≡ Menu

Traveling Bookstore Tiny House in France


This post contains affiliate links.

This is a traveling bookstore tiny house in France. It’s called “”La Librairie Itinérante” or, roughly translated into English, The Traveling (Tiny) Bookstore. Besides being beautiful and clever, I love that the bookstore also includes a bathroom, office and loft bedroom for the owner. Isn’t that great? Enjoy the pictures and get more details below! It was built by Pauline and Roman of La Maison Qui Chemine, a tiny house company in France:

“We are a young couple (24-27 years old) who have decided to build Tiny Houses for one year now. We’ve just made our first Tiny house for a bookseller: “La librairie itinérante.” He and his Tiny House are now moving from place to place, mostly villages without books or forsaken by shops, to sell used books at middle price, and to tell stories in the evening, free of charge, in the Tiny House. You just have to bring your slippers!”

Don’t miss other interesting tiny house stories like this – join our FREE Tiny House Newsletter with more!

Beautiful Traveling Bookstore Tiny House

Waking up to a good book from the traveling library.

Rows and rows of books in the coziest little atmosphere.

The ladder moves all around the whole store.

Canvas keeps the books in place when in motion.

The office/bathroom/kitchen underneath the loft bed.

Comfy chair for visitors to peruse the books.

A glimpse of the library and adjoining living area.

The live-edge desk shape is my favorite. I’d love one!

Awww! Look at this furry friend peeking over the ledge.

Time for bed, but the cat is standing guard.

Free story-telling at night! You can fit a decent crowd.

More pictures of folks inside the traveling library.

View from the cozy loft bedroom. Ready to curl up?

Love all that headroom! Makes a loft more inviting.

Tiny shelf and storage for Jean’s personal belongings.

Rustic mirror in the bathroom/kitchen area.

Kitty trying to steal mugs. Love that you can have coffee or tea here!

Quaint tiny space.

Open the door to the composting toilet.

An electric kettle provides the only water in the space (no plumbing).

Edison bulbs are a perfect complement to the library.

Would you visit a traveling library? I might need one!

Related: The Novio Tiny House by Ma Maison Logique

Description (Translated from French): 

This Tiny House bookstore has as main constraint the daily load of about 700 pounds of pounds. Jean-Jacques has planned to wander from city to city, from festivals to festivals. The Tiny has a dry toilet, a kitchen, an office, and a bedroom on the mezzanine with personal storage.

The ladder, which allows access to the mezzanine, also hangs on a handrail that runs along the library, allowing access to the highest books. The oculus, present in the chamber, makes it possible to circulate the air efficiently from the window. The dry toilet and the kitchen are arranged discreetly under the mezzanine. According to Jean-Jacques’s request, no plumbing was installed.

Details:

  • Dimensions of the Tiny: 540 x 255 x H 400 cm
  • Trailer: 540 x 240 x 65 cm. Overall: 660 x 255 x 75 cm
  • Estimated empty weight: 2,800 kg
  • Turnkey value: from € 38,500 including tax

Resources:

Curious about what it’s like living and traveling in this bookstore tiny house on wheels? Read this article by Atlas Obscura titled Life in a Traveling Bookshop (featuring THIS tiny house)!

Our big thanks to Donald Campbell for the tip!🙏

Share this with your friends/family using the e-mail/social re-share buttons below. Thanks!

If you liked this you’ll LOVE our Free Daily Tiny House Newsletter with more! Thank you!

More Like This: Explore our Tiny Houses Section

See The Latest: Go Back Home to See Our Latest Tiny Houses

This post contains affiliate links.

The following two tabs change content below.

Natalie C. McKee

Natalie C. McKee is a contributor for Tiny House Talk and the Tiny House Newsletter. She's a wife, and mama of three little kids. She and her family are homesteaders with sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and quail on their happy little acre.

Latest posts by Natalie C. McKee (see all)

{ 41 comments… add one }
  • Bonny
    June 2, 2017, 9:14 am

    This is a fantastic build! I was wondering where the canvas you mention to keep the books from falling goes! Thanks for sharing!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 2, 2017, 12:07 pm

      I think it just unrolls from the top of the shelf to the bottom 🙂

    • June 2, 2017, 1:08 pm

      Hello,

      Thank you for your compliment !

      Forgive us for our bad english. The canvas has got fasteners every 40 cm along its length. Each wood studs of the bookcase has holes that matches the fasteners.
      Otherwise, if the books are well tight during the transport, it won’t fall, even without the canvas attached to the walls of the bookcase (we made the test). Actually, nothing fall if the bookseller thinks to stall everything. The canvas are mostly to prevent all fall due to a oversight or a dud.

      • Bonny
        June 2, 2017, 5:56 pm

        Thanks! This is great!

  • Amy
    June 2, 2017, 8:49 pm

    “Librairie” is “bookstore.”

    Library in French is “bibliothèque.”

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 5, 2017, 4:29 pm

      That was how they told us to translate it and I didn’t even check! I think it is a library though, not a bookstore. From what I understand it lends books rather than sells them.

      • Lamaisonquichemine
        June 9, 2017, 6:11 am

        Shame on us, we made that error of translation in our mail for you, sorry. It is in deed a bookstore, where are selled used books at middle price. And when the night is coming, the bookseller tell stories inside.

