Bookstores in the Netherlands

I went to 10+ bookstores in different Dutch cities including The Hague, Amsterdam, Leiden, Harlaam, and Delft to study trends in Dutch bookstores and the difference between American and Dutch bookstores. Now I love bookstores in general, so I knew I was going to be thrilled with whatever I found, but they have gone so far beyond my expectations. 

There have been lots and lots of sprayed edges in both Dutch language books and English books or other various ‘limited edition’ versions. Although I found more in Dutch. In fact, there were a couple Dutch versions with limited edition details and edges that I have been trying to find in English and was seriously tempted to buy in Dutch just so my series would match. There are also more textured covers and details here and much more emphasis on cover art. 

You will find several different copies for some books in the same store. For example, I found four or five different covers of Pride and Prejudice, all staggeringly beautiful. There were even multiple limited-edition versions of new books as well (I attached a picture). There seems to be a focus on the art of the book cover and a value of the creativity behind the entire book. This makes sense considering how much art we’ve seen here and how we’ve learned the Dutch value letting their children develop a sense of creativity. Much to my surprise, most Dutch bookstores have a section for books in English. They also have sections for specifically Dutch literature (just like they do in Ireland) that we don’t really see in America. There are also bookstores exclusively in English. There also seem to be less chains than in America, or even in Ireland which I've recently visited. The closest thing would be the American Book Company having 3 locations. One of my favorite bookstores was a cafe and bookstore in The Hague called, simply, Bookstor. Apparently it is a very popular local spot, especially for students.