Are Those the Floorboards Creaking, Or Just My Bones?

A visit to a historically old bookstore.

Howdy! It’s Joey, back with more Fun Fact Friyay. It’s been a little bit since the last edition, and that’s because I was having just the most fantastic time in Portugal (including spending 11 hours in the midst of a nationwide power outage!). In fact, the country is the subject of this fun fact. It must be kismet.

The world’s oldest operating bookstore is in Lisbon, Portugal.

Whenever I visit a new city, I like to try and find something out of the norm that makes the place unique. I’m a sucker for a quirky statue or a wacky attraction. As I planned a trip to Portugal, I started mapping out some of those activities.

Imagine how tickled I was to learn that I was staying a short walk away from Livraria Bertrand, the oldest operating bookstore in the world.

The cafe is not the oldest cafe in the world, though.

Livraria Bertrand is approaching 300 years in existence. Today, the Portuguese book retailer has 59 branches across the country. But the original location in Lisbon’s Chiado neighborhood has been up and running since 1732.

Pedro Faure, a French bookseller, made his way to Portugal and opened up a print shop in Cordoaria Velha. After realizing he was pretty successful, he added a bookstore to his portfolio.

A 1755 earthquake destroyed much of Lisbon, and Livraria Bertrand was no exception. But, much like my “to read” pile, the bookstore grew once again.

The Guinness Book of Records gave the store its “oldest” designation in 2011.

Naturally, I had to walk through the bookstore. I enjoyed seeing funky covers of books I’ve never heard of, and I liked gazing at Portuguese versions of American classics.

My favorite part, however, was simply taking in the charm of hundreds of years of history. Sure, the store has been renovated over the years and feels mostly modern. But there are still some remnants that offer a peek at the past, and that’s a delight.

Coincidentally, when I headed up north to Porto, I also visited Livraria Lello, which has a claim as “the most beautiful bookstore in the world.”

I do not know the veracity of such a claim—a man standing in line ahead of me wondered aloud how many other bookstores Livraria Lello was being compared to—but it was a pretty cool place. The centerpiece is this glorious winding red staircase:

Can you spot all the other people who are also taking photos?

I also walked away with some fun editions of classic collections. I haven’t read either of these (I know, I’m a literary shame), and I love the feeling of small books in my hands. Nothing makes me feel more like a giant.

It might be hard to tell the size here—they’re about as big as a small notepad—but look at these cool covers!

I will buy books never more, never more…until the next bookstore.

So, whether you’re old, beautiful, both, or just excited for the weekend, I hope you find something unique around you that you can admire.