Walking tours, children’s books, and Easter weekend
Please note that the Bridge Books store will be closed for Easter weekend (Friday through Monday).
Our Walking Tours are back!
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Discover the vibrant, hidden world of street booksellers and Joburg’s literary history.
The 3 hour Underground guided tour, in partnership with the Literary District, starts at Bridge Books. We start with coffee or tea at Bridge, then head to a religious bookseller, street vendors, the original Central News Agency building, the oldest bookstore in the city, and many historical and architectural sites. On weekdays, we make a stop at the re-opened City Library.
The tour describes how books travel through the underground economy and covers the history of bookselling in Johannesburg, from the first black-run library to the days of censorship and book burning, as well as how new current consumers find books in novel ways.
International Children’s Book Day
This Thursday, 2 April, is International Children’s Book Day. It is celebrated each year on Hans Christian Anderson’s birthday and reminds us of the importance of children’s literature from all around the world.
The 2026 theme is “Plant stories and the world will bloom!” Here are a few titles to mark the day:
Every Leaf a Hallelujah, by Ben Okri
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Lonwabo and the Gongqongqo, by Madoda Gcwadi
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Available in: isiZulu, isiXhosa , Afrikaans, and English
Eco Girl, by Ken Wilson-Max
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Available in: isiZulu, isiXhosa, and English
Thumbelina, retold by Xanthe Gresham Knight
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Long weekend reading
The Easter holiday gives time to dive into some reading. Whether you’re travelling somewhere to disconnect or finally have some time at home without work, here are a couple of books we think could fill the weekend:
Nervous Conditions, by Tsitsi Dangarembga
Our spotlight book for the week is this modern classic of the African literary canon!
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Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth, by Wole Soyinka
This novel manages to be a crafty whodunit and a scathing critique of Nigeria’s political elite that both entertains its readers and stirs them politically.
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We Are No Longer at Ease, edited by Wandile Ngcaweni & Busani Ngcaweni
A stirring and relevant collection of essays, speeches, poetry, and personal articles centred around the #FeesMustFall movement. Currently on sale!
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Rootbound, by Manthipe Moila
A breathtaking poetry collection that deals with the idea of home and the places we blossom from.
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The Paris Review No. 254 - Winter 2025
A great choice if you’re looking for a bit of everything. Here you’ll find a mix of prose, poetry, art, and interviews by established and new literary voices.
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And check out our Art and Photography collection!
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