23.08.10. David Clarke (previously of the St Michael at Plea bookshop and a regular at the St Andrews Hall book fairs) is opening The City Bookshop in Norwich on Friday August 27th ... more  Add a comment

23.08.10. Hummingbird Books in Leominster are holding a lease end sale until 11th September. Plenty of bargains to be had with books marked at £10 or less 50% off and books marked at £11 or more 20% off.  Add a comment

17.08.10. We've recently had a couple of comments about negative reviews, and a supposed concentration on "collectable books" - so it was a pleasure to receive the following from Annie Levy.
     "My husband is an afficionado of second hand book shops, and with my children we find ourselves in them wherever we find ourselves. My custom is a desultory glance through the cookery section, but as someone with a very satisfying “collection” already I rarely find anything of interest. I was completely surprised today in Abergavenny at Broadleaf Books to find a fantastic section filled with classics, ethnographic cookbooks, food histories, natural and wild food, foraging— basically, so many gorgeous, interesting and well-priced books I had never seen. I could not resist buying three books, and wanted many more. I also left with a title in mind to look up on amazon, and I told the proprietor this, and she so kindly found the best on-line price for me and matched it, so I bought a fourth one. AND she was really nice to my children who were embarrassingly misbehaved.
    This section is better than any cookery section I’ve ever come across in the UK, including in Hay, and including the rather large one in the Cheltenham shop across from the cinema. If you are a foodie, make sure to visit Broadleaf if you find yourself in Abergavenny.”   Add a comment

11.08.10. Sadly, Harlequin Books in Bristol is closing at the end of the month, untill then they are having a lease-end sale. However, I'm pleased to be able to add two shops in the city: Bloom and Curll in Colston Street, and The Mighty Miniature Bookspace in Cheltenham Road.  Add a comment

11.08.10. The owner of Arcade Bookshop is offering one entrepreneur a chance to take on the store with free help from a pro ... more  Add a comment

09.08.10. Recently added: The Tadcaster Bookshop who say they specialise in vintage UK paperbacks, and Nick Nack Book Shack in Doncaster market, described as a good trade call.  Add a comment

05.08.10. Should TheBookGuide encourage customers to review the shops they visit? John Atkinson of the Northampton Bookshop doesn't think they are helpful ... more  Add a comment

03.08.10. Mike Banwell has moved from the Corn Exchange in Tunbridge Wells and is now trading as Britannia Antiques & Books, in Neville Street.  Add a comment
    And Steve Marshall has moved Pantiles Bookshop across the road to number 13. TBG 05.08.10.

28.07.10. Many thanks to Chris K and Norman Davies, who between them have reviewed nineteen bookshops in Norfolk and Suffolk. Chris also deserves a mention for inventing the Acronym NFOH - Not Fond Of Hoovering :)  Add a comment
    NFOH...that’s very funny! How about: IOT - Ignores Opening Times, or SOS - Same Old Stock, VMT - Victor Meldrew Type ... (mind you,that may be a positive attribute!) PFAG - Pricing From Another Galaxy ... - Allan Campbell 31.07.10.
    If the above makes no sense read this. - TBG 31.07.10.

26.07.10. Recently added: The Bookshop in Heywood's Magic Market, Acacia Books in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, and The Storyteller in North Hykeham, Lincolnshire.  Add a comment

26.07.10. Richard Mountford has closed First Edition in Oswestry and will be trading on-line while he searches for a more suitable location for the shop. He is hopeful that he will be back in physical form by the Autumn.  Add a comment

21.07.10. Molly Malone might be the unofficial anthem of Dublin, but a surprise discovery in a Welsh bookshop has shed new light on the legend ... more  Add a comment

19.07.10. I'm surprised to discover that I can still be amazed by how bad some of the secondhand bookshops in the UK are. A couple of years ago I described the stock of one I visited as 'so dull that I could find nothing to like, let alone buy'. The owner found my remark offensive and said that my attitude would be the death of secondhand bookshops, and we would only be left with charity shops ... more  Add a comment

09.07.10. I'm out of the office for most of next week, so don't expect to see any news or updates until 19.07.10.  Add a comment

07.07.10. The Oxfam Bookfest in Shaftesbury runs from July 12th - 17th, and includes a book signing by Terry Pratchett. More details here.  Add a comment

05.07.10. Terry Sims has sold the building which has been the home of Bookworms of Evesham since 1971. He will continue to trade there until the end of the year, but both he and the new landlord are keen that it should continue as a bookshop after Terry's departure. If you fancy running one of the area's longest established secondhand bookshops, give Terry a call on 01386 45509.  Add a comment

