CYNTHIA D. BERTELSEN

I’ve spent many happy hours strolling along the River Seine in Paris, browsing through the many book stalls (bouquinistes) dotting the parapet of the river.

One of THE most emblematic symbols of Paris, aside from Notre Dame and croissants and the Eiffel Tower, the bouquinistes along the Left and Right banks of the River Seine have plied their trade there for over 500 years. Browsers today may choose from over 226 stalls to peruse. All open at different times, of course.

Ranging on the Right Bank Bank, from Pont Marie to Quai du Louvre, and on the Left, from  Quai de la Tournelle to Quai Voltaire, these stalls – officially required to be Carriage Green, the same color as Parisian park benches, antique signs, and city railings – the bouquinistes have seen a lot of history.

Take Carriage Green, for example.

There’s a rather gruesome story behind that shade of green.

King Louis XVI rode in a green carriage to the Place de la Concorde to be guillotined. And thus a tradition began. That tradition is now law, as bouquinistes‘ stalls must be that color (wagon vert) as well. In addition, sellers are obligated to stay open four days a week. While on one of those days, a family member or employee may man the stalls, the law requires owners to be there three days.

After the French Revolution of 1789, the libraries of many wealthy nobles and landowners ended up with the bouquinistes. If the books weren’t burned or otherwise destroyed by angry mobs, that is.

UNESCO deemed these stalls officially as a World Heritage site in 1992.

Long known for selling clandestine tracts aimed against the government and especially the powerful Catholic Church, the bouquinistes in some instances may well have changed history itself. In fact, the bouquinistes played a role in the French Revolution. But that’s not all. Not surprisingly, some bouquinistes allowed their stalls to be used as letter drops by the Resistance during World War II, right under the enemy’s nose.

German soldiers became avid customers and were often spotted browsing the stalls, too.

Want to become a bouquiniste in Paris?

Anyone can become a bouquiniste, but there’s a waiting list, currently eight years long! Bouquinistes pay no taxes, the only sidewalk sellers thus exempt in the city. However, they must buy their metal boxes – four – and pay rent to the City of Paris, something around 100 euros. Only one of the boxes may be filled with touristy material. Not all bouquinistes sell tourist gimcracks like miniature Eiffel Towers or berets.

Not a bad way to make a living, perhaps, but think of the rain, wind, and occasional snowy weather …

And as for the flapdoodle over the 2024 Olympics, the bouquinistes won that fight.

If yu would like to see some of the items for sale, check out the official site for the Bouquinistes of Paris.