Munro's Books

Munro's Books is a large independent bookstore in Victoria, British Columbia. Munro's has a staff of 30 and a large children's book section.[1] The store celebrated its 50th anniversary in September 2013.[2]

Munro's Books entrance, 2012

Since 1984 the store has been located in the centre of Victoria's Old Town in a neo-classical building with a 24-foot (7.3 m) coffered ceiling, designed in 1909 for the Royal Bank of Canada by architect Thomas Hooper.[1] Munro's Books has been described by journalist Allan Fotheringham as "the most magnificent bookstore in Canada, possibly in North America."[3]

The store was founded in 1963 by Jim Munro and his first wife Alice Munro, the 2013 Nobel Prize-winning short-story writer; at the start, its stock was mostly paperbacks.[1] According to Jim Munro, Alice Munro began to write after reading some of the bookstore's stock and deciding angrily that "I can write better books than this."[2] Although Alice Munro has not had any relation to the bookstore for decades, the store still receives fan and press calls asking for her.[4]

Renowned textile artist Carole Sabiston,[5] Jim Munro's second wife, created the tapestries that decorate the bookstore.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About Munro's". Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Lederman, Marsha (August 30, 2013). "Munro’s Books boasts a shelf life of 50 years – and counting". Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Canadian Author Alice Munro Wins Nobel Prize In Literature". Agence France-Presse. October 10, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  4. ↑ Campbell, Al; Huang, Xiaonan; Xiaocheng, Ma (October 12, 2013). "Interview: Munro Nobel Prize win boosts Canadian bookstore". Sina English. Xinhua English. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  5. ↑ Carole Sabiston

Coordinates: 48°25′31″N 123°22′06″W / 48.4252°N 123.3683°W / 48.4252; -123.3683

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