| Adelphi Bookshop 
1 Albert Road
SOUTHSEA Hampshire PO5 2SE map
tel: 02392 870408
Open: Monday - Friday 10.30 - 5.30, Saturday 9.30 - 5.30.
Medium general stock, with emphasis on early C20th crime fiction and thrillers.
Medium general stock, with emphasis on early C20th crime fiction and thrillers. Friendly owner. - Richard.
As I said to the owner, the shop could do with a woman's touch, as the bookshop was a mess with books all over the place. Very difficult to find books because of the state of the shop although I did find two. Very friendly and helpful owner. - John Bacon. 24.03.09.
Quite often this shop is a complete mess with books that were once in piles having descended into little more than a mulch under foot. A speciality in Crime fiction is obvious but not something this reviewer can speak to. The owner is indeed both friendly and solicitous - to a fault! - RS 11.06.10.
The owner is certainly helpful, but his stock is not outstanding and prices significantly higher than the other shops on Albert Street - but still worth a look. - Ian 22.03.11.
This shop is always in a pickle BUT it is the only place I have ever found TWO books that I had no idea that I would ever find. - Penny Barge 07.11.11. ... following the previous message I visited Adelphi today and found another book I had no idea was available. The owner knows where all his stock is, even if no one else does ... Penny Barge 10.11.11.
Books sprawling everywhere, always a good sign. Interesting selection of proper books. Slanted mostly at old crime fiction and film. Delightful shop, well worth visiting. - Dan 01.05.13.
The owners' name is Robert and is the only bookshop owner to offer to kiss me after being the first customer to buy a book that day, it was 3pm. - John F Bacon 07.05.13
Alton Second Hand Books
43-45 Normandy Street
ALTON Hampshire GU34 1DD map
tel: 01420 89352
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 5.00.
Medium sized stock of general secondhand books
Fantastic shop! Lovely general stock and friendly, knowledgeable staff. Really good children's section, too. - lovemelovemybooks 31.10.11.
Good wide ranging stock in which some inte.resting finds are possible. - Herne 25.11.11.
My favourite bookshop. Well organised and diverse range, with a continual flow of new stock. Friendly and helpful staff. A browser's delight. - Sputnikchaser 03.03.12.
I had a very enlightening chat with the owner who completely understands the spirit of secondhand bookshops. This one has an extensive stock on most subjects and comes highly recommended. - OWC 22.09.12.
Book Bonanza
205 Albert Road
SOUTHSEA Hampshire PO4 0JP map
tel: 023 9311 0312
Bargain price books from 50p to £2.
Another 'cheap and cheerful' bookshop, books from 50p to £2. Bargains to be had, I had just missed a bunch of Observer Books at 1 each. Almost 'car boot' prices! - Steve Newman 28.06.11.
Bookends
7 High Street
EMSWORTH Hampshire PO10 7AQ map
tel: 01243 372154
Bookstore
123 Albert Road
SOUTHSEA Hampshire map
tel: ?
Open: ?
Just been taken over by new owner, she was busy sorting out and arranging the piles of books in the shop. Of the 'cheap and cheerful' variety, but I found a 'Source Book' for £1 so bargains to be had. - Steve Newman 28.06.11.
Hedge End Bookshop
Hedge End Post Office
St.Johns Centre Hedge End
SOUTHAMPTON Hampshire SO30 4QU map
tel: 01489 790349 or 07747151114 e-mail
Open: Monday - Friday 9.00 - 4.00.
Military, transport and local interest books. Most of our stock is non-fiction. Easy parking to rear of building. We are situated on the first floor of the building, stairs are found in the post office.
Completely different from the Adelphi. Excellent, well laid out stock with books on all subjects at reasonable prices, and helpful owner. - John Bacon. 24.03.09.
Called them to buy my dads naval books and postcards , very pleased with price and service. - Carol Rodrigues 16.07.11.
Holybourne Rare Books
7 Market Street
ALTON Hampshire GU34 1HA map
tel: 01420 82808 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 4.00.
Modern first editions, antiquarian books and fine bindings.
Nicely laid-out shop on two floors in the centre of Alton. Heavyweight stock (lots and lots of Jane Austen): prices to match. - Richard 30.04.09.
Good selection in Ancient History / Archaeology: books I haven't seen in shops for years, and at very reasonable prices. - Richard Bridgland 26.04.11.
Some bargains to be found in what is mainly an antiquarian/first edition stock. - Herne 25.11.11.
Packed with wonders and if it had been my birthday I would have splashed out on all sorts of fascinating treats but as I had a bag full from elsewhere I resisted temptation. Website under construction... - OWC 22.09.12.
