Librairie Galignani, a bookshop on rue de Rivoli since 1801

Librairie Galignani, now on rue de Rivoli, was born in 1801, when Giovanni Antonio Galignani and his wife Ann Parsons opened a French and foreign bookshop on rue Vivienne. It specialised in English, Dutch and German books.

In August 1815 Galignani launched Galignani’s Messenger, a newspaper published until 1904. After his death in 1821 his sons John Anthony and William took over the business, which in the 1830s became the Librairie anglaise A. et W. Galignani.

In 1856 the bookshop moved to its present address; it was entirely destroyed during the siege of Paris in 1870 and 1871. William passed it on to his nephews, Baudry and the Jeancourt brothers. During the Second World War André Jeancourt-Galignani, cut off from English books and refusing to sell German ones, created a fine arts department. The Jeancourt-Galignani family still owns the shop.

On rue de Rivoli, in the 1st arrondissement, it brings together an English department, a French department and that fine arts section, now much prized. There is also stationery, readings and signings, and a search service for out-of-print books.