In this month’s issue of National Geographic Traveler, Shannon’s article, “The Urban Reader,” takes a look at four lesser-known literary cities. Some things for book lovers to do: tour the awe-inspiring Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.; visit poet Pablo Neruda’s house (built for his mistress and muse) in Santiago; dine in a historic cellar restaurant in Stockholm’s Old Town, a longtime haunt of members of the Swedish Academy, which selects the Nobel Prize in literature recipients; and block out time to browse at Blackwell’s Bookshop in Oxford, England, where a single room houses more than 160,000 books. A bonus: places to track down Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective in London, in anticipation of the December big-screen release of Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows.
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September 10, 2011 at 7:25 pm
iwriteinbooks
Oh, fun! I’ve actually done a lot of reading on Santiago as I’m like this die hard, Neruda fan/nerd. I’m totally checking this out. Fun!
September 13, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Brad Wirz
I love this magazine, and I’m glad they took the time to write about the best destination for book lovers that I’ve ever experienced… The Library of Congress is off the beaten path for most, but very much worth an extended visit! Thanks for posting.
September 24, 2011 at 1:24 pm
noveldestinations
The Library of Congress is an extraordinary place and should be on every book lover’s (and history and architectural buffs) itinerary in Washington, D.C. Not only are the tours free, but no reservations are necessary and they take everyone who comes. The day I was there 50-60 people showed up, and they had enough docents on hand to split the crowd into smaller groups of 10-12 for the tour.