A bookstore in an outdoor gear store is less surprising than it seems. The building on Rue des Écoles spent eighty years between the booksellers and lecture halls of the Latin Quarter: it would have been impolite not to get involved. The Au Vieux Campeur - Congés Payés bookstore thus brings together what is read, unfolded, and hung — books, maps, magazines, and a few sheets of paper whose usefulness will be revealed later.

What you read before you leave, and sometimes instead

We know the real use of these works. Bought in January with the best intentions, consulted twice, then placed on the coffee table, where they provide a considerable service: that of making people believe you've been there.

Books.A mountain book for peaks you view from afar, a climbing book for those you view from very afar. A beautiful large-format travel book, too heavy for a suitcase and perfect for the living room table. A nature and landscape book to open on a rainy Sunday. A camping book to reread the day before departure, when you're still looking for where you put the tent last year.

Maps.A vintage wall map elegantly solves the problem of an empty entryway wall. Our hiking kits categorize itineraries by difficulty, allowing you to choose the shortest one with full knowledge of the facts. The hiking gift set also makes an excellent gift for mountain lovers, provided you give it to someone who already hikes.

Magazines.Our selection of outdoor magazines and independent journals brings together limited-edition titles, printed with care that you notice by touch. You read them cover to cover the same evening, then you store them with the previous ones — these are the only magazines whose complete collection you keep.

Posters and stationery.A mountain poster or a vintage travel poster for the hallway. A mountain postcard that you'll write on the last day and post once you're back: it's tradition, we can't help it. And travel stationery for the notebooks you conscientiously fill for the first three mornings.

We gladly add a mountain magazine for evenings without peaks, a climbing book for those who prefer the vertical, and a hiking map to unfold on the kitchen table long before slipping it into your pack. It will stay there for a while, in fact.

For gifting.A gift idea for a hiker is not easy to find — these people already own everything, and often in duplicate. Climber gift, original traveler gift, mountain Christmas gift: this page contains a number of them. And a nature lover's gift book has the rare advantage of not having a size.

The rest of the section.A good book is rarely read on an empty stomach. Our groceryand our tablewareaddress this ancillary but real issue. For general setup — throws, lighting, and items whose use is discovered along the way — check out the home, lifestyle accessories, or the entire lifestyle section.