Albion Books
20 George Street
HASTINGS  East Sussex  TN34 3EA
tel: Unknown  e-mail  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 5.00.
    Secondhand mainly popular fiction - Alastair Palmer 15.05.08.

32 Seconds
High Street
NEWHAVEN  East Sussex
tel: unknown
    Small shop which has books as well as stamps, and a few videos. Prices are erratic, but occasionally good things turn up. There is no other reason for visiting Newhaven. I wouldn't make a special journey. - Richard.

Bestsellers
56 St Leonards Road
BEXHILL-ON-SEA  East Sussex  TN40 1JB
tel: 01424 730885  e-mail  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 5.00, closed Wednesday pm.
I keep a large selection of modern fiction covering si-fi, romance and saga, chick-lit, thrillers and a very large section of crime and mystery, I also have sections covering the classics, film and TV tie-in, childrens, biography, military and war stories. If you're bored with town centres and high streets that all look the same, then Bexhill is the place to come.
    Mostly new-looking paperbacks and a few hardbacks. Nothing really caught my eye. John Bacon 15.05.08.
    A Doctor Who Tardis can be found in this bookshop! All my favourite authors all in order easy to find, The owner has ordered a book for me from the internet, looking for the best price. - Sarah W 13.05.10.
    Amazing window displays, always different such a lot of effort. Its a huge shop. The owner went into the basement where he has many more books to check when I had asked for a book. - Wordscan 13.05.10.
    A treasure trove of interesting books, I always walk away with a few good books. I asked the man to order me something I was looking for in particular (English translation of a French poet) and was very happy with the service. - Handsomesuits 10.07.10.

Books for Amnesty
15 Sydney Street
BRIGHTON  East Sussex  BN1 4EN
tel: 0127 368 8983  e-mail  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00, Sunday 1.30 - 5.00.
Charity bookshop.

Bookmans Halt
127 Bohemia Road,
ST. LEONARDS-ON-SEA  East Sussex  TN37 6RL
tel: 01424 421413  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00, closed Wednesday & Saturday pm.
general stock of about 5,000 books.
    No longer open on Saturday afternoons. Old fashioned double front building in a row of old shops. Good to rummage through when open! - Clive Cheeseman
    Shut - owner at funeral - but usually has a wide range of inexpensive good quality books. - John F Bacon
    A dismal shop in an area which is going downhill fast. Although there was nothing to attract me, much on the shelves looked very promising. A spring clean and a coat of paint would surely bring to the fore the gems hidden amongst the dust and grime. - Chris Harte 04.02.10.

Boulevard Bookshop
32 George Street  Old Town
HASTINGS  East Sussex  TN34 3EA
tel: 01424-436521 or 01424200833  e-mail  website  map
Open: 7 days 10.30 - 6.00.
All subjects covered, but science books a'plenty.The stock will appeal to the reader rather than the collector.
    This bookshop appears to be transforming itself into a Thai restaurant! We get the feeling that the books are now there for decoration ... a shame, because this was a good shop. - Stephen Gaunt 17.05.10.

Bow Windows Bookshop
175, High Street
LEWES  East Sussex  BN7 1YE
tel: 01273 480780  website  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 5.00.
We buy and sell old, rare and fine books on many subjects. Much of our stock is attractively displayed in our shop, and we have a special emphasis on books in overall excellent condition.
    Did not realise that I was a specialist in my field and waved me away with a swatting motion of the hand. Some stock appeared to be mutton dressed as lamb. - Chris Harte 01.04.09.
    Found staff helpful and very friendly, so maybe Chris Harte just caught them on a bad day? Reasonable selection of stock, all of it well presented. Did think that presentation meant some items were slightly over priced. - Emma 05.05.09.

The Boxroom
The Old Needlemakers  West Street
LEWES  East Sussex  BN7 2NZ
tel: 01273 476001
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 6.00 Sunday 11.00 - 4.00.
Small stock of general secondhand and some collectable books.
    Small shop in the basement of the Needlemakers Centre (worth a visit for various art shops, and a nice cafe). Small stock of books, plus odds and ends, clothing, knick-knacks etc. There is usually 1920s - 1930s music playing in the shop. If in Lewes for Bow Windows, Cummings, & The Fifteenth Century, it is worth a quick look. - Richard.

