Nomadic bookseller travels all over France with his tiny library on wheels

We’ve seen a number of tiny home constructions put to all sorts of good use, but this French nomadic library on wheels is très chic.

Built by tiny home specialists La Maison Qui Chemine, the Librairie Itinérante (traveling bookstore) is a custom-made tiny home built for an altruistic bookseller who travels the all over France delivering books to small villages that don’t have their own libraries or bookshops.

The tiny home was designed for Jean-Jacques, who travels around the country in his library on wheels bringing books to hopeful bibliophiles. He often travels from festival to festival, but when stationary, he hosts free readings in the evenings. The event is open to anyone who brings their own slippers.

While most tiny home designs focus on being lightweight for easy travel, this building had to be specially outfitted to carry the estimated 700 pounds of books it carries on the interior. To make sure that the some 3,000 books stay in place while on the road, thick curtains were installed at the top of each shelf, which, when secured shut, wrap around the bookshelves tightly, creating a secure, fall-proof system.

The tiny home also doubles as a home for the wandering bookseller. There is a small kitchen and a sleeping loft that is reached by a ladder. In the corner, surrounded by the bookshelves, is a quaint reading space with a custom-made table. The small bathroom has a composting toilet, but, per Jean-Jacques’ request, there is no plumbing installed in the structure.