Henry James may have had famously mixed feelings about the northern Italian city of Turin, but we like to think that’s only because he apparently never had a chance to visit the Libreria Internazionale Luxemburg, one of the city’s oldest, most prestigious bookshops—and one that provides a unique, gratifying showcase for Library of America (photos, below).
Founded in 1872, Libreria Luxemburg assumed its present identity after being bought in 1974 by Angelo Pezzana, a prominent local bookseller who was also an active member of Turin’s gay and Jewish communities. Now run by two booksellers who took over the business from Pezzana after working with him for years, the store is known for hosting numerous author events and for its role in helping to organize the annual Turin Bookfair.
It’s also celebrated as a center for international literary culture; in 2015, for instance, the Argentine newspaper Clarín named Libreria Luxemburg one of the Top Ten bookshops in the world. A “well-stocked Judaica section” sits on the first floor, and the second floor carries fiction and nonfiction in English, French, German, and Spanish.
As the photos demonstrate, Library of America holds a place of honor in this distinguished context. To which we can only say: Grazie, amici!
And, to any LOA readers who happen to find themselves in Turin—don’t pass up the opportunity to visit no. 7, Via Cesare Battisti, and do some serious browsing.
(Special thanks to Veronique Mangini for the above photographs.)
