Tourism” in order to create an easy reference for a traveling bibliophile to look up recommendations for spaces with books while on the road.
I also needed to add libraries. The love of books does not equal ownership or hoarding. With libraries free and open to public, one can read, marvel and browse without spending a dime. In many cities around the world, libraries are the most architecturally impressive structures. Whether a modern architectural masterpiece or a historical superlative of Baroque design, the architects at all times try to make libraries visually striking spaces that celebrate human achievement.
I have contemplated to crowdsource the editing of “literary tourism” - but have decided against it: to prevent bragging and advertising as well as to maintain stylistic consistency. I have long admired travel guides curated by people with a peculiar tastes and tried to make “Literary Tourism” the same way. If you have a suggestion, correction or an edit, please email and I will try to take it into account - or you can download my list and edit as you please. Otherwise this list is curated based on my personal experience and notes from other people who’s taste I admire. “Literary Tourism” is subjective, is biased, is opinionated. It is NOT a list of every store in the U.S. It is a personal account of dream places that house books.
With recent accessibility of travel, more and more people travel to see museums and landmarks. So I don’t consider it farfetched or implausible to travel just to visit a library or a bookstore. While today a book you want to read is just two clicks away, hours of commute and many more hours of browsing shelves can lead to unexpected discoveries and unforeseen adventures.
Sincerely, Anna
** currently I have assembled my map only for US, but I am hoping to add more countries and cities in the future
Tech stack:
- Map is designed with Mapbox GL: https://www.mapbox.com/mapbox-gl-js/api/
- App is made with Express.JS: https://expressjs.com/
- Data is assembled by hand - feel free to use it