noun
vast stock of books; bookstore
A somewhat literary or formal term for a large collection of books or a bookshop. In modern usage, 本屋 or 書店 are more common for 'bookstore', while 蔵書 or 書庫 are used for a collection of books.
彼の書斎はまさに書林と呼ぶにふさわしい。
His study truly deserves to be called a vast stock of books.
古い町並みに小さな書林が一軒だけ残っている。
Only one small bookstore remains in the old townscape.
Refers to a collection of books owned by a person or institution. 書林 emphasizes the vastness or forest-like abundance of books.
Compound of 書 (sho, 'book') and 林 (rin, 'forest'), metaphorically suggesting a forest of books. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used since classical times to denote a large collection of books or a place where books are gathered.