A book town is a town or village with many

used book A used book or secondhand book is a book which has been owned before by an owner other than the publisher or retailer, usually by an individual or library. Used books typically become available on the market when they are sold or given to a sec ...

or antiquarian

bookstores Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of librari ...

. These stores, as well as

literary festival A literary festival, also known as a book festival or writers' festival, is a regular gathering of writers and readers, typically on an annual basis in a particular city. A literary festival usually features a variety of presentations and readings ...

s, attract

bibliophile Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...

tourists. Some book towns are members of the International Organisation of Book Towns.

List of book towns

Book towns with known dates of operation

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...

, China (17th century) * Jinbōchō, Japan (early 1880s) *

Hay-on-Wye Hay-on-Wye ( cy, Y Gelli Gandryll), simply known locally as "Hay" ( cy, Y Gelli), is a market town and community in Powys, Wales; it was historically in the county of Brecknockshire. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as "the to ...

, Wales (1961) * Redu, Belgium (1984) *

Bécherel Bécherel (; , Gallo: ''Becherèu'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. History During the Roman times the town was positioned close to the important road linking Rennes with Dinan to the north. I ...

, France (1988) *

Montolieu Montolieu (; oc, Montoliu) is a commune in the Aude department in southern France. Sometimes referred to as " Village of Books", Montolieu contains fifteen bookshops, mostly specializing in second-hand and antiquarian books. Many artists al ...

, France (1989) *

Bredevoort Bredevoort (Low Saxon: ) is a small city with city privileges of about 1600 inhabitants in the municipality of Aalten, Netherlands. It is between the towns of Aalten and Winterswijk. Bredevoort has presented itself as ''Bredevoort boekenstad'' ...

, Netherlands (1993) *

Saint-Pierre-de-Clages Saint-Pierre-de-Clages is a village in Switzerland. It is located in the French-speaking part of the Canton of Valais in the municipality of Chamoson. The village of Saint-Pierre-de-Clages was joined with the municipality of Chamoson in 1376. I ...

, Switzerland (1993) *

Fontenoy-la-Joûte Fontenoy-la-Joûte () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. History Fontenoy-la-Joûte has been a book town since 1996, it has about twenty book stores. Demographics See also *Communes of the Meurthe-et- ...

, France (1993) * Mundal, Norway (1995) *

Wigtown Wigtown ( (both used locally); gd, Baile na h-Ùige) is a town and former royal burgh in Wigtownshire, of which it is the county town, within the Dumfries and Galloway region in Scotland. It lies east of Stranraer and south of Newton Stewart. ...

, Scotland (1997) * Zossen-Wünsdorf, Germany (1997) *

Damme Damme () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, six kilometres northeast of Brugge (Bruges). The municipality comprises the city of Damme proper and the villages of Hoeke, Lapscheure, Moerkerke, Oostkerk ...

, Belgium (1997) *

Dalmellington Dalmellington ( sco, Dawmellinton, gd, Dail M'Fhaolain) is a market town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In 2001 the village had a population of 1,407. The town owes its origins to the fault line separating the Southern Uplands of ...

, Scotland (1997, though the last bookseller closed in 2005 and the project has folded.) *

Sysmä Sysmä () is a municipality of Finland. It is situated in the Päijät-Häme region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbouring municipalities are Asikkala, Hart ...

, Finland (4 July 1997) * Mühlbeck- Friedersdorf, Germany (1997) * Kampung Buku Langkawi, Malaysia (3 December 1997) * Archer City, U.S. (1999) * Montmorillon, France (2000) * Southern Highlands, Australia (2000) * Mellösa, Sweden (2001) *

Tvedestrand is municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the town of Tvedestrand. There are many villages in the municipality including Dypvåg, Fiane, Gjeving, Gødder ...

, Norway (2003) *

Sedbergh Sedbergh ( or ) is a town and civil parish in Cumbria, England. The 2001 census gave the parish a population of 2,705, increasing at the 2011 census to 2,765. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies about east of Kendal, nor ...

, England (2003) *

Blaenavon Blaenavon ( cy, Blaenafon) is a town and community in Torfaen county borough, Wales, high on a hillside on the source of the Afon Lwyd. It is within the boundaries of the historic county of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent. Th ...

, Wales (28 June 2003, though the project had folded by March 2006.) * Brownville, U.S. (2004) *

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

, U.S. – Book Village of the Catskills (2005) *

Atherstone Atherstone is a market town and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. Located in the far north of the county, Atherstone is on the A5 national route, and is adjacent to the border with Leicestershire w ...

, England (2005) * Torup,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

(2006) *

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, Californi ...

, South Africa (2006) * Kampung Buku Melaka, Malaysia (17 April 2007) *

Urueña Urueña is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 213 inhabitants. The streets and stone houses have been restored to those of a med ...

, Spain (2007) *

Bellprat Bellprat is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Anoia in Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute ...

, Spain (2008) *

Esquelbecq Esquelbecq (; from ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Its southern limit with Ledringhem is ''chemin de Rubrouck''. Heraldry History In 1436, Wautier de Ghistelles was ''seigneur d'Ekelsbeke et de Ledringhem'' (Lord ...

, France (2010) *

Borrby Borrby is a locality situated in Simrishamn Municipality Simrishamn Municipality ( sv, Simrishamns kommun) is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the city Simrishamn. The creation of the present munic ...

, Sweden (17 July 2011) * Clunes, Australia (2012) * Montereggio, Mulazzo, Italy * Óbidos, Portugal (2015) * Featherston, New Zealand (2015) *

Cervera Cervera () is the capital of the ''comarca'' of Segarra, in the province of Lleida, Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain. The title Comte de Cervera is a courtesy title, formerly part of the Crown of Aragon, that has been revived for Leonor ...

, Spain (2016) * Montblanc, Spain (2017) * Bhilar, India (2017) *

La Pobla de Segur La Pobla de Segur is a municipality located in the comarca of Pallars Jussà, province of Lleida, Catalonia, in northern Spain. According to the 2013 census ( INE), the town has a population of 3,073 inhabitants. It is situated at the confluence ...

, Spain (2018) *

L'Escala L'Escala ( Spanish: ''La Escala'') is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Alt Empordà in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the Costa Brava, located between the southern end of the Gulf of Roses and Cala (bay) Montgó. It is an impo ...

, Spain (2019)

Book towns with unknown dates of operation

* Sidney, Canada * Gold Cities BookTown, Grass Valley, U.S.

References

External links

International Organisation of Book Towns

Catalonia Organisation of Book Towns
{{Books Literary festivals Bookstores Bookselling Types of towns