Closing time daily is 4.00 pm, not 5.00 pm, as I discovered, arriving at 4.30 pm! - Francis Marsden 19.03.13.
Jade Mountain
17 - 19 Highland Road
SOUTHSEA Hampshire PO4 9AH map
tel: 023 9273 2951 e-mail web
Open: Monday, Wednesday , Friday & Saturday 9.30 - 5.30.
We have been in business since 1997, and we pride ourselves on providing customers with the best-quality products and personal service. You can order from us using our online catalogue, order over the phone, or visit one of the retail locations that carry our products.
Medium general stock. [Note: Highland Road is the eastward continuation of Albert Road.] - Richard.
Excellent well laid out stock with books on all subjects at reasonable prices I would suggest that it is a fairly large bookshop and not medium sized. - John Bacon. 24.03.09.
A favourite bookshop. A Very reasonably priced stock. Always worth repeat visits. Nothing exceptionally rare or valuable but all subjects covered pretty well for the size of the shop with the possible exception of Childrens books which could be considered a little thin. - RS 11.06.10.
I'd agree that this is probably the best all round of the four shops on the street, with decent stock at fair prices. - Ian 22.03.11.
I am a frequent visitor. Friendly helpful owner with a good selection of ever changing books. I especially like the large selection of Penguins and Classics all very reasonably priced. - Mr C. 09.04.11.
Laurence Oxley Bookshop and Gallery
17 Broad Street
ALRESFORD
ALRESFORD Hampshire SO24 9AW map
tel: 01962 732998 web
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 5.00.
More of a Shop selling new books and carrying out Picture Framing - never seem to get any new second hand stock. - John Bacon 30.08.07.
Nothing seems to have changed since the last review - especially the stock ! - Gavin 28.01.09
Have now visited three times this year and on each occasion have left with a small box full of books. Pricing all over the place and had to decline one wanted title due to high cost. However, still picked up a couple of bargains. Will visit again. - Chris Harte 11.08.09.
New to You Books
56 High Street
Cosham
PORTSMOUTH Hampshire PO6 3AG map
tel: 023 9232 1089
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 5.00.
New, remaindered and secondhand books. General stock, but particularly military and navel, as well as paperbacks galore. Misspells on bookshop ads, not good. Navel is to do with the belly button. Naval with things maritime!
A Fair number of secondhand books at reasonable prices plus numerous remainders in a large shop - John Bacon. 24.03.09.
Misspells on bookshop ads, not good. Navel is to do with the belly button. Naval with things maritime! - Richard 14.12.12.
Off The Wall 
Unit 1 The Mall
44 High Street
ALTON Hampshire GU34 1BD map
tel: 01420 87760 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Friday 9.00 - 4.00, Saturday 9.00 - 3.00.
Military, transport, history, archaeology, science fiction - and, let's face it - anything that takes my fancy! See you soon, Mike W. Hidden away at the end of a passageway through the Olive Tree Cafe, opposite the Swan Hotel.
Oxfam Books and Music
74 Parchment Street
WINCHESTER Hampshire SO23 8AT map
tel: 01962 841627
Of the numerous Oxfam Bookshops I visit this one seems to have the most uninteresting or over priced books . Unlike the one at nearby Farnham which always seems to have interesting and reasonably priced books. - John Bacon 07.05.09.
Oxfam Books and Music
24 East Street
SOUTHAMPTON Hampshire SO14 3HG map
tel: 023 80 22486
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.30.
Well laid out stock all on one floor. A good 5 minutes walk from main City Centre shops - Clive Cheeseman 10.09.07.
Oxfam Books and Music
Unit 6 The High Street
Hythe
SOUTHAMPTON Hampshire SO45 6AH map
tel: 023 80 8495019
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 5.00
Specialist sections; railways & transport, sailing, London, local interest and antiquarian/collectable.
A fairly large shop mainly books. Excellent selection of titles on London plus a bookcase of first editions. Helpful staff. Much on WW1 and local publications. - Chris Harte 11.08.09.
Small selection of books, even for an Oxfam bookshop, and nothing of note in the specialist sections they list here. Disappointing. - Paul H 06.10.11.
Oxfam Bookshop
112 Station Road
NEW MILTON Hampshire BH25 6LR map
tel: 01425 613736
Oxfam Bookshop
32 The Square
PETERSFIELD Hampshire GU32 3HH map
tel: 01730 260142
This Oxfam has now become a bookshop only - quite to the annoyance of several locals who tried unsuccessfully to leave clothes like they had been doing for many years. - John Bacon 31.03.09.
