Paperback Exchange

Favorite bookshop in Firenze, i bought most of my books here. The staff is always very kind and helpful plus the location is great, right by the duomo. The collection they have is good especially since they even sell second hand books in english

We went to this bookstore three times while visiting Florence from the States. It was wonderful to have a good selection of books in English for me, my husband, and 13-year old son. We all have drastically different preferences and all were able to find something.I felt the prices were reasonable for this store being in the center of Florence. Books were anywhere from 8-15 euros each. My husband even took two books back on our third visit to get some store credit to purchase another book. It was a great experience if you are looking for a book in English!

I could not live without this bookstore. As a British person living in Italy I get almost all my books here and have them sent to my home as I don't live in Florence. They are very responsive and kind, the shipping is fast and inexpensive and they are super helpful when I ask for recommendations. If only everything was as easy as buying books here

Nice bookstore. Owner very nice. They don’t have a lot of newer books so if that’s what you are looking for this is not the place.

Very kind staff, a decent amount of new English books. They are all marked up ( it will say $12.99 UK, but then the sticker is $19.97 euro. So pricy but good.

such a nice place in the heart of Florence! it seems to be stepping in another era, when bookstore were (almost) everywhere. good selection of genres and used books. and good vibes too!

Great selection of books in English. They even had books for younger and older children. We were very happy to replenish our reading on our trip to Florence. Very nice customer service as well.

Was glad to find this place with English books on my trip when I finished the book I was reading. Definitely not a tourist trap like someone mentioned. I go to a used book store often in Canada and it was priced fairly for popular used books!

Great source for English language books. Despite the name, they do stock hardcover as well as new books. The store is clean and well-maintained, books well-organized on the shelves. Impressive quantity of books in stock. I was looking for a copy of of McCarthy's Stones of Florence and of course they had it. Also, a good place to check for the odd, unusual item that makes such a good souvenir - a book on the architecture of the Duomo, or an index of sites in Florence that are referenced in Dante's Inferno. The day I was in the shop, there were some US expats set up at a table providing guidance on absentee ballots etc. to US voters who would be overseas on midterm election days in the fall. How cool is that? Staff is very friendly and helpful, too.

I was thrilled to be in this shop filled with books in English language. I love bookstores. And here was a shop with new and used books. English speaking staff help out. Students studying in Firenze come to the shop to get books for their classes. Beautiful art, history, visual displays...tutti belli cosi!

The Paperback exchange is a little bookshop in the center of florence. I like book shops soo much better than the big bookstore chains because I like being able to walk in a bookstore and being able to say "yes, I smell book." And I get "book smell" in this store. Don't you love it when you pull a book off the shelf, open it up and you smell that musty distinct book smell. It reminds me of when I was in primary/secondary school and was constantly reading fiction books for school . . . when I was reading tons of books. I still love reading, but I don't tend to shop for books that much anymore. I have AUDIBLE (audible.com), it's about the same price as a book, but I can put it on my iphone and listen while I am running, cleaning, or walking about town. Can't read a book then. . . It makes me a little sad though when I think we are losing the physical book more and more. The book exchange means that you can bring in any english paperback and they will buy it from you for 30%of the original price depending on the condition of the book or 40% store credit. I just bought "the periodic table" by italian author Primo Levi, which I am very excited to start. This bookshop only sells books in English. Fiction, Nonfiction, guidebooks, kids books and a section of Italian authors translated in English. I agree with Arianna L. when she expresses her loathing for the english, heard, read and seen all over Florence. Even I feel a bit of English nausea now and then. For example today when I was on the bus, a young American girl stepped on and in a loud overwhelming cheerleader voice asked the bus driver " WHERE IS THE BANK!! , UP THERE ... TO THE LEFT . . OK " i put all these words in capital letters to describe the loudness and firmness in her voice.... I dug my head into my lap until I arrived at my stop. Maybe you just had to be there. I felt embarrassed. But it's true, most people working in Florence can speak basic English. We don't even need to ask first anymore (if they can speak english). or do we? I think about that english joke . . . that as long as you speak english loud enough and slow enough then everyone in the world will understand you .... ; ) *** Lo Paperback Exchange è una piccola libreria inglese nel centro di Firenze. Mi piacciono le librerie specializzate molto di piu' delle grandi librerie, perché mi piace camminare in una libreria ed essere in grado di poter dire "sì, sento odore di libro". E ho sentito "odore di libro" in questo negozio. Non trovate anche voi piacevole quando prendete un libro dallo scaffale, e nell'aprirlo sentire quell'odore tipico di un libro che non e' appena uscito dalla tipografia e che invece ha un odore, quell'odore che non so come dire . . . stantio ? Ricordo quando andavo a scuola e leggevo i libri di narrativa della bibblioteca, sentivo quell'odore. Amo ancora leggere, ma non aquisto più molti libri. Adesso ascolto i libri (audible.com) che alle fine, scaricarli, costa quasi quanto comprare il libro, ma potendoli mettere sul mio iphone e li posso ascoltare mentre sto correndo, mentre faccio pulizia, o cammino per la città, cosa che con un libro tradizionale non sarebbe posibbile. . Quando penso pero a questa cosa la mia sensazione e' un misto di tristezza e preoccupazione perche' sento che stiamo perdendo il libro fisico. The Paperback Exchange, e' un negozio dove puoi vendere il tuo libro che verra' valutato 30% della prezzo della copertina o altrimenti puoi ricevere un buono aquisto pari al 40% della valore del tuo libro . Ho appena comprato di Primo Levi, "tavola periodica", e sono molto eccitata all'idea di iniziarlo. Sono d'accordo con Arianna L. quando lei esprime la non spiccata simpatia per l'onnipresente prezenza della lingua anglosassone sentita, letta e vista dappertutto a Firenze. Anche io sento un po 'di nausea dell'inglese di tanto in tanto. Per esempio oggi, quando ero sul bus, una giovane ragazza americana salita e ad alta voce come fosse una cheerleader ha chiesto all'autista " WHERE IS THE BANK!? UP THERE . . . TO THE LEFT, OK!" (dove e' la banca, lassu' , a sinistra, ok !!) ho messo tutto queste parole in lettere maiuscole per descrivere il volume e la fermezza della sua voce .... Ho nascosto la mia testa in grembo fino a quando sono arrivata alla mia fermata. Forse, avreste devuto essere lì. Mi sentivo in imbarazzo. Ma è vero, la maggior parte delle persone che lavorano a Firenze può parlare un inglese essenziale. Non abbiamo nemmeno bisogno piu' di chiedere prima 'do you speak english?' Penso a quello scherzo inglese. . . che finché tu parli in ingese a voce alta e abbastanza lento, tutti in tutto il mondo ti capisce ....

