Egypt is the world's largest publisher of Arabic books and newspapers, so those who know the language can find almost any type of Arab literature in Cairo. Aside from magazine and paperback stalls along the downtown thoroughfares, good sources include Dar al-Kitab al-Masri wal-Loubnani (on the first floor of 33 Sharia Qasr el-Nil) and Dar al-Maaref (27 Sharia Abdel Khaliq Sarwat); for Islamic heritage books, try Dar el-Tarath (22 Sharia Gumhorriya) and around Ezbekiya Gardens.

 

Unlike most other places in Egypt, Cairo also has plenty of books in foreign languages (chiefly English, French and German). Generally, bookshops charge the original cover price for imported editions - usually at an unfavourable rate. For a huge range of material on all things Egyptian, plus novels, travel guides and dictionaries, visit the American University in Cairo Bookshop (closed Aug) at the back of the main campus (use the entrance on Sharia Mohammed Mahmoud). Also good for fiction, Egyptology and local literature are Shorouk (on Midan Talaat Harb), who seem to have the best prices for AUC publications, and keep a stash of out-of-print literature published by the Egyptian Book Organization (ask if you want to see it). Other good downtown bookshops are Lehnert & Landrock (44 Sharia Sherif) and Reader's Corner (33 Abdel Khaliq Sarwat). The Anglo-Egyptian Bookshop (169 Sharia Mohammed Farid) specializes in Arab politics, history and culture, but has an excellent all-round collection; Al-Ahram (165 Sharia Mohammed Farid) and Madbouli (Midan Talaat Harb) also sell books in English. L'Orientalist (15 Sharia Qasr el-Nil) specializes in rare and antique editions, all of which are pricey. Most of these downtown bookshops are closed on Sunday.

Since the wonderful old booksellers on Ezbekiya have been forced to disperse, few outlets for secondhand books remain. But you can find downtown secondhand bookstalls outside Groppi's on Sharia Qasr el-Nil (fair selection), outside 26 Sharia Talaat Harb (a bit pricey), and on Midan Tahrir between Sharia Champollion and Sharia Qasr el-Nil (mostly pulp novels).