I really like this shop. It has a large selection of sensibly priced modern books in excellent condition and a section for old and interesting books. There are some amazing finds to be had. - arhicks56. 26.01.11.
Peter Rhodes Books
21 Portswood Road
SOUTHAMPTON Hampshire SO17 2ES map
tel: 07763 326440
Open: Monday - Saturday 11.00 - 5.00, closed Thursday.
I maintain a stock of about 25,000 books in Victorian premises with over 1000 sq. ft. of selling space. Most of the stock is acquired from large private collections.
Now also contains a small cafe. - Richard.
Good prices throughout this airy shop, which is fairly well stocked with all subjects. The big table in the middle invites one to tarry a while perusing a potential purchase over a coffee. If you're friendly to the staff, they'll let you in the back room where they keep the internet stock. Only semi-categorized, it needs a serious hour out there there to work out what's what. They didn't charge me for the coffee, but nor did they offer me a discount on 7 books totalling £18. - Laurence 28.09.09.
Other than the coffee drinkers muttering about having to move so shelves could be examined, this is a shop with some very good stock. Agreed the back room and basement held interesting pieces but there was a large amount of rare printed ephemera in the glass cases.- Chris Harte 20.04.10.- Chris Harte 20.04.10.
Friendly owners, able to find stock that's hidden to public view. - Ian 22.03.11.
More of a coffee shop with a few books now and definitely NWTD. - OWC 22.09.12.
Richard Martin Gallery
19-23 Stoke Road
GOSPORT Hampshire PO12 1LS map
tel: 023 9252 0642 web
Open: Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 10.30 - 1.00 & 2.15 - 5.00. Saturday 10.30 - 1.00.
19th & early 20th century watercolours, oil paintings, etchings and engravings. Antiquarian, rare and out of print books. Albums, autograph letters, manuscript diaries, journals and logs.
A couple of walls of books, with strong emphasis on maritime. - Richard.
I visited about 4 years ago. Owner was half-hour late opening after lunch, was distinctly unwelcoming, AWYW [Drif's code for Asks what you want] and to top it all nothing was priced. I left emptyhanded wondering how he hoped to sell anything. - Martin Stallion 10.10.08.
I feel I must respond to the negative entry - I guess everybody has ' off days' but on the many occasions we have visited the bookshop we have always been met with unfailing courtesy - they have now moved to delightful premises within the old Clarence Dockyard and is now primarily an art gallery with a small though important selection of books with a maritime flavour - excellent parking - marvellous location and coffee and pastries etc can be had within a few footsteps - just the place to go on a sunny day! - Gavin Richardson. 18.11.08.
The Petersfield Bookshop
16A Chapel Street
PETERSFIELD Hampshire GU32 3DS map
tel: 01730 263438 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 5.30.
The Petersfield Bookshop specialises in buying and selling antiquarian and second-hand books, but also sells antique maps and prints, new books, Ordnance Survey maps, artists? materials and has an on-site picture framing workshop.
Initially everyone would find this shop fascinating, but it doesn't bear repeated visits. Prices are somewhat optimistic, stock doesn't shift very quickly and there is a dearth of new things going onto the shelves. - Nicholas Pendower 03.01.09.
I agree with this review - in addition they have taken out selling space to incorporate a book binding room and crammed the books into two other rooms where browsing because of restricted space is difficult . I sometimes feel that owners forget that it costs money to visit their shops and should do everything to ensure that items can be viewed comfortably. Gavin Richardson. 27.01.09.
I would have to agree with the comments above that, whilst the place is large enough to interest any first time visitor, there does seem to be a significant problem getting new books on the shelves and a second visit often isn't really worth the trouble for quite some time after the first. The books that are there are somewhat ambitiously priced although oddly this is not always true of the more 'expensive' books behind glass. The staff are helpful but can be somewhat eccentric. Don't hope to make an appointment with the owner who seems more interested in football than in books. Great to have both picture framing and bookbinding on site but overall a little shabby and has the feel of shop in slow, gentle decline. - RS 11.06.10.
Alas, all of the above comments were rolled into one for my visit. There are some very good runs on the shelves and the shop has many good books all over the place. It was the lack of compromise which threw me. I presented 42 (yes, forty-two) titles and suggested that as some of them were damaged then possibly a job-lot price might come into the equation. I was firmly put in my place and informed that "each item has been priced as such for a reason." I returned them all to the shelves and will no doubt see them again in years to come. - Chris Harte 26.01.11.
I visit this shop every 2 years .. I love it. Proper old fashioned bookshop, often hilarious prices but bargains definately known. - PaulP 02.08.11.
