According to this NYT article, The French are still going to bookstores. In fact, bookstores in Paris are thriving – and book sales are increasing! Owner of a small publishing house in Paris said “There are two things you don’t throw out in France — bread and books.” Besides their centuries-old reverence for the printed page, there is also the “Lang law” which has fixed prices for French-language books since 1981. And a small organization called Circul’livre determined to preserve the printed book takes over a small street near Montmartre once a month so customers can take as many books as they want – as long as they agree never to sell or destroy them. Yet another reason to love Paris!
Laura
evanstonpubliclibrary.wordpress.com 