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Bibliophile Alert: Places To Visit In New Orleans If You Are A Book Lover

In this personal essay, a bibliophile shares his literary adventures during a visit to New Orleans, the jazz capital of the world, exploring the city’s vibrant bookshops, hidden gems, and unique book culture

The storefront of Dauphine Street Books in New Orleans Photo: Scott Colesby/Shutterstock
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In May 2023, I was in New Orleans, also called “The Big Easy,” a city which is globally renowned for its jazz and cuisine. Yet, like others before me, I had just discovered that this quaint city had many wonderful bookshops, too. But which biblioaddict can be satisfied with just one bookshop? The ones I had the pleasure of visiting, and which I detail below, sold mostly used books: Beckham’s Bookshop, Dauphine Street Books, Arcadian Books and Prints, and Crescent City Books. I found out soon enough that all of their booksellers were notoriously social media shy—and, in fact, averse to even using email, except for bare essentials.