SHAKESPEARE AND COMPANY iconic Paris bookstore founder dies

George Whitman, the founder of Shakespeare and Company, the iconic English-language bookshop in Paris, has died aged 98. Whitman "died peacefully at home in the apartment above his bookshop" on Wednesday, two months after having suffered a stroke, a posting on the store's Facebook page said. Whitman "showed incredible strength and determination up to the end, continuing to read every day in the company of his daughter, Sylvia, his friends and his cat and dog," the posting read. Nestled on the left bank of the Seine River, Shakespeare & Company is a veritable warren of books, stacked with volumes from floor to ceiling. It has long been known as a haven for writers and would-be writers, whom Whitman often allowed to crash in the store.