I used to value this shop but have grown increasingly frustrated. Four years ago I enquired about a pile of Victorian periodicals and was told they were waiting to be sorted. I have returned annually and every time they are still there unpriced and unsorted. What is the point? Why not give them away if youre not going to sell them. - Andy 10.05.12.
I have read the comments from our customers and take onboard what they have written and have to agree myself with some of the comments. We will endeavour to rectify the matters that have come to light because customer service is of the upmost importance. - John Westwood, The Petersfield Bookshop 15.05.12.
So when Mr Westwood has taken the appropriate action would he please post it here so that we can revisit his shop without the fear of being rebuffed by his staff. - Chris Harte 17.05.12.
Like Andy I have been asking for the price on the pile of Victorian journals here, on and off for several years. You would think that with at least two (and who knows how many more) potential customers keen to purchase, that someone would actually buckle down to some pricing. But no -- nothing happens. It's maddening! - Richard 18.05.12..
Dear Customers, with regard to your queries and problems, we are in the process of extensive change to the shop and the price structure of the cheaper books. Also, for some reason the pile of periodicals and the details of who wanted them have been lost. We appreciate your comments and would like to put things right for you our valued customers, so please can you call me on 01730 263438 so that I can speak to you in person and resolve or answer these matters, or any other matters or queries you may have. - John Westwood, The Petersfield Bookshop 31.05.12.
I am sure there are some good books here but can you find them? - No because empty bookcases are stacked in front of full bookcases - a total mess! - Pauline 12.07.12.
The whole place is full of unfulfilled potential and needs a dressing down and a make over from the likes of the hotel inspector. BTW bookshops are no longer about running away with bargains or bargaining. They are businesses and need to be run as such otherwise all we will be left with is Oxfams. - OWC 22.09.12.
My usual annual visit found even fewer books than last time and a mightily confused pricing structure. Were the books this price, that price, any price? Nobody seemed to know. What they certainly didn't seem to be was the price listed, either in the book or on the many notices hung around this, sadly, ever shrinking bookshop. - Andy 15.06.13.
The Winchester Bookshop
10a St Georges Street
WINCHESTER Hampshire SO23 8BG map
tel: 01962 855630
General books, archaeology, local and British topography.
Always helpful and interested; worth return visits. Not so much archaeology now that John Barton has retired as a partner. - Richard 02.04.09.
Things seem to be going well at this shop - nice new sign over the entrance and one of the partners saying trade was good. The first floor seems to have been renovated and the whole shop gives a good impression. - John Bacon 07.05.09.
I always enjoy visiting (4 or 5 times a year) this bookshop, and never come away empty handed. Good turnover of stock. Prices intelligently set according to book condition. Right now (recession), the owners are very choosy/cautious as to what they will buy-in. Stock on three floors. - Sub nomine.A highly regarded shop holding a splendid collection of rare and secondhand sensibly priced books which guarantees repeat visits. There is a good Oxfam across the road as well. - OWC 22.09.12.
Visited on a February Monday morning. A helpful lady chatted - surprisingly busy - to a procession of customers, the books are a fascinating mix and include some unusual older items as well as modern editions in two bright and sunny upstairs rooms. Prices OK. A good experience and worth the trip from London. - ACRD 06.03.13.
Warsash Nautical Books
6 Dibles Road
WARSASH Hampshire SO31 9HZ map
tel: 01489 572384 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 5.00.
New and Secondhand Maritime Books - we have a secondhand and out of print department listing about 2000 titles. If you find a particular book on our website please call us before coming to view as we store some stock off site.
Winchester Cathedral Bookshop
The Close
Winchester Cathedral
WINCHESTER Hampshire SO23 9LS map
tel: 01962 857 200
Open: 7 days 9.30 - 5.00.
Fund-raising bookshop selling donated books on a wide range of subjects.
Located in the Close, in the Deanery. Good stock of donated books, hbk, sbk, all subjects early C20th onwards. Prices very affordable, but additional monetary donation encouraged. All monies raised fund choral scholarships. - Sub nomine 12.05.11.
Alas it has closed. A helpful resident said that there had been an arson attack. Probably not the first time books have been burnt in Winchester Cathedral precincts, but how sad. - Anthony Davis 06.03.13.
The shop is open again. Good variety. - Bev 07.05.13.
This shop has reopened! Hooray!! It has a large secondhand stock. Very bright and pleasant the day I went, and pleasant people working there. Definitely a cut above Oxfam shops both for the variety of the stock, the size, the pleasant setting and the interest of the staff. - Anthony Davis 15.05.13.
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Appointment necessary
