I was wandering by the Rock Church today and walked into this bookshop. The owner's wife greeted…read moreme and was very kind and suggested I stay awhile and see the shop, and then another worker did the same! The front is absolutely beautiful, spacious and yet packed with rare books, signed books, all the books you'd want. It's mostly English but there are also French, German, and Spanish books that I saw. I couldn't see the entire store because there was an international conference on JRR Tolkien's languages going on. As in Elvish etc. But I did get to see the pool table (5 euros an hour), foosball, the snake, a model of Helsinki made of transformer parts, etc. etc. They were very helpful and went back to the warehouse to get a box of books that I wanted. They have programs on every night with concerts, lectures, etc. I highly highly recommend making a stop here!

Excellent bookshop, cultural venue, place to hang out, place to organize events, place to study or…read morework. A multicultural hub. Arguably one of the best places in Helsinki

A true independent bookshop, with much character and local flavour. Check out the used books from…read morethe turn of the 20th century and the large collection of old magazines from all eras of the 1900s. Truly, many books and folios I'd never seen before. To be able to spend a day in there browsing through it all!

This is one of my favourite bookstores in Helsinki. I love to climb the ladder and peruse the…read moreoverhead shelves where I can find books on Nordic and Sami history. As I do read Finnish I am never at a loss for finding rare and reasonably-priced books. The selection is vast so I never stay in one area as I am always looking through the entire store. There is one bookshelf devoted to books on language, and not just the Finnic languages. I am eagerly awaiting my next visit to the store in August of this year.

This bookstore is pure magic. The scent of ancient books hits you the second you walk in the door…read more This haven has it all: East Asian philosophy books from the 70s in brilliant condition to communist essays with the pages clinging to their spines by a thread. This store just has the uncanny ability to make you appreciate the minds behind novels, as it doesn't rely on selling greeting cards or calendars. It's just novel after biography after poetry anthology after historical encounter - and I'm sure for Finnish speakers the collection is even vaster, but as an English reader I was still overwhelmed with titles to thumb happily. I snuck into this shop purely to avoid the torrential Helsinki rain and left feeling renewed and excited about the secrets of the universe.

From the owner: The Book Gallery Laterna Magica is a gallery and an antiquarian bookstore. Founded in 1989 it is…read morethe cultural treasure of Kruununhaka district in Helsinki that has hosted over 800 exhibitions. The antiquarian bookstore has a vast collection of books and we specialize in photography and art books. Art gallery has three unique exhibition spaces, one of them a cellar space with a floor that is 1,8 billion years old natural bedrock. Laterna Magica also hosts a variety of weekly events from concerts to book discussions.

From the owner: Myymme edullisesti tieto- ja kaunokirjallisuutta. Suomenkielisten teosten ohella valikoimaamme…read morekuuluu jonkin verran ruotsin-, englannin-, saksan- ja ranskankielistä kirjallisuutta. Valikoimamme on laaja ja kattaa monipuolisesti eri kirjallisuuden lajit.