Seven Amsterdam bookshops worth writing home about

Amsterdam's bookshops thrive on a history of radical publishing. The American Book Center (ABC) on Spui, dubbed "the best bookstore in the world" by Monocle a decade ago, remains a landmark with its English-language collection and events. Scheltema, founded in 1853 near Dam Square, holds over 125,000 titles and features a literary "walk of fame" with handprints of authors. Island Boekholt in Jordaan stocks international papers and magazines, and is near the Anne Frank House. Minerva in Oud-Zuid is an analogue haven with Dutch fiction and non-fiction, run by Tom and Patricia Dulfer. Boekhandel Over het water in Amsterdam-Noord, run by Jildau de Boer, focuses on minority perspectives and diversity. De Boekhandel van Pampus in Amsterdam Oost, taken over by Mieke van Dooren and Marianne Drissen after founder Carel van Pampus's death, invites lingering with tea and coffee. Java Bookshop in Amsterdam Oost, opened in 2010 by Sanne Fase and Sharon Perlee, feels like a living room with a large English section.