istambul kitabevi-bookstores

D'you have English Books? = İngilizce kitap var mı?

Java Cafe, (212-518-7663) Su Terazisi Sokak 9A, Sultanahmet.  (news)
Virginia, the owner, has a couple of bookcases chock full of books ready to be exchanged. While her official book exchange is held on Sunday afternoons, she is happy to see you any time the cafe is open. There is also www.sublimeportal.com, an online community for expats and re-pats that hosts monthly book exchanges at different venues every month. The good thing about this forum is that the exchanges are held all over İstanbul -- both on the Anatolian and the European sides so that all can easily participate.


Çaglayan Kitabevi was founded over half a century ago, in 1952 and throughout the years they became one of the biggest booksellers in the whole country, especially in the field of academic books. The bookstore is located in Beyoglu, a very popular and pedestrian-full district in the European part of Istanbul, near the Çiçek Pasaji (or the Flower Passage).

The main customers at Çaglayan Kitabevi are students, university professors and academics, but also local people and tourists with interests in academic titles. The offer of the bookstore is neatly divided into categories based on the subject. The stock consists of a mixture of titles in Turkish and English. This bookstore wouldn't be the best place to go looking for the latest fiction novels, but you'll surely find what you need on psychology, philosophy, law, economy or marketing, but also art , architecture and lots of others. Then there are also science related books from the fields of chemistry and physics and even astronomy and meteorology, etc. The full list of categories can be found on the bookstore's website.

Recently, Çaglayan Kitabevi has opened another branch near the Dogus Universiy and Yeditepe University in Besiktas. This branch goes by the name of Bahçeşehir Üniversitesi Bookstore and Cafe and their motto is "All book lovers may feel themselves at home in a decent environment..." - and we are certain that Mr. Çaglayan really does his best to make the visitors of his bookstores feel this way - like at home.

Bahçeşehir University Bookstore & Cafe, being located near universities, stocks mostly university books but also fiction, together with travel and reference sections. People of many different nationalities often make a stop here and, besides browsing, can get a cup of coffee, one of the herbal teas from all over the world or even a piece of American cheesecake.

Çaglayan Kitabevi
Address: Istiklal Caddesi No:76
Tokatliyan Is Hani K.1/7-8
Beyoglu, Istanbul

Website: http://www.caglayan.com


Homer books. Meczko said: "A bit academic-oriented, wide selection but not cheap. Perhaps a place to ask for books or maps if you are planning hiking in Turkish mountains (not sure about it anymore, but back in 2001 it was the only place in Istanbul one could get some hiking guides)."

Surprisingly, many English-language books are published in Turkey (in addition to lots of Turkish-language books, and translations into Turkish of popular English-language books). Homer Books also publishes books in English. Here you'll easily find dozens of books in English of any aspect of Turkish life and culture that may interest you: art, architecture, cuisine, customs, history, language, music, religion, theater and society.
Homer Kitabevi is Turkey's biggest English bookstore. Fast delivery and free shipping inside Turkey. They are also a publishing house which, besides their own titles sells titles of various other English book publishers such as Penguin, Random House, OUP, CUP, Longman, Macmillan, Tachen, Harper Collins and many others.
Homer Kitabevi
Address:Yeni Çarşı Caddesi 12/A
34433 Galatasaray
İstanbul






Website: http://www.homerbooks.com/

The Greenhouse bookshop. Lynne Said: "I wanted to tell you about a bookstore which has two floors of English language books with a wide range of adults and children's books. It is Greenhouse and is situated on the Asian side of the Bosphorous (unlike the other bookstores you have listed which are all on the European side) in Istanbul. It is warm and friendly, staff speak English and Turkish and there is also an excellent website. For ex-pats and travelers alike, it is a great place to find out what is happening on our side of the city, where anyone, anywhere, can order books that are stocked by the Greenhouse Book company - with door to door delivery. Departments include Turkish history, novels set in Turkey, Turkish authors translated into English, travel in Turkey, arts, Islam, politics and culture. Books for learning Turkish. There is also the latest novels and the LARGEST choice of children's books in English in the whole of Istanbul."

As Lynne has already pointed out in her wonderful recommendation, the next bookstore to be added to our Guide in 2009 is geographically located outside of Europe. To avoid any confusion, we haven't decided to expand our Guide yet. But as we already list several bookstores from Istanbul, and considering the specific location of the city and the fact, that we absolutely prefer accepting recommendations we receive from our readers to rejecting them, we agreed on including Greenhouse Kitap. So for now, this is the only bookstore in the Guide which can be found on non-European soil.

The Greenhouse bookshop has been providing English books to the Asian part of Istanbul since 1996, when it was founded by Charlotte McPherson, an American expat living in Turkey. The bookstore originally included a café, directly integrated into its premises. In December 2007, the bookstore moved to its present location at 17 Dumlupinar Sokak and it no longer includes a café. What it certainly does include is a great amount of carefully selected books. Two floors packed with English titles hold more than 70 thousand books. Two sections of the bookstore's stock stand out among the rest and are considered to be the best in the whole city - the section devoted to books on the city of Istanbul and on Turkey and the children's section. The offer is very up-to-date, as around 1500 new books arrive to the bookstore each month. And since Greenhouse Kitap imports directly from the UK, the prices are the same or below the original cover price.

A few years into its existence, Greenhouse also entered the domain of publishing, and it now manages to put out several titles a year, mostly focused on the history and culture of Turkey. Greenhouse Kitap also tries to serve as some sort of community place for the expat population in Istanbul - interesting seminars, discussions and even Turkish language courses for all levels take place in the seminar room of the bookstore.

Greenhouse Kitap
Address:
Dumlupinar Sok 17 (Kadiköy)
Istanbul










Website: http://greenhousekitap.info

Pandora Kitabevi, just off Istikal Caddesi near Taksim Square in the part of Istanbul called Beyoglu, sells both English and Turkish books in its attractive, modern shop. Books in English about Turkey are mostly on the ground floor, but a large part of the English-language collection is upstairs, so look there as well.

Pandora is a brilliant little place in the heart of Beyoglu, with helpful English-speaking staff. The shop is spread out over three floors and the top level is totally devoted to English-language titles. There is an edifying range of contemporary fiction, as well as the classics. Books of local and international poetry and art tend to be popular with curious ex-pats. Shelf upon shelf of local interest books and guides line the walls and there is even a decent history section. Colourful flyers and posters adorn the windows advertising what's going on around town.

Pandora Bookstore
Address:
Büyükparmakkapi Sokak 3
Istanbul, 34443







Website: http://www.pandora.com.tr