Shakespeare and Co.

On to Shakespeare and Co. hard by Notre-Dame Cathedral in a fruitless quest to find some first editions of Penguin Books. There were some likely candidates but they were invariably stacked at the top of dizzying bookcases accessible only by ladder. I couldn't very well ask one of the assistants to clamber up and fetch them down for me as there was no way of telling whether they corresponded to what I was looking for, as I only had the numbers to go by. I did actually venture up a few rungs myself but the ladders were virtually vertical on account of the limited space available and I was loth to bring the whole bookshelf crashing down around or, even worse, on top of me.

Still, one shouldn't complain as this is after all the charm of second-hand book shops, and I would certainly recommend a visit to Shakespeare and Co. if you happen to be up this way.