电子书时代，塞纳河畔的书摊能活多久？

Paris’ bouquinistes have been a fixture along the banks of the Seine for some 500 years and are determined to keep their profession alive.

The history of Paris’ world-famous book merchants dates back to 1550, when a dozen street vendors set up shop on the Île de la Cité, in the heart of the French capital.

The trade took off with the construction of the Pont Neuf in 1606, the first bridge without buildings atop, offering a vast space for new vendors of portable wares.

By the early 1900s, the city standardized the iconic look of the stalls: sellers worked out of metal boxes painted the same “wagon green” color, and their open lids were designed to preserve the riverbank views.

Today, around 230 booksellers stretch along roughly three kilometers of the Seine, offering antique and contemporary books, engravings, stamps and magazines.

Confronted by change — whether it be e-books or online booksellers — the bouquinistes are determined to survive.

“It’s up to us to make people come, “ said Jérôme Callais, president of the Association Culturelle des Bouquinistes de Paris.

“Here there is eye-to-eye communication between human beings.

We provide an oasis of humanity and culture.”

The most recent threat came from unexpected quarters: the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The bouquinistes had to fight displacement before the Games’ spectacular opening ceremony was held along the Seine.

A public outcry helped them maintain their toehold on central Paris.

Every year, people say, “Oh my God, it’s terrible, the booksellers are dying out, “ bouquiniste Camille Goudeau recounted, “but in fact, we’re still here, and I hope we’ll be here for a long time to come.”