The new collection of essays by Spanish writer and critic Jorge Carrión (b. 1976) is dedicated to the "square, whose vertices are publishing houses, bookstores, private and public libraries." As in his debut work "Bookstores," the author combines travel and cultural history into a single narrative, embarking on a "pursuit of literary topographies."

He investigates the history of Villa Malaparte, strolls through London with writer Iain Sinclair, converses with Alberto Manguel, director of the National Library of Argentina, recalling his predecessor — Borges. He debates new and second-hand bookstores with essayist Luigi Amara and gets caught up in the frenetic pace of life in Miami.

An indefatigable explorer of bookish territories, Carrión sensitively records their changes: digitalization and threats from marketplaces, new store formats, the new life of libraries, and the renaissance of experiential book spaces in South Korea and Japan. And, of course, he once again declares his love for books, bookstores, and libraries — not only physical but also fictional. Those gifted to us by renowned authors — Cervantes, Verne, Borges — in their works, and those that exist within each of us.

The edition is released as part of a joint project by Ad Marginem Publishing and Tochka Bank.