Brighton Books
18 Kensington Gardens
BRIGHTON  East Sussex  BN1 4AL
tel: 01273 693845  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 6.00
Large general stock and particularly art, architecture and illustrated.
    Prices are somewhat high, but you are paying for the quality of the stock and a consistently high condition of the books in a very smart and well managed shop. - George Marshall 06.02.09.

British Heart Foundation Books & Music Shop
76 London Road
BRIGHTON  East Sussex  BN1 4JF
tel: 01273 674613  map

Camilla's Bookshop
57 Grove Road
EASTBOURNE  East Sussex  BN21 4TX
tel: 01323 736001  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.30
A stock of some 50,000 titles, including children's, needlework, art & antiques, transport, military and antiquarian.
    So many books, but they are everywhere. Very difficult to browse downstairs with the ever present fear of being hit by a falling book. Huge selection of books on all subjects. - John F Bacon.
    Books piled everywhere. You need at least half a day to do justice to a wide and varied stock. - Chris Harte 01.04.09.
    Revisited Camilla's recently. Browsing purposefully got me nowhere and neither did asking for specific items/categories. Camilla has been there for years but the stock now looks tired, unloved and tatty. The gems are lurking somewhere but are well hidden! - Mary Corin 11.01.10.
    We were on holiday last week in Eastbourne and visited this shop - probably some very good books but you need a spade to find them ! no wonder OXFAM opposite does so well ! - Gavin Richardson 24.02.10.

A & Y Cumming Ltd
84 High Street
LEWES  East Sussex  BN7 1XN
tel: 01273 472319  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00
Very large stock including travel, fine bindings, art & illustrated, literature, natural history and topography.
    Some wonderful stock in the basement. I regret not spending much longer there. Assisted in my searches but never put pressure on me to buy. - Chris Harte 01.04.09.
    A good selection of books on a wide variety of subjects. The pricing appears to be reasonable. The service was friendly, amusing and slightly eccentric. - h442 28.07.10.

Davids Book Exchange
3 Sydney Street
BRIGHTON  East Sussex  BN1 4EN
tel: 01273 690223  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 5.30
General secondhand bookshop.

Dim and Distant
31 High Street
HEATHFIELD  East Sussex  TN21 8HU
tel: 01435 868555  e-mail  map
Open Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00, closed Wednesday.
Lots of good quality mainly non-fiction hardbacks, some antiquarian, on shelves and in piles on the floor! Just an old fashioned small town secondhand bookshop. Fresh stock arriving constantly, thanks to an owner pathologically obsessed with buying more.
    What a treasure stuck away in a small East Sussex town. After spending time examining the stock I asked the pleasant owner if he put his holdings on the internet as I had seen runs of titles which are usually very scarce. He replied in the negative. That is a good reason why it is worth a visit. - Chris Harte 01.11.10.

The Fifteenth Century Bookshop
99-100 High Street
LEWES  East Sussex  BN7 1XH
tel: 01273 474160  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.30
Large general stock and children's and Illustrated books.
    Lovely outside, DISAPPOINTING inside. I try to be a good customer, never rude or demanding. Management is unhelpful and even hostile! Cramped & dusty, as well. I avoid it like the plague now. - E. Long 10.02.09.
    Completey agree with the comments from E Long. We too have found the management unwelcoming and even rude when asked something. Don't like all the signs asking customers not to touch the books - how is one supposed to decide what to buy wthout looking through the book first? - I and E (enthusiatic book buyers!) 08.03.09.
    Nice stock but generally priced too high. - Chris Harte 01.04.09.
    Expect to be treated like a thief, regardless of your age, dress or manner. Not sure why these people want to own a bookshop. - Matthew Barr 02.04.09.
    Stock-over priced and in poor condition. Was treated as though I was about to steal something - most unpleasent shop i've ever visited. - Emma 05.05.09.
    While we were browsing there not long ago an inoffensive tourist was shouted at for having the nerve to take a general photo of the interior, and ordered to delete the image! - David Attwood 14.05.09.
    I was amazed to read the somewhat harsh comments posted in regard to the The Fifteenth Century Bookshop. I have browsed this shop on many occasions and in fact spent the best part of a Saturday morning sitting on the floor re-visiting my childhood books. The owner is extremely helful and knowledgeable. The shop is exactly how a secondhand bookshop should be, it oozes character. - Donna Bastin 11.06.09.
    I stumbled across this quaint old fashioned bookshop by chance and spent a very enjoyable hour browsing the shelves. A real paradise for the true book lover. - Rachael Boothby 11.06.09.
    I totally disagree with earlier comments regarding this bookshop. It is one of the few remaining GENUINE bookshops in this country! Over crowded with books, yes! But packed with treasures if you are patient and clever enough to spot them ... - TM Dailly. 25.06.09.
    I'm afraid I have to agree with the negative comments about the Fifteenth Century Bookshop. My wife asked if she could look at the childrens' books on the shelves behind a pile on the floor and was told no, because the person in charge 'wasn't in the mood'. With attitudes like this, is it any wonder second-hand bookshops are closing in droves? My wife spent a substantial amount of money instead in the Boxroom at the Old Needlemakers, which had a good stock of childrens' books. - Alastair Palmer 25.06.09.
    It would appear that a few people have some sort of axe to grind against this shop, why I do not know. Wonderful selection of stock and always courteous when I have visited it. - John Rolfe 25.06.09.
    I think we now have enough comments about this shop to understand that it seems to be loved or loathed in about equal measure, so I don't intend publishing any more. - TBG 25.06.09.