        • Natalie C. McKee
          June 9, 2017, 1:28 pm

          I am so sorry! I should have checked. Thanks for letting me know and I will update this!

  • Evening Iris
    June 3, 2017, 1:29 pm

    This is outstanding! Both the build and the idea of a mobile bookstore. I hope we see more like this in the future and certainly here in the US! Excellent, excellent, excellent!!!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 5, 2017, 4:21 pm

      I totally agree!

  • Kerry
    June 3, 2017, 1:53 pm

    Je t’aime beaucoup. Jean, what an amazing service you provide. Many blessings. And simply LOVE LOVE LOVE your tiny library. Bonne chance!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 5, 2017, 4:20 pm

      Jean is the best 🙂

  • Diane Hinkle
    June 3, 2017, 2:53 pm

    What a perfectly delightful idea. Bet he is received well everywhere he travels. Perfect build for his needs. Enjoyed!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 5, 2017, 4:20 pm

      It’s super cool!

  • June 3, 2017, 3:33 pm

    This resolution is very close to my lifestyl, a place made intimately by walls that have a lot to tell….., and “Chery on the Cake” a “Kingly” Cat!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 5, 2017, 4:20 pm

      🙂

  • Michael L
    June 3, 2017, 6:48 pm

    OMG… this is so awesome! I’ve wondered what I’ll do with all of my books when I go to a THOW… now I’ve seen what can be done.

    I’ve down sized already to a 325 sq ft cottage and probably 600 books found new homes! I was afraid many more would have to go once I do the THOW. This design is a keeper.

    Thanks for sharing.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 5, 2017, 4:17 pm

      This will undoubtedly be our home as soon as we get around to building bookshelves! My husband has SO MANY books 🙂 This is great to see.

  • Janie Farner
    June 3, 2017, 9:31 pm

    WAOUH!!!!! Elle est très, très, jolie votre petite librairie itinérante…!!!

  • Kim
    June 4, 2017, 12:52 am

    This is the best tiny house ever. What a cool idea. Very noble of him. Id like to see more of these in existence. Yay!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 5, 2017, 4:13 pm

      Such a clever idea! I never thought of this being a need!

      • James D.
        June 6, 2017, 2:43 pm

        Well, mobile libraries have been done before with buses and RV’s… Usually to get books to areas that are out of the way, remote, etc.

        As well as book clubs where people can choose a place to meet and it’s all right there… and book promotion tours as well…

        So I guess it was only a matter of time before we saw a Tiny House version…

        Given how technology has gotten most people to read from screens instead of books, it’s nice to see these old traditions still being preserved…

        • Natalie C. McKee
          June 7, 2017, 1:59 pm

          Just saying I thought it was cool 🙂

  • Nanny M
    June 4, 2017, 1:44 am

    Totally charming!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 5, 2017, 4:05 pm

      Totally agree 🙂

  • William Simpson
    June 5, 2017, 7:45 am

    What a beautiful reading room.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 5, 2017, 3:20 pm

      That it is!

  • RUSTY
    June 7, 2017, 11:17 pm

    I would love to visit this wonderful library, so much charm and cozy. I can only imagine what fun it would be to sit and listen as a story is read. This would be a wonderful idea for America’s small towns. Kudos to the builder and the young couple and their amazing creativity.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 8, 2017, 2:19 pm

      Yes it would be perfect for small town America! Someone will have to make one here 🙂

  • Theresa
    July 14, 2017, 12:59 pm

    Throw in a shower, fridge, and microwave and I am ready to move in full time😍!

  • R Jaekley
    January 23, 2018, 5:30 pm

    Love it, including the kitty photobombs.

  • January 23, 2018, 6:38 pm

    I absolutely adore this😍! Such a wonderful idea! To give the gift of reading and in a lovely tiny! Love Love Love❤️❤️❤️

  • Michael L
    January 23, 2018, 8:56 pm

    Finally, a THOW with enough bookshelves!

  • Teresa
    January 23, 2018, 11:27 pm

    You mentioned that the weight of the books is of concern, about 700# or so. Were any special reinforcement of the trailer or suspension required to support this kind of weight? How many axels does the trailer have that was used for the tiny bookstore?

  • Eric
    January 24, 2018, 4:15 pm

    This tiny house library is a twin axle vehicle.

  • Nanny M
    January 26, 2018, 5:49 am

    So good to see this again! For me, it’s absolutely “magnetique”. It draws me right into the photos, so cozy and warm. I wish it were here so I could snuggle in.

  • Marsha Cowan
    May 28, 2018, 10:29 pm

    This is so fantastic! What a beautiful tiny house, and the curves on the furniture are so conducive to relaxation to read a book. What a great way to reach people with literacy. It’s just great! Thanks for sharing this with us! God bless.

  • merryl
    July 17, 2018, 2:57 pm

    omg I love this.i am a true book worm.this house is a dream come true.

  • Eric
    September 4, 2019, 8:23 pm

    “the daily load of about 700 pounds of pounds”

    Wow, so the French buy Pounds of pounds? Didn’t know that Euro-lowed to do that! 🤣

  • Cathy
    September 4, 2019, 9:42 pm

    This is delightful! Thank you for sharing.

  • Michael L
    September 7, 2019, 4:24 pm

    This is always one of my favorites to see. Just think… If you added a nice little espresso maker… You’d have a mini Barnes & Noble!

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.