Voltaire and Rousseau, Otago Street, West End, Glasgow
Here we see the happy chaos of one of Glasgow's most famous second hand bookshops. Fortunately one no longer sees the staff smoking amongst the stacks, (that made me jittery), but cups of tea still get passed to from one to the other of the faces peering between the piles on the counter. So why is such a scene included in a collection of architectural splendour and heritage?
Well if you have a penchant to seek out sources of architectural history you will already know why.
This is the best place to come for architectural bargains in print. Or find, with some luck, some old edition of a long sought after book. Only a few are architectural. Many are of history. Perhaps archaeology or art. Most are about this, that and much else. The filing system is mysterious. Books fall as you try to prise out something that catches your eye from further down the pile. There is a hushed whisper. I have no idea why as you and the other patrons all have similar quests. Then the sound of falling book. Some Council officials must have restless nights about its safety. But any order would cramp its charm.
I wouldn't have it any other way. Long may it continue. Long may musty print outdo apps on tablets. I have found a few treasured books there, but never the ones I went in for.
I believe these piles of old books deserve a place in my selected collection on built heritage. If you don't too, then it is unlikely you have visited it yet.
The bookshop's own website: http://www.voltaire-rousseau.co.uk
And others that you may also find entralling : https://visit-glasgow.info/shopping/top-ten-bookshops-in-glasgow/
