The Globe Corner Bookstore was one of the largest travel book and map retailers in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. It was located at 90 Mount Auburn Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near

Harvard Square Harvard Square is a triangular plaza at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street and John F. Kennedy Street near the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The term "Harvard Square" is also used to delineate the busin ...

. The store provided a full range of travel and outdoor recreation reference materials for a destination: guidebooks, maps, atlases, recreation guides, travel literature, nature guides, photography books, cookbooks, and language products. The company's original store, founded by Patrick Carrier, opened in 1982 in the historic Old Corner Bookstore building in downtown Boston, a continuation of the Old Corner Bookstore rebranded to focus on travel products. Reflecting the shifting dynamics of Boston's retail districts, the company opened its Harvard Square store in 1988 and a location in Boston's Back Bay in 1993. The store launched its web site in the winter of 1995, the first comprehensive travel book site on the web. In 2007, it had over 40,000 pages. The Globe Corner Bookstore's Adventure Travel Lecture Series hosted

Jan Morris (Catharine) Jan MorrisJan Morris, Paul Clements, University of Wales Press, 2008, p. 7 (born James Humphry Morris; 2 October 192620 November 2020) was a Welsh historian, author and travel writer. She was known particularly for the ''Pax Brita ...

, Bradford Washburn,

William Dalrymple William Dalrymple may refer to: * William Dalrymple (1678–1744), Scottish Member of Parliament * William Dalrymple (moderator) (1723–1814), Scottish minister and religious writer * William Dalrymple (British Army officer) (1736–1807), Scott ...

, Bruce Chatwin, Eric Newby,

Paul Theroux Paul Edward Theroux (born April 10, 1941) is an American novelist and travel writer who has written numerous books, including the travelogue, '' The Great Railway Bazaar'' (1975). Some of his works of fiction have been adapted as feature films. He ...

Roger Tory Peterson Roger Tory Peterson (August 28, 1908 – July 28, 1996) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, illustrator and educator, and one of the founding inspirations for the 20th-century environmental movement. Background Peterson was born in Jam ...

, Rory Stewart, and David Allen Sibley, and others. A combination of high rents and the declining fortunes of downtown Boston retail prompted the company to close the downtown branch in March 1997. The company sold its lease at

500 Boylston Street 500 Boylston Street is a 1.3-million square foot postmodern building located in the Back Bay section of Boston and part of the city's High Spine, completed in 1989. It sits next to the landmark Trinity Church, Boston. It dominates the western hal ...

in the Back Bay to Boston Private Bank in December 2000. In 2010, the store's owner put the remaining Cambridge store up for sale, citing personal health concerns—a diagnosis of a seizure disorder. After entertaining several bids, none were found to satisfactorily ensure continued operations of the store and its closing was announced. The Globe Corner Bookstores served its last bricks-and-mortar customer on July 4, 2011, having served over 2 million customers. The website and name were purchased by Brookline Booksmith of

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

in May 2012.

References

External links

Brookline Booksmith website
{{coord, 42, 22, 20.5, N, 71, 7, 11.5, W, region:US, display=title Independent bookstores of the United States 1982 establishments in Massachusetts Bookstores in Massachusetts Companies based in Cambridge, Massachusetts