I was hurrying back to my jury duty session when I saw these, sitting on a ledge along the river Seine
Abandoned or forgotten?
No idea what they were doing there and didn’t have much time to check them out or browse. They did look pretty old.
Across the river Seine is Conciergerie, which is now part of Palais de Justice
Blogging in Paris 
Nice contrast between the books in the foreground and the buildings on the other side of the river.
The book being open makes it look as though someone was interrupted while reading but I expect it was the wind that opened the book. Someone possibly dumped them, thinking that some might want them.
Nice thought.
A moment frozen in time – what stories these images inspire.
That could well be a BookCrossing attempt you’ve run into !
It’s a wonderful photo but as a dedicated and commited bibliophile, I have to wonder about a person who abandons books.
It’s a good photo, regardless of how the books happened to be there. Brings back good memories of my few days in Paris!
you’ve given me a good idea…i have some books i can’t sell and don’t want. i can just take them down to the waterfront and leave them on the wall!
love the photo. don’t they have booksellers along the seine? maybe these got left behind when they packed up….
Claude
I think you cam across ‘Books in the Wild’ a way of passing on books – there is a website, but I cannot remember its name.
mrs K
I came across the exact same thing last year. There was a book on a bridge crossing the Danube in Budapest. The leaves were turning as the breeze blew. I couldn’t reach the book as it was down near the water, so I took a picture of it.
What a great photo of a mystery. I can’t imagine anyone forgetting that many books so they must have left them for someone else to enjoy.
Great picture! It makes me want to read
Very nice photo with the foreground and background idea.
Has it ever crossed your mind that someone might have jumped into river Seine? Someone who vanished into thin air recently? Anything out of the ordinary in the news?
I might be over-reacted…saw too many thrillers and read too many murder mysteries. Hope all is well, take care.
Always love your BLOG, well done.
What a great shot!
Wonderfully composed shot. Such lovely old books, wish I could get my hands on them.
re mrs. k’s comment on books in the wild. the website is BookCrossing, and I belong…but it’s just rare that any of those books every turns up for the second leg of the journey.
What a beautiful picture, like a movie still… and, only in Europe.
Are we going to hear about your jury duty?
Probably not much, as I’m not supposed to say much about it. All I can tell you is that it’s like a marathon, starting every morning at 10, and ending… whenever it ends. Yesterday was at 10:30pm and the day before at 10:15 I think that the earliest we’ve been out was one evening at 8h30! Have to start getting ready Love Claude
What a marvelous photo and so thought provoking. We can each build our own story around the book mystery. Does what we envision say more about us than what really may explain their presence? Did someone put them there and is off in the distance observing the reactions of those who come upon them?
You make me want to get on a plane, leave an old book or two on a Paris bridge, and sit aways off and write about the thoughts that come watching it.
Thanks for a great image!
I wouldnt be surprised if the person who left those books was expecting someone to pick them up and read them..
Its a way of making the book live longer.. you give it to a stranger, you share the pleasure you had reading those..
Isnt it a nice idea?
Jean marc