The Principality is very lightly sprinkled with secondhand bookshops, with no real concentrations outside of Cardiff, Hay-on-Wye and recently, Blaenafon. The further west you go, the the thinner they get but bargains have been known.

North Wales
(Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd and Wrexham)
I wonder what will replace the thrill of teetering at the top of a ladder, trying to reach the goodies on the absurdly high shelves at "David Hughes". There are very few of his generation left in the trade and I'm sure he's missed by many.

Mid Wales
(Ceredigion, Gwynedd and Powys)
Of the myriad bookshops in Hay, "C. Arden" is a joy for all gardeners but I miss "Blinking Images" the photographic specialists. A change of ownership at "Books, Maps and Prints" and two recently opened shops make Brecon worth a detour.

West Wales
(Pembrokeshire, Carmarthanshire and Swansea)
Leo Privett has reopened in Lammas Street, Carmarthen. 'Dylan's Bookshop' formally of 'Salubrious Passage' (really) in Swansea, has moved and 'Robert the Books' has finally closed. Aberystwyth has gained a bookshop with the opening of Red Books.

South Wales
(Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff, Newport and Monmouthshire)
The Blaenafon Booktown experiment is over but there are still two shops in the town, which are worth visiting if you are in the area. Almost in England, "Stella Books" in Tintern is a must, particularly if children's books are your thing.

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