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Buenos Aires, Argentina > Buenos Aires attractions > Libreria Romano Libreria RomanoJunin 317 (@ Sarmiento); Tel. + (11.54.11) 4951.9476
Almost every second-hand bookstore owner in Buenos Aires will be able to point you to a couple of dusty novels, or abridged classics which students learn English by. Libreria Romano is the exception par excellence. Not only does Romano have an enormous selection of old, rare, and out of print books in English, German, French, and Spanish, but they have them at peso prices. Hidden away on a quiet street in Once, six blocks from Congress, Romano provides an alternative to the boutique second-hand English bookstores such as Walrus, by providing a quantity to sift through. Amongst the quantity is an enormous amount of paper which would have been better off if it had never been cut from the Amazon: trashy novels, and political speculation four decades past its use-by-date. Libreria Romano seems just another small store from the street, but upon entering its cavernous scope is revealed. Almost. Because, while the second story is dedicated to the Biblioteca (library) Quiroga Sarmiento, the basement houses twice as many books as are on the first floor. In the basement there is often a row of books piled behind the first row. After requesting permission to check the basement stock the store-owner smiled, and pointed to a small wall mounted security monitor. Descending the stairs, leaving the sunshine behind, and entering into the spacious gloom a picture of Pulp Fiction’s ‘Bring out the Gimp’ basement scene flashed into my mind. But the only debauchery to be had was monster savings! Selected Plays of Oscar Wilde: $4AR. First edition of Aldous Huxley’s Science, Liberty, and Peace: $20AR. 1928 hardback edition of D.H. Lawrence’s The Man who Died: a paltry $6AR. Art fiends should check out the basement selection of vintage Argentine magazines for all their collage making needs. My advice for the Buenos Aires bookworm is to visit Libreria Romano before all the best titles are snapped up. —Libreria Romano review by Murdoch Stephens
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