Umberto Eco’s fictional anecdote in The Name of the Rose about finding an obscure volume in a bookstore in Buenos Aires is actually quite plausible: used book shops and open-air book markets are a trademark of the city’s culture. The one in Parque Rivadavia is amongst the oldest and largest, and also quite off the beaten tourist track. Open since 1953, this large book market sells and trades used and new books, records, and comics. Patient browsing of their usually dusty boxes can yield both bestsellers and lost gems, rarities,…
