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Best Berlin Books — A Christmas Gift Guide for Berlin Lovers

Most of the times, the best gift you can give to people is a book. If that person loves Berlin, then we have something special to you. If you are looking for the best Berlin books, this article is for you.

Below we’ll be pointing out some of the best books we bought in the last couple of years. If you want even more books about Berlin, we wrote an article about more books back in Christmas 2014, check it out.




Notmsparker’s Berlin Companion

Between all the books we read about Berlin, one of our favorite ones is the Berlin Companion by the fantastic Beata Gontarczyk-Krampe aka Notmsparker. We have been following her online for a long time, so we knew how much she knew about the city, but her book proves that she loves Berlin as much as she knows everything.

If you’re one of these people that like to know curiosities and oddities about a city, Berlin Companion is for you. Do you know the rules to name the streets in Berlin? Do you have any idea about why the size of the buildings in Berlin are related to the width of the road where it stands?Do you want to know where you can ride a paternoster lift and what are those? These are some of the many things you will learn in this book.

We bought the book on one of the many books stores that sell it around Berlin. But, if you’re not in Berlin, you can get this fantastic book about Berlin online on the link below.

 

Verlassene Orte / Abandoned Berlin Book

If you’re interested in Urban Exploration and Berlin, you probably know about Abandoned Berlin. This website is the best online reference to learn about all the abandoned places that exist around Berlin. But, if you want an offline guidebook, you have to get the Abandoned Berlin book.

There you will see even more pictures from all the abandoned places around the German capital. But, this is not just a picture book, Ciaran Fahey writes about all the places he visited with a language that explains and teaches in a way that we almost envy. His text is deep and filled with information for those who, like us, enjoy this decaying beauty.

Get your book straight from the Abandoned Berlin web shop and read the interview we did with Ciaran back when the book was out.

 

38 Hours in Berlin or Lost in Berlin

We got 38 Hours in Berlin a couple of years ago as a research item for an idea we didn’t put in to practice. We bought the book because it had a lot of exciting information about Berlin and because its design is so cool. Sometimes we buy books just because of its design.

Time passed and 38 Hours in Berlin is now called Lost in Berlin, but the content and design are still, pretty much, the same. There you can see pictures from the Berlin Club scene in the 1990’s in the same place that you will be reading about West Berlin revival and how is life in Neukölln.

Different from the other books in this Christmas gift guide with the best Berlin Books that we can think of, 38 Hours in Berlin feels more like a book for new Berliners. But even if you have been in Berlin for a while now, it’s always interesting to see places in a different perspective.

You can get the new version of 38 Hours in Berlin in the link below.

 

Carl goes Berlin

Carl goes Berlin is more than another city guide, its goal is to be your travel companion, a creative travel companion to the city of Berlin and they do this well.

One of our favorite things about this book is that it wants to help you become a citizen of Berlin for three days, 3 weeks or 3 months. With this in mind, the book shows how different the city can be the longer you stay. You’ll have more time to enjoy the small things and see everything is a slower way.

This guide is focused on living Berlin and not just seeing the main sights; this is why we like it so much. There are also interviews with locals like techno-entrepreneur Dimitri Hegemann, violin maker Thilde van Norel and entrepreneur Aydo Schosswald which gives a different perspective to Berlin

You can get your Carl Goes Berlin book on the link below.

 

Stories From The City: A Slow Travel Berlin Anthology

One of our favorite blogs about Berlin is the tremendous Slow Travel Berlin, they have been feeding the internet with high-quality content about the city since 2010, and their goal was always to go beyond the hype. This is why we read them, and this is why we love this book so much to the point of calling it one of the best Berlin books.

Published in 2015, Stories From The City: A Slow Travel Berlin Anthology is a real celebration of everything that the blog stands for. There you will read about neglected Berlin suburbs to forgotten architects with a lot of great pictures that will make you love Berlin even more.

You can get your copy of Stories From The City: A Slow Travel Berlin Anthology on the link below where you can, also, take a look at the bookshops that have it.

 

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These are a few of the books we bought about Berlin in the last couple of years. We hope that this small list with the best Berlin books can help you with your Christmas gifts for that Berlin lover in your life. But, if you still need more books, we have a bonus for you and that is We Will Forget Soon. This book talks about Berlin but its focus is on the Red Army in Germany and the trails that are left. It wasn’t added on top since it’s not fully about Berlin but it’s such an amazing book that you need to take a look.


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Felipe Tofani

Felipe Tofani

Felipe Tofani is a passionate designer with a penchant for crafting unique experiences and a mixed taste in music. As the curator behind this blog's explorations, he takes pride in discovering fascinating destinations. Whether unearthing hidden gems or sharing captivating historical narratives, Felipe is the creative force driving the stories you find here. Join him on a journey of design, discovery, and the delightful rhythm of unconventional tunes.View Author posts