Bookish Browsing

Boston’s Literary District

Boston is the first city in the country to host an official Literary District. In essence, it’s a hub of historic sites, bookshops, writing workshops, and literary events. Check out the online calendar of events and the map. Highlights include the Poe statue on the corner of Charles and Boylston Streets, the Khalil Gibran Memorial, the Brattle Book Shop, Peter Stern’s antiquarian bookshop, Bromer Booksellers (and their new gallery), and the former residences of a long list of literati, from Margaret Fuller to John Updike.

Courtesy of Boston Literary District

Omni Parker House

Mark Twain slept here, and so did Charles Dickens. If you’re looking for a hotel, restaurant, or bar with literary charm, all fingers point toward the historic Omni Parker House on School Street. In days of yore, the Omni played host to the Saturday Club, whose members included Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Russell Lowell, Louis Agassiz, Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Also, there’s terrific Boston cream pie.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

WardMaps

If maps or vintage transit are your thing, check out WardMaps at 1735 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. A family business, WardMaps sells antique nineteenth- and early twentieth-century cadastral (often called real estate or plat) maps, as well as cartographic and transit-themed specialty gifts. They are the official merchant for merchandise from Boston's public transit agency, the MBTA.

Courtesy of WardMaps