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Israel has a deep-rooted reading culture, Tel Aviv was named UNESCO World Book Capital in 2009, and Hebrew Book Week (שְׁבוּעַ הַסֵּפֶר הָעִבְרִי) every June is a national event. From the small independent bookshop on Sheinkin to the National Library on Givat Ram campus, this vocabulary covers the physical book, the genres, the act of reading, and the chains where Israelis buy. After this lesson you can walk into Steimatzky and ask for a paperback edition of an autobiography in Hebrew without missing a beat.
Cultural note, Hebrew Book Week (שְׁבוּעַ הַסֵּפֶר) discounts run heavy in early June at every plaza in Israel. The two big chains, Steimatzky (סְטֵימַצְקִי, founded 1925) and Tzomet Sfarim (צוֹמֶת סְפָרִים), dominate, but independent bookshops like Tola\'at Sfarim in Tel Aviv and Sefer ve-Sefel in Jerusalem keep the literary scene alive. The National Library (הַסִּפְרִיָּה הַלְּאוּמִּית) on the Givat Ram campus is your free reader card to almost every Hebrew text ever printed.
Book Parts & Anatomy
Genres & Categories
Reading Process Verbs
Bookshop & Shopping
Library Vocabulary
A Conversation at Steimatzky
A typical exchange in a Tel Aviv bookshop, asking for a recommendation, comparing editions, deciding between hardcover and paperback. The kind of dialogue you will have during Hebrew Book Week.