This book store in Harvard Square, specializes in foreign language books. The wall to the right hand side of the entrance has a display case of Antoine Saint-Expury's The Little Prince in almost a dozen languages. And it's a really bold opening statement that testifies to the richness of its foreign language collection. Other stores in Boston usually only carry titles in French, Spanish, Italian, and German. Schoenhoff's isn't Western Europe-centric and makes sure to represent the languages of all those new states that appeared on our maps for the first time only a decade ago; the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Lithuania among others.

Also, each language is outfitted with a large selection of titles that outnumbers the offerings of all the foreign languages put together in other Boston-area stores. In fact, the store is virtually divided into "mini-stores" for each of the languages. Let me explain what I mean by that. Do you know how your typical book store has a fiction, non-fiction, children's, philosophy, history sections and etc... Well Schoenhoff's has all those sections for every language. That makes your book search incredibly easy if you are looking for something specific.

Also, it makes casual book browsing easier. Say you are looking for French poetry but you have no specific author in mind. No problem. Just step into the poetry section in the French part of the store, pick up some random books and browse through them until you find the poem you like.

Another great thing about this bookstore is that it's staffed by various foreign language experts mostly at all hours. They're very handy for difficulties you can come across while shopping. For example, if you are looking for a gift in a foreign language that you do not know very well, they will patiently listen to what you are looking for and make helpful suggestions. So let's say you're looking for a children's book in Bulgarian that's adventurous but not too frightening. (Btw, those Slavic fairy tales can be pretty gruesome - cannibals and all.) They'll patiently go through the books and tell you what they are about so that you can choose what suits you best.

My well-sung praises aside, there is one little thing to complain about: the hours. Most people tend to get off work at about five or six o'clock. Schoenhof's closes by six every day but Thursday when it's open until eight. Therefore, some people who want to visit in the evening hours will be unable to do so for most of the week. And if you want to come in during the weekend, you are not much in luck either because while the store is open on Saturday, it isn't on Sunday. Book Store Address if you ever care to visit: 76A Mount Auburn Street Cambridge, Massachusetts