Barcelona Books

La Central del Raval, C. Elisabets, 6 (☎902 88 49 90; www.lacentral.com and www.centralcafe.com), off La Rambla in El Raval. Catalunya. Literature and nonfiction in 7 languages in a spacious bookstore and cafe (a rare combination here in Barcelona), born in 1693 as the Gothic-style Església de la Misericòrdia. Pocket Catalan/English and Catalan/Spanish dictionaries €12. Open M-F 10am-9:30pm, Sa 10am-9pm. AmEx/MC/V.
Come in Librería Anglesa, C. Balmes, 129 (☎934 53 12 04; www.libreriainglesa.com). English books and a selection of classic novels. Bulletin boards feature ads for travel partners or language instructors. Open M-Sa 9:45am-2pm and 4:30-8:15pm. MC/V.
Documenta, C. Cardenal Casañas, 4 (☎933 17 25 27; www.documenta-bcn.com), just steps off La Rambla, located in the old Cu-Cut! publishing house, which was forcibly shut down by the army in the 1930s. Decent selection of English novels and travel guides. Open M-Sa 9:30am-8:30pm, Su and holidays 11am-2:30pm and 5-8:30pm. AmEx/MC/V.
FNAC (www.fnac.es) has 3 locations: Triangle mall in Pl. Catalunya (☎933 44 18 00; open M-Sa 10am-10pm), Catalunya; Av. Diagonal, 3-35 (☎935 02 99 00; open M-Sa 10am-10pm), Besòs Mar; L’Illa Centre Comercial, Av. Diagonal, 557 (☎934 44 59 00; open M-Sa 10am-9:30pm), María Cristina. AmEx/MC/V.
Happy Books, C. Pelai, 20, (☎933 17 07 68; www.happybooks.com). Universitat. A good selection of Barcelona guidebooks in both English and Spanish (€10), English/Catalan and English/Spanish dictonaries, and English-language novels downstairs. Open M-Sa 10:30am-8:30pm. MC/V.
Hibernian Secondhand English Bookshop, C. Montseny, 17 (☎932 17 47 96; www.hibernian-books.com). Fontana. Walk down C. Gran de Gracía and make a left on C. Montseny. Book lovers will experience glee upon discovery of this small shop selling secondhand English books. Divided by genre (art, philosophy, thriller). Shelf of €1 books (mostly romance novels) at back of store. Open M 4-8:30pm, Tu-Sa 10:30am-8:30pm.
The Watergate Bookshop, Pl. Vicenç Martorell, 2 (☎933 43 58 38). Catalunya. Walk down Las Ramblas, make a left on C. Elisabets, and then the 1st right onto C. de les Ramelleres. The plaça is on the right, and the restaurant is in the far right corner. Alternatively, Catalunya. Walk down C. de Pelai and make a left onto C. de les Ramelleres; the plaça is about 3min. down, on the left. “Strange and rare books for insane minds,” read advertisements for the Watergate Bookshop. After several weeks of backpacking through Europe with your college roommates, you should have a good sense of which one to send here. He or she can leaf through “The Anarchist Cookbook,” or buy the President Obama paper dolls that they’ve been searching for. Open M 4:30-9pm, Tu-Sa 11am-2:30pm and 4:30-9pm. MC/V.