David Jarman
1 Pipe Passage
LEWES  East Sussex  BN7 1YG
tel: 01273 480744  map
Open: Tuesday - Friday 10.00 - 4.00, Saturday 10.00 - 5.00.
General secondhand stock but particularly art and literature.
    A small shop on two floors in narrow lane just off the High Street. - Richard.
    Friendly owner who regularly gives (unrequested) discounts if you buy three or four books. Stock does not change very often, but is high quality and very reasonbably priced. - Matthew Barr 02.04.09.
    Small stock - lot of biography. No one worried me as I sat and read my way through part of the stock. Questions answered courteously but staff did not appear greatly interested in their customer. - h442 28.07.10.

Lewes Book Centre
38 Cliffe High Street
LEWES  East Sussex  BN7 2AN
tel: 01273 487053  map
Open: Monday - Friday 9.30 - 4.00, Saturday 9.30 - 5.00, closed Wednesday.
General secondhand books and specialist military and aviation stock.

Much Ado Books
1 Steamer Cottage,
High Street  
ALFRISTON  East Sussex  BN26 5TY
tel: 01323 871222  website  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00 & Sunday 11.00 - 5.00
The shop is filled with hand-picked books, ranging from our latest discoveries to favorite old friends. From general fiction and first editions to books for children; from art (with an emphasis on the Bloomsbury group) to history, from music to humour. We offer a wide range of subjects to delight and interest both the general browser and the seasoned collector.
    My idea of a good bookshop - nothing on the floor - no dog eared books - fair prices on the subjects I am interested in and lastly very friendly owners ! - Gavin Richardson 24.02.10.

Oxfam Books
30 Kensington Gardens
BRIGHTON  East Sussex  BN1 4AL
tel: 01273 698 093  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 6.00, Sunday 11.00 - 5.00.
    Told it had been here for 10 years so must have been one of their first bookshops. Usual Oxfam fare, but even that is better than half of the other 'bookshops' in Town. - Steve Newman 05.10.10.

Oxfam Bookshop
40 Grove Road
EASTBOURNE  East Sussex  BN21 4TY
tel: 01323 439582  map
New and second hand donated books. Fiction and nonfiction on a variety of subjects. Our books are in very good condition.

Oxfam Bookshop
46 Queens Road
HASTINGS  East Sussex  TN34 1RE
tel: 01424 425537  map
    Everything including videos on one split level floor - typical Oxfam stock. - Clive Cheeseman.

Colin Page Antiquarian Books
36 Duke Street
BRIGHTON  East Sussex  BN1 1AG
tel: 01273 325954  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 5.30
Large general stock and illustrated & plate books, travel, literature, natural history and children's.
    A lovely shop of the old fashioned variety with antiquarian books stacked to the top of the high ceilings. General stock but much, much better in the storeroom around the back and even better in the store off-site. This shop and annexes need virtually a full day to peruse. - Chris Harte 14.01.10.

Piccadilly Rare Books
Church Street
TICEHURST  East Sussex  TN5 7AA
tel: 01580 201221  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00
Medium size general stock and European royalty and British diarists.

Rainbow Books
28 Trafalgar Street
BRIGHTON  East Sussex  BN1 4ED
tel: 01273 605101  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.30 - 6.00
Very large general stock.
    A fun but messy and rather chaotic shop. - George Marshall 09.02.09.
    Er, yes. Well, um. Bit retro. Not antiquarian by any stretch of the imagination. - Chris Harte 01.04.09.