01.07.10. Chris K reports that Oxfam are currently advertising for volunteer staff for their soon to be opened bookshop, in the posh Jesmond suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne.  Add a comment

28.06.10. A Bristol Oxfam shop could raise £25,000 after several rare and valuable books were donated to one of its shops ... more  Add a comment

28.06.10. Just added: A Novel Idea in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and Trinity Hospice Bookshop in London's Kensington Church Street.  Add a comment

22.06.10. A number of readers have recently asked if I would set up some sort of forum to more broadly discuss the future of the UK's bookshops. The new forum can now be found here, and I hope you will use it to discuss all those things there simply isn't space for here. Chris Harte warms it up for us with his comments on a recent Oxfam experience.  Add a comment

17.06.10. Chris Harte writes: 'Just to let you know that Rye Old Books of Rye, East Sussex will close on Saturday for a minimum of six weeks as the owner is going into hospital. The closure could possibly be for much longer.'  Add a comment

14.06.10. My thanks again to Chris Harte who has managed to review nineteen of Edinburgh's bookshops, and to PaulP and RS for their updates and reviews.  Add a comment

09.06.10. Sorry for the delay in adding some of your reviews and updates. My elderly mother died unexpectedly after a short illness on June the 3rd, leaving me little time for anything other than being with her and sorting out her affairs. I will catch up as soon as I can.  Add a comment

08.06.10. Recently added: Sophie Schneideman Rare Books in London's Portabello Road. And Staniland (Booksellers) have moved from Stamford in Lincolnshire, to Uppingham in Rutland.  Add a comment

02.06.10. What does it take to bag a book bargain? In the first of the Guardian's Hay festival bookshop challenges, Andrew Dickson packed artist Grayson Perry off with a tenner to the Hay Cinema Bookshop to see what he could find on the shelves ... more  Add a comment

24.05.10. John Cayley writes: "Simon's Books the secondhand bookshop in Somerton, Somerset which closed some months ago after the death of the owner has been opening during the month of May; Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4.30 pm staffed by members of the late owners family. I understand it is their intention to open for the entire week the first week of June after which the shop will close permanently. There appear to be some nice books still on the shelves, but I'm not in the trade so what do I know ..." I you are thinking of visiting, the postcode is TA11 7NH and phone 01458 272313.  Add a comment

20.05.10. Sadly, after being taken into administration in April, Galloway and Porter in Cambridge are holding a half-price sale and will close on 31st May. And the 50% off everything sale at Moss Books in Cheltenham will continue "for the next few weeks" Who knows, at the end of it you might be able to see the books behind the books :)  Add a comment

18.05.10. On May 14th Sedgeberrow Books in Pershore moved from the retail market to much larger premises in the town's High Street, where they are now open Monday - Saturday, 9.30 - 5.00.  Add a comment

18.05.10. I've just added Karl's Bookshop in Nottingham, and the WVS Bookshop in Cranborne, Dorset.  Add a comment

15.05.10. Most days he is just John Anthony Westwood, a mild-mannered antiquarian book dealer with a royal warrant for picture framing in a peaceful national park market town. Come this weekend, however, he will transform himself into John Anthony Portsmouth Football Club Westwood, better known as Pompey John, tattooed talisman of the terraces ... more  Add a comment

13.05.10. I've just added FoundItAtLast: A Bookshop In The Middle of Nowhere, near Kelso, which enjoys the twin distinction of the longest name, and most complicated opening hours we've listed so far :)  Add a comment

10.05.10. Recently added: Teddington Books, run by the FARA charity, and The Reading Room, which recently opened in Minehead, Somerset.  Add a comment

05.04.10. Thanks once again to Chris Harte for all his recent reports, and to Nicholas Pendower for his North Yorkshire updates and reviews.  Add a comment

28.04.10. I was saddened to read today that Brian Mills is suffering from dementia, and that his partner is collecting material for a memory book. I remember Brian from his days in the Newcastle Bookshop, and his brilliant trade card which featured a gas mask wearing audience. And I still have some of the wonderfully quirky ephemera which used to be a feature of his catalogues. If you have any of these catalogues, anecotes, or photographs, please contact Bookdealer.  Add a comment
    I was very sorry to read about Brian's illness. I remember well his shop at Side in Newcastle, and how when we visited him one morning, he took us in his car to his favourite lunch place, which we thought might be something special. We didn't realise at the time that we knew nothing about his tastes in food, so imagine our surprise when the lunch venue turned out to be a transport cafe! Brian was always such good company and so knowledgeable a bookseller who really understood his market. If you can, please pass our kindest regards, and this email, to Anne, who we also remember warmly. - Gordon & Gillian Hill 10.06.10.

