Interesting lady: Sylvia Beach

... And a word on inspiration

Inspired by her friend Adrienne Monnier, who had been one of the first women to found her own bookshop in France, "Amis des Livres", Sylvia Beach set up her own English language bookshop in Paris and she named it "Shakespeare and Company". They were lending bookshops, where they organized readings and supported the the work of young writers.

Sylvia Beach was the first publisher of James Joyce's Ulysses

Many years later, Mr. George Whitman went on to open his own English language bookshop, and also named it Shakespeare and Company, with the intention of preserving the spirit of the original store .

It is currently run by George Whitman's daughter.

And guess what her name is...Sylvia Beach Whitman.

Photos from the literary traveler and Parler Paris

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