The author and illustrator, inspired by an assignment for The New Yorker, chose 75 independent bookstores from around the world and painted a watercolour of each storefront. Superimposed on these illustrations are quotes or stories about each shop, told by the owner, an employee, or a customer. Some have a definite 'wow' factor, some are sweet, some are funny. At the back of the book are a collection of stories that didn't fit into the book but couldn't be left out.

All of them reaffirm my desire to own a bookshop someday. ( )

This book was quite a treat! Made to be more of a book you peruse, a possible coffee table book, I couldn't help but read it all at once. The beautiful paintings & anecdotes that accompany each store are just fantastic. The book is heavy on stores in NYC. I would've enjoyed a bit more variety, but still very nice. My only complaint is that the cover opens from the top, but the pages open to the side. I kept thinking I was going to ruin the book! ( )

This was a cozy little book perfect for reading on this incredibly cold day. It contains beautiful paintings by the author along with short descriptions and anecdotes about bookstores around the world. ( )

Beautiful paintings of seventy-five bookstores around the world. Most of which are in the United States. Most of which are in New York City. I mean, I like NYC as much as the next girl, but after a certain point, I was like, "I get it! Every bookstore in NYC is great! NYC is great! But aren't there other great bookstores in other places, too?"

I guess I just didn't get this book and what it wanted to be. I enjoyed flipping through it, but I can't imagine buying it. ( )

Book Jacket:
From the beloved New Yorker cartoonist comes a collection of paintings and stories from some of the world’s most cherished bookstores.

This collection of 75 evocative paintings and colorful anecdotes invites you into the heart and soul of every community: the local bookshop, each with its own quirks, charms, and legendary stories.

The book features an incredible roster of great bookstores from across the globe and stories from writers, thinkers and artists of our time, including David Bowie, Tom Wolfe, Jonathan Lethem, Roz Chast, Deepak Chopra, Bob Odenkirk, Philip Glass, Jonathan Ames, Terry Gross, Mark Maron, Neil Gaiman, Ann Patchett, Chris Ware, Molly Crabapple, Amitav Ghosh, Alice Munro, Dave Eggers, Garrison Keillor and many more.

Page by page, Eckstein perfectly captures our lifelong love affair with books, bookstores, and book-sellers that is at once heartfelt, bittersweet, and cheerfully confessional. ( )