26.04.10. Just added: Timberbooks in West Kilbride, the recently opened Aligemker Books in Nuneaton, and a weekly Market Book Stall in Deal, Kent.  Add a comment

26.04.10. Many thanks to Norman Davies his reviews of shops in Gloucestershire and North Wales, and to Loyola, for a whopping 27 reviews for Merseyside and London.  Add a comment

19.04.10. Just added: Oxton Village Books in Birkenhead, Merseyside, and The Bookshop in Manchester.  Add a comment

17.04.10. Herne writes: 'I visited (The Tardis Bookshop) today to find it closed - it shuts at 2pm. However I won't be back as it says it closes for good at the end of April. Is it going to another galaxy?'  Add a comment

16.04.10. Pantiles bookseller Stephen Marshall is expanding around the corner after buying The Secondhand Bookshop, in Nevill Street, Tunbridge Wells ... more  Add a comment

13.04.10. Simon Baynes – Books & Music have just moved to bigger premises in Shrewsbury town centre. John Simms writes that: 'with Candle Lane Books (round the corner) and a not half bad Oxfam Bookshop (prices there seem have got more realistic recently - about time!) nearby, Shrewsbury is well worth a visit.'  Add a comment

13.04.10. Many thanks to Richard Wareing for his Scottish Lowlands update, and Bookworm for his North Yorkshire updates and reviews.  Add a comment

10.04.10. A number of readers have emailed to say that Richard Axe has now closed his Harrogate shop and will now trade by appointment only from his home. And Dan Unwin reports the closure of Wyseby House Books in Kingsclere, and that Tim and Anne are continuing the business from home.  Add a comment

06.04.10. I've just about managed to deal with all the urgent site updates, but I'm afraid I haven't yet made a start on the backlog of bookshop reviews. So don't despair if your review hasn't appeared yet, it's only a matter of time ...   Add a comment

01.04.10. Kirkland Books have recently relocated in Kendal to 11 Collin Croft, with all other contact details remaining the same.   Add a comment

31.03.10. Just added: Bill Quay Books in Gateshead, and the very recently opened Bridgnorth Books in ... Bridgnorth.   Add a comment

29.03.10. My sciatica is slowly improving so I'm able to spend a little longer at the computer every day. I hope to start tackling the backlog of shop reviews and updates this week. Thanks for your good wishes and patience.   Add a comment

19.03.10. Oxfam will close its bookshop in Tewkesbury next month because it isn't making enough profit ... more   Add a comment (Thanks to Caro for the link)

22.03.10. An acute bout of sciatica has made it all but impossible for me to work at the computer, so I'm afraid it's a very late entry for the 6th Deal book Fair on March 28th.  Add a comment

18.03.10. In sharp contrast to the situation faced by the bookshops in London's Cecil Court, the Semaest agency in Paris is buying up property and commercial leases in the Latin Quarter and renting them to bookstores at below-market rates ... more  Add a comment (Thanks to Shaun for the link)

15.03.10. On Tuesday 23rd March, Quinto Bookshop will be relocate to number 72 Charing Cross Road, just a few doors up the street from their current location. Until then they are holding a clearance sale, with all books in the basement priced between £1 and £5 ... more   Add a comment

12.03.10. Watkins Books has been saved by American entrepreneur, Etan Ilfeld, just two weeks before the business was due to be liquidated. Ilfeld said: "It's not everyday that you have the opportunity to save a century old business. I don't believe that spirituality in London is dead and will do my best to ensure that Watkins Books will be sustainable and survive the 21st century" ... more   Add a comment

09.03.10. Paul Downey writes: 'Went to have a look round here (Richard Axe Books) today but the shop was closed as it often has been recently. Several notices in the window announcing a half-price closing sale for ten days commencing 19th March (coinciding with the first day of the Harrogate Book Fair). Same notices said Richard Axe's new premises will still be open at Aysgarth, Wensleydale (containing 30 rooms of books according to the notices), but advised visitors to ring prior to visiting. I have heard from more than one source that the new shop is appt. only, but whether this is because he hasn't gained planning permission yet to open as a shop is not certain.'  Add a comment

04.03.10. Watkins Books could live again, after an offer for the Cecil Court 'institution' was put in by a local businessman ... more  Add a comment

