Our annually updated list of some of the city’s best English-language bookstores…
Another Country
Named as one of the top ten bookshops in the world by Lonely Planet, Kreuzberg’s Another Country is one of Berlin’s longest-running literary/intellectual salons for the English-speaking crowd. A good chunk of its 20,000-odd books are for loan, not sale (bring a book back and the purchase price is refunded, minus €1), while about ten percent of stock functions as a reference library, available only to read in-shop. The owners also run a second shop for events… Read more….
Bildband
In January 2015, Bildband opened its doors at Immanuelkirchstrasse 33 in Prenzlauer Berg. The shop’s main emphasis is on photography with the front of the shop devoted entirely to photo books; a mix of classics, re-issued and new or contemporary titles as well as rare, out of print and sample books. Established favourites such as Vivian Maier and Robert Polidori are well represented as are works by emerging or less well-known talents.
A second room contains books on art, architecture and design. Bookseller Thomas Gust explains that new stock is arriving constantly and many of the books are discounted by 50-70%. The shop holds regular events such as book launches and monthly exhibitions, and presentations by the Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie also take place here.
Curious Fox
Down the street from the above-ground U1/U3 Görlitzer Bahnhof U-bahn station and across from a children’s playground, Curious Fox has found its new home. Although not as spacious as their first place, their new location in a souterrain has an intimate feel where you can get lost browsing the shelves. Maintaining their collections of both new and used English-language books, it’s hard not to leave Curious Fox with a new book in hand. They also offers a 3-for-1 trade, in which you may trade in three used books for one used book. This also means that their collection of used books is constantly shifting and you never know what you might find next time. With a pair of chai…