Bill & Rosa’s Book Room

Where is Bill & Rosa’s Book Room?

At the newly renovated Porte de Saint Cloud! Not far at all from the centers of Paris or Boulogne-Billancourt.

Exact address: 42 rue du Chemin Vert 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt. See the map

Metro line 9 to Porte de St Cloud; Busses: 22, 42, 62, 72, PC

When is Bill & Rosa’s Book Room open?

Click for hours

What is Bill & Rosa’s Book Room ? 

First of all, for us, a Book Room is a comfortable place to spend some time. Think of it as the reading lounge on the ocean liners of yore with a western bent. Our maître-mots are

Read, Write, Relax.

Buy, Borrow, Donate.

Bill & Rosa’s Book Room has several aspects. It is first a USED BOOK SHOP and a LENDING LIBRARY. There are many novels of all genres for sale plus non-fiction, biographies, history, some poetry, cookbooks, cats, books on Paris or France, memoirs and children’s books. Most books are in English, but also in French and even a few bilingual. Prices start at just 2€.

The 500 volume lending library has four sections :

• The Sylvie and Henry Noullet Library: novels mostly in English
• Bill and Rosa’s Library of the American West includes novels, non-fiction and art books in both English and French
• Paris/France Library: memoirs, history, guides in both French and English
• Children’s Library

How do the libraries work?

Anyone can buy books or read in the Book Room, but to borrow books you need to be a member. There is an annual membership fee of 20€. Membership allows you to borrow 2 books at a time for 1 month. PLUS

• -10% on purchases in Bill & Rosa’s Book Room
• 1 free ad on www.fusac.fr

What else goes on in the Book Room?

• You’ll enjoy comfy chairs for reading, desks for writing.
• There’s always a jigsaw puzzle in progress.
• Events! Visiting authors, readings, workshops, kids, documentaries… See the current schedule.
• There’s a space to discover the POP – that’s the Power of a Postcard. We encourage you to send a card to a friend and see their reaction. We promise it will be positive and memorable. We have cool postcards for sale, some are made of sustainable wood, as well as stamps so your POP will be easy comme une lettre à la Poste! (Just had to say that!)
• Book Room online Every month we highlight new books in the Book room online. Keep in touch and learn about goings-on via the newsletter.
• We keep a list of requests, so email brbookroom@gmail.com us for whatever you are looking for (a book, an author, a subject, an idea, gatherings you’d like to attend, author you’d like to meet…) view the CURRENT INVENTORY
• Gift cards are available in store or online.

Why is it called Bill and Rosa’s Book Room?

Buffalo Bill and Rosa Bonheur had a lot in common despite their seemingly different origins. William Frederick Cody was from Nebraska and Wyoming, Rosa Bonheur from Bordeaux and Paris. They both came from modest origins and one could say even hardship. Both had a determination to succeed by their own means in their respective fields and both became world famous especially at home and in each other’s countries. Bill and Rosa shared a passion for animals, Indians and authentic quality work. The were generous to those around them and adventurous. They met in Paris when Buffalo Bill was visiting, presenting his Wild West Show during the seven months of the Universal Exposition of 1889 – incidentally the same year Montana became a state and the Eiffel Tower was inaugurated. They shared several meals at Buffalo Bill’s tent in Paris, Rosa’s Chateau de By near Fontainebleau, and restaurants in between. Rosa honored Bill by painting his portrait. Bill returned the homage creating a scene in his show remaking Rosa’s famous painting “The Horse Fair » with real Percheron horses. Despite their differences, Bill, the ladies’ man (but who also advocated equal wages and women’s suffrage), and Rosa, the liberated woman shirking the tutelage and domination of men, over came a language barrier and found they had much in common, appreciated and respected each other. They are one of many examples of fine France-American relations. The creators of the Book Room, John and Lisa, also appreciate that these two people connect their own favorite places, again seemingly opposite, the state of Montana and Ile-de-France. Plus their first initials B and R are the same as the initials B and R of Book Room!