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Where to find English-language books in Austria

Hayley Maguire
Hayley Maguire - [email protected] • 18 Oct, 2022 Updated Tue 18 Oct 2022 14:09 CEST
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Finding English books in Austria is easier in the bigger cities. (Photo by Burst / Pexels)

It can be hard to find English books in Austria, but not impossible. Here are some top recommendations without having to resort to ecommerce websites like Amazon.

For many English-speaking international residents in Austria, buying books in English often means ordering from places like Amazon. Especially for those that live outside of the main cities.

But for people that live in Vienna, Graz and Salzburg, there is a variety of places where you can find English books.

Here's a selection of some of the top spots for English-language books in Austria.

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Book shops

In Vienna, a popular bookshop is Shakespeare & Company, which has been located on Sterngasse in the first district since 1982.

It sells a variety of books ranging from classic and modern fiction to science fiction and graphic novels. The store also stocks academic and children’s books. Plus, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, the owners are happy to order it.

Shakespeare & Company is open from Monday to Saturday, 9am to 8pm. 

Thalia is a chain of book shops in Austria, Germany and Switzerland with a large store in Vienna on Mariahilfer Strasse. 

This store has a section dedicated to English-language books, including top-selling novels, non fiction, thrillers and children’s books.

Thalia is open from 9am to 7pm Monday to Wednesday, from 9am to 8pm on Thursday and Friday, and from 9am to 6pm on Saturday. Thalia stores can also be found in Salzburg, Linz, Graz and several other cities across Austria.

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In Vienna, another popular shop selling English books is Morawa on Wollzeile.

Morawa is predominantly a German-language book shop, but does have a section of foreign language books (Fremdsprachiger Bücher), including books in English.

At the time of writing, their top ten English books included bestsellers like Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney, and Never by Ken Follett.

In Salzburg, The English Centre has a focus on educational reading material for children, but it also stocks adult and young adult books.

Additionally, The English Centre runs events like flea markets and roundtable discussions, as well as regular book clubs and English courses for adults and children.

The English Centre is located on Haunspergstrasse and is open from 11am to 5pm on Monday to Friday, as well as 9am to 1pm on Saturday.

Book fairs

The International Women’s Association of Graz (IWA) holds an annual English Book Fair

The next event takes place on Saturday October 22nd from 9am to 2pm in an event space next to Heilandskirche on Kaiser-Josef-Platz. 

The IWA says there will be a range of books from non-fiction novels to children’s literature and illustrated books.

Anyone wishing to sell books at the fair can drop them off at the venue before the event.

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Libraries

Most towns and cities across Austria have libraries with a section dedicated to Fremdsprachiger Bücher – even in rural areas.

And in Vienna, around 47,000 of the 1.3 million books in the city’s libraries are foreign language books (not just English).

Then there are honesty libraries, where residents leave books in phone boxes, at leisure centres or in other public places for other people to take. There are often English books available, so keep an eye out for them.

Book clubs and subscription services

Adventurous Ink is a book club and subscription service. It specialises in books written about adventures (hence the name) and offers subscriptions ranging from two months to one year.

Adventurous Ink is a British company but also ships books to the EU. However, expect to pay extra for shipping costs.

Hand Me Down Book Club is another UK-based club, but this one specialises in distributing second hand books to reduce waste. It has a variety of subscriptions including Surprise Me and Historical Fiction.

Although Hand Me Down Book Club is a British company, it ships to most of mainland Europe, including Austria. At the time of writing, the shipping fee was £11.99. 

Do you have any recommendations for finding English-language books in Austria? Let us know at [email protected].

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Hayley Maguire 2022/10/18 14:09

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