Paperbacks. Not hardbacks. Not a Barnes and Noble, but interestingly complete in terms of a decent selection of most print works. Fair prices, not a penny paperback joint. Some fun selections, and overall both reasonable and refreshing.

If you need a book in English, in Florence, this is THE place to get it. Yes, the ONLY one. The large Italian chains hold a few copies of a few bestsellers, but Papex specializes in used and new paperbacks. There's an interesting variety, with a bit too much of a "set in Italy" bias, but the prices are much better than new. It's a good place to sell back books you don't want to keep, too. They also have a long-running fidelity card system (stickers on a paper card) so you can eventually get a free book.

When my husband and I travel, we always try to visit a bookstore because we are avid readers. In Florence, this was our stop. The shop is quite comprehensive in the variety of sections it offers, and they offer both new and used titles. We exchanged a book during the visit to receive credit for a new one. It was easy to find a new book I wanted to read. The experience was overall pleasant, but the woman at the register who helped us with our exchange was not friendly. I tried to engage in conversation with her about where in American she was originally from and what brought her to Italy, only to be brushed off with "it's a long story" and that's it. Thankfully I like books more than people, so her snub did not ruin the experience.

The owner has a cocky attitude that he feels he knows the American system better than people living in USA. I honestly thing it is overpriced.. He also agrees that he will refund the money if the book is kept intact , and when you tried to do it he looks for excuses saying that he can not give you the money back and only credit to buy more books. I honestly feel that he is banking on the amount of people looking for books in English or that in many courses they demand a English written book. His approach is I will never see them again and I squeeze one dollar here and another over there. A bad experience considering his attitude and lack of business ethics.

They've got a great selection of books. Great location and close to city center. The staff was especially friendly and offered some great recommendations of special pockets of the city to see for more authentic experience around town.

A very comprehensive English language bookshop with a view of the Duomo. well, sorta! The Duomo is around the corner:P In addition to brand spanking new books, they also buy and sell used books and they are able to order anything you may request if it is not already on the shelfs. FANTASTIC cookbook selection! drool.

How lovely to find an English language book store close by in Firenze when we had finished the books brought with us. Much preferable to browse a real store than downloading. The mystery section is small but several Italian authors in translation that are new to me.

At first this place seems ideal, but I had the most awful experience with the owner, "Maurizio", the most arrogant and unfriendly Italian I've met. If you have read Jose L.'s review (also on this page), I basically had the same experience. As someone who loves reading, I explored a lot of bookshops in Florence. I can guarantee that by far the Paperback Exchange, run by one Maurizio, offers the worst customer service; in fact, the place probably only stays open because it is a monopoly over English language bookstores in Florence and the surrounding area. If you need English-language books, I recommend IBS or Feltrinelli Int'l, both 2 mins away on Via de' Cerretani. They sell more books, are friendly, offer discounts and actually treat you like a human being. Although I was extremely polite and respectful, Maurizio had zero tolerance-- no patience at all for any of my questions about books and prices. Instead of answering nicely or gently or even just with an ounce of respect, he immediately raised his voice at me patronizingly as though I were stupid, in front of all the customers in the shop, which is ironic because he seems to demand a tranquil, quiet atmosphere void of noise! Within 2 minutes of my being there, I had essentially been told that I had 10 minutes to leave. What an arrogant man! As he was raising his voice bitterly at me at the counter, a staff member came to try to help but was also treated disrespectfully by Maurizio and had to walk away. Usually, people run bookshops out of love for books, which is really so wonderful. But Maurizio appears to be in it in order to get money from foreigners unethically. He refused to give me a receipt even though we had a financial transaction. Bottom line: WORST customer service of any store in Florence in my experience. Do not go!! At least I, and several other people who have reviewed this place on this and other websites will never ever return.