01.03.10. The irrepressible Chris Harte has been out and about braving the elements in Norfolk and Suffolk, where found a number of shops to his liking.  Add a comment

24.02.10. London's oldest esoteric bookshop and Cecil Court 'institution' Watkins Books has gone into administration with 11 members of staff losing their jobs ... more  Add a comment

24.02.10. Two valuable coloured engravings have been stolen from a van belonging to Fosters Book Shop ... more  Add a comment

24.02.10. Just added: Johnston's Marine Stores on the Isle of Arran, Bijou Nearly New in Hartlepool, the very recently opened Dorset Book Exchange, and Young's Interesting Books in Glasgow.  Add a comment

23.02.10. I'm pleased to be able to re-list the World's End Bookshop in Chelsea. After a brief experiment with the art business, it will now offer books from as little as £1.00, but with the emphasis on better books.  Add a comment

22.02.10. A corrupted hard drive and photographing hundreds of film posters has kept me more than usually busy -- but normal service should return this week.  Add a comment

15.02.10. Fancy a change of scene? If you can lay your hands on $3.5 million you might be tempted by Baldwin’s Book Barn, the long established secondhand book business in rural Pennsylvania ... more  Add a comment

11.02.10. Books have been flying off the shelves at the Invicta bookshop in Newbury since it was recently announced to be closing ... more  Add a comment

11.02.10. Oxfam is a bully. I have several negative opinions about Oxfam: that they have a career ladder which provides large numbers of lucrative jobs and a grandiose set of offices ... more  Add a comment (Thanks to Clive for the link.)
    I agree with (Susan Hill's) article. A large "corporate" charity like Oxfam offers lucrative careers when the gifted money should be given to the points and people in need. I wonder if they operate more like a "PLC" - profit driven - rather then people in need driven? How sensitive are these enterprises to local activities such as independent/family bookshops? Richard Underhill.15.02.10.  Add a comment

10.02.10. Independent booksellers in Herne Hill, south London, have expressed their concern over an Oxfam bookshop which opened today (10th February). According to one local source "there's a lot of bad feeling in Herne Hill" about the shop, though criticism has been muted "because it's a charity" ... more  Add a comment

04.02.10. Bath Old Books annual 20% off sale runs for 2 weeks from this Saturday until Friday 19th February.  Add a comment

04.02.10. George Marshall enjoyed the York bookshops, while Chris Harte was less than impressed on his latest trawl around the East Sussex shops.  Add a comment

27.01.10. Recently added: Bookend in Morpeth, Northumberland.  Add a comment

22.01.10. Jannette Howarth is used to selling all kinds of quirky and unusual items in her secondhand bookshop, Needful Things, but she's stumped by this object ... more  Add a comment

22.01.10. The Bookshop on the Heath's 7th annual 50% off book sale, runs until February 6th.  Add a comment

18.01.10. A first edition of cult novel A Clockwork Orange has been donated to a Worcester charity shop ... more  Add a comment

18.01.10. I've just added the recently opened Meads Books, a new and secondhand bookshop in Eastbourne, near the start of the South Down's Way.  Add a comment

14.01.10. I'm sorry to report the impending closure of Invicta Bookshop in Newbury, due to the proposed redevelopment of the property. Their closing down sale starts on Saturday and runs until February 13th. Thereafter, you will still be able to find a selection of their books in the Hungerford Arcade.  Add a comment
    Really sad to see this shop close as I have been buying books there for over 30 years. Prices have always been reasonable with a wide selection of titles must be one of the best bookshops in the South. - John Bacon 20.01.10.

08.01.10. If you're interested in what's new in the broader world of old books and book collecting, you might like to look at Shelf:Life, the book news blog I've been churning out since 2004.  Add a comment

06.01.10. A collector trying to put together a buying trip has pointed out that he found a number of bookshop's email addresses were redundant. As this is a free listing site, I can't afford to phone, or snail-mail bookshops to check their email address. So, if you find an email address that's out-of-date, please let me know. And if you run a bookshop, please insure that all your contact details are updated.   Add a comment

01.01.10. Book dealer Graham York is taking on a brewery - over its decision to install metal security shutters to a closed pub .... more  Add a comment

01.01.10. If you thought our bookshop reviewers put their feet up at this time of year, you would be wrong. In the past few days I've added reviews for shops all over the UK, including two on remote Scottish islands! Whilst I can't mention everyone, I must particularly thank The Wanderer for his continuing reviews of shops in Mid and North Wales, and Chris Hart for his Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire reviews.   Add a comment

News from 2009