What Librería Nacional is known for

Librería Nacional was founded in Barranquilla in September 1941 and pioneered self-service bookselling in Colombia. It now runs 31 branches in Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, Barranquilla, Cartagena and Pereira, with cafés and ice cream parlours inside the Cali shops. More than 60,000 titles are supplied by some 250 publishers in Spanish and English.

The Librería Nacional de Colombia was founded in Barranquilla in September 1941. It was a pioneer in the country of self-service bookselling and of the sale and distribution of magazines. The house also stands out for bringing ice cream parlours and cafés inside its bookshops, a feature of the Cali branches in particular. Today it counts 31 branches across the country, with bookshops in six cities, Bogotá, Cali, Medellín, Barranquilla, Cartagena and Pereira, placed in the main shopping centres of each. An online shop at librerianacional.com reaches customers anywhere in the world. The catalogue runs to more than 60,000 titles across every subject, supplied by some 250 publishers and distributors in Spanish and English. Around 500 new titles arrive each month, and the international bestsellers are put out first. The company describes its calling cards as tradition and a pleasant setting, together with a wide and varied stock and personal attention for anyone in search of a book. Institutional buyers and schools are served through a dedicated purchasing desk, and customer service answers from Cali. The house presents itself plainly as a place to buy books from the comfort of home or in one of its shops.