Turkey is a pretty good place to shop for old books, old maps and old prints. There are especially good antiquarian book shops in Istanbul‘s Sahaflar Çarşısı (Old Book Bazaar).
For new books, see my list of the best bookshops in Istanbul.
Some old maps, prints, engravings and lithographs are sold in Çukurcuma (see Antiques), and in a few shops on Galipdede Caddesi going southwest from Tünel Square, at the southwestern end of Istiklal Caddesibetween the Whirling Dervish hall and Galata Tower.
Perhaps the best-known of the antiquarian bookshops here, which sells antiquarian maps, prints and documents as well as old books, is the Librairie de Péra at Galipdede Caddesi No. 22 (tel +90 212 252 3072, auction@LdP.com.tr).
Many of the most valuable items are sold by means of their frequent auctions(müzayede) often held, appropriately, in the orientalist chambers of Istanbul‘s Pera Palas Oteli.
For more info on where and how to buy old books and all sorts of other items, contact Marilyn Hill-Henderson.
Undoubtedly the best place to look for old books and engravings is in Istanbul‘s Sahaflar Çarşısı (Old Book Bazaar), between the Grand Bazaar and the Beyazit Mosque in Beyazıt Square.
The shops with the oldest and most interesting items are arranged along the passage from the street up to the little courtyard. After entering the passage from Çadırcılar Caddesi opposite the Grand Bazaar you will bear to the right and climb some stairs. Browse through the shops right here, and ask their knowledgeable antiquarian proprietors if you’re in search of a particular item.
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