Secondhand and Antiquarian Bookshops in the UK 2019
Key
Open at advertised times
Phone before travelling
Appointment necessary
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure these details are correct, we recommend that you contact each individual bookshop before travelling any distance. Add your Bookshop here
Berwyn Books
Unit 4 Spencer Ind Estate
Liverpool Road
BUCKLEY Flintshire CH7 3LY map
tel: 01244 541415 e-mail web
Open: Appointment necessary.
Over 20,000 books on our constantly updated internet inventory. Valuations, bookbinding and clearance services.
Add a comment Read commentsHide comments*Situated at the rear of an antiques centre on a not easy to find side road on an industrial estate. Once found, the pleasure of searching the shelves takes over. Here is a shop comprising quality publications; some old and some fairly recent but all worthy of time to check if they could be worthwhile purchases. Everything in marked categories which makes it easy to browse. WWAD. - Chris Harte 07.04.13.
*Moved to Old Chapel in May. - TBG 16.05.13.
**A visit, by appointment, to the new premises meant an introduction to the knowledgeable Julie. She seemed to know where most of the internet titles could be located and I left with a box load of surprises. Prices were slightly high but the quality could not be faulted. - Chris Harte 13.06.13.
**Moved to Buckley in October 2013. - TBG 23.12.13.
Visited them in Unit 4, by appointment. The storage area is huge and I would have no idea how many (tens of ??)thousands of books line the narrow wooden shelves. Although mainly an internet organisation the titles I briefly saw were of some substance. Go with your 'Wants List' - as nowhere near the full stock can be listed online - and Julie will hopefully find what you want. - Chris Harte 02.01.14.
The people who run this bookshop are both friendly and efficient with a vast knowledge of their stock...we could not fault them and will use them again in the future..FANTASTIC! - Netty 10.03.14.
Black Pug Books
The Old Gallery
24 West Borough
WIMBORNE Dorset BH21 1NF map
tel: 01202 889383
Open: Thursday, Friday & Saturday 10.00 - 6.00
Highly varied mix of stock, but no paperbacks or book club editions. Smallish room in private house. Tea and coffee happily offered in home surroundings.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsA wonderful bookshop with a great variety of really good books. Thoroughly recommended! - David Aston 22.02.18.
Book
17 Merrial Street
NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME Staffordshire ST5 2AE map
tel: 01782 630201 e-mail
Open: 7 days 9.30 - 4.30.
Our stock is mainly second-hand but we do carry a number of new books. We have a good History. Military and Transport sections. All visitors from outside of our immediate area will be given Coffee or Tea.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsWorth a visit. Rather an 'old-fashioned' feel to it (same with the stall on Stafford market): plenty of rather scruffy - but quite interesting and even uncommon - titles. Parking nearby. - Andrew Bradley 18.07.14.
Bookbane
Unit 9
Felin Fawr Coed y Parc
BETHESDA Gwynedd LL57 4YY map
tel: 01248 600 632 e-mail
Open: 7 days 9.00 - 6.00.
25,000 books in Welsh, English & other languages. Poetry. Technical publications from the 19th & 20th centuries. Working class movement library. Shop & bindery in interesting early 19th century quarry workshop.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsCalled in and returned on long weekend London-Manchester trip. Worth visits - purchased 6 books. Browsed in peace & enjoyed chats with owner. Interesting location with added travel bonus of wonderful N. Wales scenery. Some books sealed in clear film. - Zim 24.06.17.
If you like books on Albanian Communism then this is your mecca. About 1,500 of them to be precise. Shelf upon shelf; row upon row of Marxist literature. The owner used to have a bookshop in Birmingham. Other than the multi-published works of Enver Hoxha the shelves groaned with books from the 1950s to 1970s; nothing modern whatsoever. - Chris Harte 22.09,19.
Cafe and Books LLangollen
17 Castle Street
LLANGOLLEN Denbighshire LL20 8NY map
tel: 01978 860334 or 861963 e-mail web
Open: 7 days 10.00 - 4.00
We are one of the largest second hand book shops in Wales with over 100,000 in stock. Dr Who, art, antiquities/collectables, crafts/hobbies, DIY, fishing, fiction, gardening, health, history, horror, lit-crit, music, plays, poetry, religion, royalty, Shakespeare, sport, transport, theatre, war/military, westerns. Trade welcome.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsYou have to enter though a cafe smelling of chips and go up the stairs to find the entire first floor including a vast cavernous upstairs hall - presumably an old chapel - filled top to bottom with books. High prices and a rather tired old stock are helped hugely by the apparently permanent half price sale. Worth a visit. - George Marshall 06.02.09.
Even with a 50% discount some of the stock strikes me as being overpriced - e.g. an early Penguin paperback, not particularly rare and lacking a paper jacket, at £40 (£20)! - Henry Middleton 15.10.09.
Agree, even with 50% off this is one of the most overpriced bookshops anywhere. Huge stock but surprisingly uninteresting. - Norman Davies 24.04.10.
