Among the Parisian particularities, « the bouquinistes » represent, somewhat like « the gondoliers » in Venice, a part of the history of a legendary city.

“The bouquinistes” in Paris are sellers of old books and used to line up on the Seine, on the right bank from the Pont Marie to the Louvre and on the left bank from the Quai de la Tournelle to Quai Voltaire.

A bit of history …
The tradition of booksellers began around the sixteenth century with small peddlers, but their story started some years after in 1606 with the inauguration of the Pont Neuf on which and nearby docks the booksellers had the right to install small shops for an annual fee.

A regulation then prohibited portable shop and the bookstall there, because of the sale of “mazarinades”, pieces of satirical poetry or satirical against Mazarin, the minister of finances at that time. Therefore the booksellers had to withdraw from the bridge without knowing where to go.

In the early eighteenth century they only remained on the Pont-Neuf, the docks and in the streets around Saint-Michel bridge. But Louis XV promulgated a new regulation prohibiting any sale of new and used books on public roads and  many « bouquinistes » were imprisoned.

Under the First Empire, Napoleon first ordered the construction of docks along the Seine and the expansion of existing ones. « The bouquinistes » spread on the « parapets » and were recognized as accredited merchants by the city of Paris, then allowed to put their boxes on the parapets of the docks of the left bank under the Second Empire.

New regulations
Since then they have been under the rules of the Paris City Hall only and got free from different governmental influences.  However in 1930, they had to face very strict regulations, among them :

• forbidden to booksellers to hold another shop in the city;
• working openly  under rain or sun ; no homeless allowed;
• open time of portable shops is the same as the sun : sunrise ; and sunset and this at least 4 days a week

In exchange they get  the authorization to set up 3 boxes of the same green color famous in Paris (Fountains Wallace and columns Morris)  to sell old books, stamps or drawings. No loan nor taxes to pay to the City hall.

They were about 240 « bouquinistes » in 1991, 900 green boxes installed along the Seine as they asked to be on UNESCO world heritage list.

Although the city hall hold a list of many candidates, there are only 215 remaining today.

Why is this number constantly dropping?

Tourists are gradually more interested by touristic souvenirs than old books or posters. In addition the profession has never been easy due to their history and the new regulations, especially the last one in 1993 which limits the selling of miscellaneous objects to one single box only. I agree it is a shame that more Eiffel towers made in China or lockers to be hanged on the next free parapet are more valuable to the eye of some tourists !

But let’s remember the first values of « the bouquinistes » : tradition, desire for freedom and contact with book lovers !

Cet article The bouquinistes in Paris est apparu en premier sur parivf.