The original secondhand booksellers appeared on Voltaire Quay in Paris (Quai Voltaire) in 1891. Today you can find these green boxes full of books everywhere on the parapets of the Seine from Royal Bridge (Pont Royal) to Sully Bridge (Pont Sully). The size, colour and weight of these boxes meet the statutes of the city government.

Each secondhand bookseller is given not more than 8.2 metres (26.9 ft) to display their books. You can buy old and new books, engravings, posters, dictionaries, encyclopedias, magazines, comics and cards at a discounted price. You are not obliged to buy anything, just enjoy browsing and have a pleasant chat with the secondhand bookseller about Balzac, Flaubert and Stendhal.

Book stalls by the Seine