Lovely coffee smells greeted me when entering the cafe which wafted up the stairs to the bookshop. A very varied selection of books on the many shelves with a stong section on religion. I spent some time in the literature room and saw quite a number of titles circa 1820-40. Although I only purchased three volumes there was much I could have bought had I had the space. New owner is Darren who showed me the thousands of remainder books he has in store which will eventually find their way into the shop. - Chris Harte 18.08.10.
A large fiction section caused initial excitement however most of the fiction stock was of charity shop standard , There were still a few decent pickings to be had and a methodical search can be rewarding. Sales are handled by the surly cafe staff who appear to have no interest in book sales. - The travelling bookdealer 10.08.13.Not been for 20 years, popped in on Friday. Much of a muchness stock-wise, multiple copies of some bizarre titles in my field of interest. Half price was a nice surprise on the purchase I made. - Anthony 08.02.14.
Vast stock, well laid out and not too cramped. Sadly the stock is generally somewhat poor, and overpriced even at 50% off. And the place feels abandoned - no sign of an owner or even an attendant. - Ewie 01.11.14.
Revisited, nothing much changed, stock looks very familiar. Odd goodie but frankly ridiculous prices even at half price for many often not good condition items. Have a look if not visited before. - Norman Davies 14.11.14.
Since the new owner Darren took over, this is the biggest and best secondhand bookshop for many miles around, well worth a visit. Always open, constant new stock, all subjects. a must see! - Paolo 22.09.16.
News of a new owner and 'constant new stock' had me all excited. Sadly, there was no sign of any owner, no sign of any new stock, just the same old tired dusty books that have been there on the shelves since I don't know when. If you've never been here before then it's certainly worth a visit, as there are a lot of books, though as others have mentioned even at half-price some are dear. But really, if you've visited in the past eight years or so, forget it - the same books are still there. Needs a complete overhaul and some of the much-promised new stock needs to make the shelves. A great disappointment. - Steve 13.03.17.
Revisited today, Saturday, and was open. Full of fairly dull books, as other visitors have commented. You might find something, but not sure it would repay the time taken! - Robert Brown 22.09,19.
Coch-y-Bonddu Books
Papyrus
Pentrehedyn Street
MACHYNLLETH Powys SY20 8DJ map
tel: 01654 702837 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 5.00.
Very large stock of second-hand books on fishing & field-sports, countryside & natural history. 7000 sporting books listed on website. Also new books. Machynlleth also has the Dyfi Valley Bookshop in Doll Street
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsThis is probably the best place (other than private dealers) that I have come across for hunting and field sports books. The quality on the shelves was quite remarkable. Not only that but the Welsh section was, I was told by my Welsh speaking wife, worthy of considerable perusal. What I also liked was the knowledge displayed by the most helpful young man who was filing some new titles. I was also given a copy of their latest catalogue: it was top rate. - Chris Harte 09.05.11.
Emphatically endorse Mr Harte's comments above: the quality and quantity of the books falling into the specialist categories catered for here have to be seen to be believed. Three rooms stuffed full of simply amazing titles. - Graeme Rendall 22.10.15.
Countryman Books
Southrise
Great Gutter Lane West
WILLERBY East Yorkshire HU10 6DP map
tel: 01482 869710 fax: 01482 869710 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 4.00, closed Wednesday.
Specialist dealers in quality rare, and collectable fishing, shooting, hunting, big game hunting, dogs and horse books Also books written and illustrated by Cecil Aldin and Lionel Edwards. Please telephone before setting off to ensure the shop is open.
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Deeside Books
18-20 Bridge Street
BALLATER Aberdeenshire AB35 5QP map
tel: 013397 54080
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00.
General stock with emphasis on local history, Scottish, military, fishing and field sports, transport, travel and topography. Stock of approx 10,000 varying from paperbacks to collector's items along with some remainders. Located on main A93 Aberdeen to Braemar road. In centre of Village.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsAn excellent shop. Extensive non-fiction holdings, and some antiquarian material, in general at very reasonable prices. Also stocks interesting Scottish remainders. Well worth a visit. - Second Nature 16.08.11.
A tidy bookshop with a wide-ranging general stock, including strong Scottish history and topography sections (as one would expect). Interestingly, a varied Africa selection as well. - S+S 09.08.18.
John Marrin Rare Books
Old Forge
Ford Village
BERWICK-UPON-TWEED Northumberland TD15 2QA map
tel: 01890 820521 e-mail web
Open: By Appointment.
Antiquarian, rare, and second-hand books, situated in the Horseshoe Forge. Specialising in books on the history and literature of the Great War 1914 - 1918, gardening and fishing, books relating to the history of the Borders, and many other subjects from needlework to walking.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsIt's not open all the time, but has always been open when Ive called in on holiday in Northumberland - specialises in military history - but has other stock as well. Small, but friendly. - Gareth 15.08.15.
Johnston's Marine Stores
Old Pier
LAMLASH Isle of Arran KA27 8JN map
tel: 01770 600333
Open: Summer 10.00 - 1.00 & 2.00 - 5.00 but ring to be sure.