The Reel Deal
11 Sackville Road
BEXHILL-ON-SEA  East Sussex  TN39 3JD
tel: 01424 734473
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00, closed Wednesday.
We have traded in Bexhill for 15 years as a family run business. Dvds & Cds are sold at the front of the shop and there is a large reference book area at the rear of the shop.Thousands of books in stock. War art, biography, history, transport, homecrafts, crime etc. All paperback fiction sold for £1.99 each or 3 for £5. All excellent condition & P/X welcome.
    Was Bexhill Book Exchange, now renamed Old 'N' Gold. Very much open bought ten books. John Bacon 15.05.08.
    Michael Lynott of Bestsellers says that this is NOT run by the same guy who ran Book Exchange. Apparently it's mostly CD's & DVD's but has a large area at the back of the shop with paperback fiction and hardback non-fiction. TBG 10.06.08.
    Thanks for adding this shop, found exactly what I was looking for and the owner was really helpful. Books were such a good price and lovely condition too. I'll definately be going back. - Hannah 05.07.08.
    With the attraction of the second-hand CDs and DVDs which form the bulk of the shop's stock I felt, on arriving, to have entered the world of 'Chav Central.' At the rear was a small (certainly not 'large') area of very modern ficton books and a few other oddments. If, as the blurb above states, there were "reference books" then they must have all been sold. - Chris Harte 04.02.10.
    I find the previous comment strange as at the last stock take there were just over 1,700 paperback fiction and over 3,000 reference books on the shelves! It is a large shop and does get busy so he may have missed the bookroom at the rear on the left. It is clearly divided in to 3 areas, (1 Cds/ Dvds, 2 Fiction, 3 Reference Books) so I'm not sure how he missed the reference books section, but I would just like to reassure everyone it is there. - Linda Donoghue, owner 05.08.10.

Rye Old Books
7 Lion Street
RYE  East Sussex  TN31 7LB
tel: 01797 225410  email  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.30 - 5.30 & Sunday 1.00 - 5.00. (Phone to confirm in winter. Shop closes for annual holidays.)
General stock, something for everyone, from 50 pence to £3000. Childrens' illustrated, fine bindings, Irish interest literature. Our thirteenth year in business. We search for books at the most competitive price. We post to all corners of the earth.
    A very brusque unwelcoming attiude to an opening simple query. Was made to feel totally unwanted. Asked two friends to go in, five minutes apart, each came out with the same feeling. Why go into a bookshop which doesn't want you in it. - Chris Harte 27.06.09.
    Closed for six weeks or more while the owner is in hospital. - TBG 17.06.10.

Sandpiper
34 Kensington Gardens
BRIGHTON  East Sussex  BN1 4AL
tel: 01273 605422
Open: Monday - Saturaday 10.00 - 5.30, Sunday 11.00 - 5.00.
Publishers remainders.
    An excellent range of well priced remaindered art, architecture and design books - possible the best remaindered art bookshop outside London. - George Marshall 06.02.09.

The Scarlet Pimpernel
25 London Road
ST. LEONARDS-ON-SEA  East Sussex  TN37 6AJ
tel: 01424 445335  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00
General stock and the ancient middle east, the far east, banking and esoteric.
    Most of the stock is in huge piles on the floor, each volume with a slip of paper giving its internet stock number. I enquired about older fiction and was told that it was not possible for me to browse or find anything, as the books are "arranged" by stock number. Distinctly a brush-off, and I wondered why the shop is actually open to the public. - Richard
    The owner, John Philipps replies that as passing trade is about nil, most of their business is on the internet, and this is the reason the books are piled in numeric order, as they have been entered on the internet. However, he stresses that whilst it's not possible to "browse", as such, customers can be directed to particular sections, although they don't currently have one for "older fiction". Whilst he admits that the shop is too small for the number of books and that it's a "bit of a mad house", they are happy to see personal callers. - TBG.
    Like the above posting from Richard I too was given a brush-off. There looked to be titles of interest but I was hardly allowed past the front door. If this shop is just used as an internet book storeroom then why not put the blinds down at the front? - Chris Harte 04.02.10.

The Studio Bookshop
68 St. James's Street
BRIGHTON  East Sussex  BN2 1PJ
tel: 01273 691253  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 11.00 - 6.00
Academic & scholarly, art, glass, first editions, literature & criticism.

Two Way Books
54 Gardner Street
BRIGHTON  East Sussex  BN1 1UN
tel: 01273 687729  map
Mainly paperback fiction.