Bookstores

A big part of my trip was browsing German bookstores for books and lots else. I am a media junkie, I read and collect books, CDs and videos and with a burning desire to learn about what could be found in Germany, I could not pass a bookstore without going inside.

My favourite haunt was Dussmann in Berlin, located quite conveniently in the Friedrichstraße and open Monday to Saturday to midnight. I was there until closing about a half dozen times during my six weeks in Berlin. They call it the Kulturkaufhaus, literally the cultural department store, with stock on display on five floors. A highlight of my visits to Dussmann was calling my friend Glen to tell him I'd found an obscure CD from one of his favourite 70s bands Sweet.

Another chain I found in both Berlin and in München was Hugendubel, with their locations on the Kurfürstendamm and near the Marienplatz in München being my most frequently visited locations. Thalia is another chain, and the nicest store of theirs I visited was in Hamburg, with a view of the Binnenalster from the Europa Passage. I found them in Berlin and Reutlingen as well.

Finally, a great local chain in Württemberg was Osiander, with a location in the Wilhelmstraße in Reutlingen and three locations concentrated in the old town in Tübingen.

Two special stores I found were related to maps and travel. They may have been somewhat underwhelming since German bookstores have enormous travel sections, but Schropp in Berlin and Dr. Götze in Hamburg are must-visit stores if you are interested in maps, travel guides, posters, globes and such. (When I visit Seattle, I make sure to visit Metsker Maps just outside of Pike Place.)

For online book ordering, I'm still a fan of amazon.de. Their selection of more than books is fantastic, and they allow me to maintain a Wish List, as well as keep a record of books that I've bought.

When I started looking for German reference books in stores, I thought I would look for a series called "Der Kleine Duden", but I found that despite the higher costs, the books in the regular "Dudenreihe" were much more satisfying to use and read. My first purchase was Volume 4, Die Grammatik, followed by Volume 9, Richtiges und Gutes Deutsch. Die Grammatik is obvious enough, Richtiges und Gutes Deutsch is more of about German usage. The best-selling book in the Duden series is Volume 1, Die Deutsche Rechtschreibung, which isn't really what I would consider a dictionary (the definitions of words are far too terse for that) but is intended primarily as a guide to correct spelling and word breaks. This book could always be found at a promotional price, probably to get people to start collecting all twelve volumes of the Duden series, but I chose instead to buy a copy of the Deutsches Universalwörterbuch (with the CD). All of these books are now prizes in my collection--they are so nicely made and so interesting to read! I can't look up something without getting immersed in some other topic...