News & Updates Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne
Positive outcome of a large international campaign: The Paris Bouquinistes will not be removed during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris
Since their inception in the 1500s, these stalls have been part of the Parisian literary culture. They have survived revolutions, Haussmann and the Occupation. To this day, they are part of the fabric of the city's cultural life. What book lover has not stopped at one of these stands during a visit to Paris? How unthinkable is it to take a picture or a walk along the Seine without admiring some of the quirky and charming displays?
In August 2023, the City of Paris announced its plans to remove the stands as a security measure for the forthcoming Olympic Games. However, this plan caused a storm of indignation. French and international media covered the story, petitions were drawn up and the Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne (SLAM) joined the support of its antiquarian colleagues. SLAM President Jean-Marc Dechaud and his board contacted ILAB and addressed all national member associations at the Presidents' Meeting in Stockholm in September.
ILAB then drafted a petition which was signed by all member associations, the ILAB Committee and several Presidents and Members of Honour. ILAB President, Mario Giupponi, wrote: “The international bookselling community of professional rare booksellers has expressed its serious concerns to me and the executive committee. We firmly believe that the removal of these historic stalls will inflict irreparable damage upon structures that have been at the heart of literary and cultural transfer for centuries. The bouquinistes' stalls are an indispensable part of France's cultural heritage, representing an intangible legacy that must be safeguarded and perpetuated.”
Now the tide has turned and thankfully a positive end to the campaign can be reported. President Macron intervened and a statement from the Elysee presidential palace said Macron asked France’s Interior Minister and Paris police “to ensure that all booksellers are preserved and that none of them be forced to move.” Macron, it said, considered “les bouquinistes” of the Seine an example of the “living heritage of the capital.”
Jean-Marc Dechaud, President of SLAM has expressed his thanks to his international colleagues: "SLAM is delighted with the outcome of the campaign to safeguard the bouquinistes' stalls in Paris. As booksellers we all stood together to protect the literary heritage of our city and I would like to thank our international colleagues for the support from around the world. Without hesitation, all the national member associations of ILAB, the members of the ILAB Committee and some individual booksellers signed our petition, we are grateful for this generous gesture and we are certain it contributed towards this positive result." (Jean-Marc Dechaud, President of SLAM, 27 February 2024)
Bibliophiles and anyone wandering along the Seine can continue to enjoy the delightful offerings and charming boxes of the bouquinistes, which hold material for every budget and have turned many a casual shopper into a book collector.