Nautical books and some Arran books. Marine Stores selling chandlery, fishing tackle and nautical clothing as well as books.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsThe shop has changed hands and will be purely chandlery. Books will be available to view by appointment at Johnston's Arran Bookroom in Lamlash very soon. 01770600344
JW Books
The Shopping Courtyard
Stratford Garden Centre Campden Road Clifford Chambers
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON Warwickshire CV37 8LW map
tel: 01789 508031 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.30 - 5.00, Sunday 10.30 - 4.00.
Extensive range of secondhand books encompassing architecture, art, aviation, biographical, history, maritime, military, natural history, performing arts, topography, transport, travel, sports and Folio Society. Local interests: Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Also Fred Archer and John Moore. Regular attendee at Churchdown Book Fair.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsSituated in a new small retail development north-east of the town. Lovely setting; ample parking; perfectly built and designed - but no one around! The owner still has many crates to unload but what was on the shelves showed a high proportion of local and regional titles. Give him time to settle in. - Chris Harte 16.11.13.
Serves me right for not contacting owner beforehand: difficult to find, but looks like excellent selection. next door shop said owner only there occasionally but will open on request. - Norman Davies 13.08.14.
Now trading as JW Books (John Welch who is very personable and helpful). Small shop but well picked and very clean stock, fairly priced. Worth visiting. - Brian Stringer 02.10.14.
Recently moved from Evesham - TBG 05.11.15.
A shopping unit within a garden centre courtyard. Amazing how much stock can be crammed in and still browseable/accessible! Mostly hardbacks and most are in excellent condition. Fair prices on most things I looked at. Ended up with only 1 book but the proprietor was so personable I ended up chatting with him for the best part of an hour. General stock I suppose (something for most tastes) but I spied a fair amount of history (especially military) and a lot of Folio editions. Well worth a detour if in the surrounding area. - Flip M 06.02.17.
After my double strike out in Warwick, I took a return trip here. Happy to say it was not only open but well stocked (with more on the floor in boxes waiting to be sorted). Same comments apply as above, except more paperbacks this time, incl a batch of Star Trek and Star Wars novels. I found a few things to buy, at reasonable prices, in fact I was browsing for far longer than I spend in some larger shops. A good military selection but something for most tastes and WAD. - Flip M 29.07.17.
Visited 11.40am on a Wednesday, but was still unfortunately closed. After visiting the shop next door calls were made and it appeared he was opening a bit later and was doing a book appraisal elsewhere. The stock in this shop is impressive - All high quality and nearly all Hardbacks with DJ's and not much ex-library. I would go so far to say that it has the best military book collection on show in the Midlands, superior even than my nearby Astley Bookfarm. The owner is most pleasant and helpful and this is one shop you simply must visit if in the area. I came away with 6 purchases, all reasonably priced and a bulk-discount was offered. Other categories well-catered for are Folio, Railways, Politics, some foreign-language Art books, Biographies, Maritime, Motoring among others. Advise ringing before making the journey. - Laurence Batchelor 03.08.18.
An unexpected pleasure, unexpected because it's in the grounds of a garden centre. But certainly worth a visit as it's well stocked and the owner is knowledgeable and friendly. - J 11.11.18.
Lovely shop. Stock in good condition but thought the prices a bit high. Reading previous comments no one else has mentioned this, perhaps I am becoming stingier as I get older. - David 15.12.18.
Keel Row Books
11 Fenwick Terrace
Preston Road
NORTH SHIELDS Tyne and Wear NE29 0LU map
tel: 0191 296 0664 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00.
Rare & second-hand books, maps, ephemera & photographs bought & sold. Established 1981. Tyneside's longest running rare & secondhand bookshop. Member of the ABA, ILAB and PBFA. Sprawling early Victorian house now crammed with 40,000 books on every conceivable subject. Located in historic North Shields, close to the mouth of the River Tyne. A couple of minutes drive from the attractions of the coast.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsI counted six rooms but they also use the hallways and parts of the stairs, but no matter what the room count is the shop is big, relatively easy to park at, friendly (being more than happy to pull books from the window display for me to look at) and well worth the visit. The upstairs hall was being used for piles of books and boxes of comics and magazines when I was there but the shop is tidy and well laid out. - Jeremy Briggs.
Taken over by a new owner but the standard of books is still as good as always. Never leave Newcastle without a visit. - Chris Harte 14.04.09.
Good range of stock, very helpful staff. - Paul Simpson 28.07.09.
They now have a really splendid selection of Australian town and regional histories some of which are difficult to get even in Australia. - Chris Harte 12.09.09.
Like other big book shops in area (Alnwick & Carlisle) prices are generally too high, this one is not easy to get to or park by, there are some quality books here but if only there were the odd bargain it would be worth a visit. - PaulP 02.08.11.
The owner is very unpleasant indeed and I will not be recommending him to anyone and shall tell people of his impoliteness. - E 19.04.12.
The owner is very pleasant indeed and I will be recommending him to anyone and will always tell people of his politeness. He does have a low tolerance for pillocks, mind. - Steve Liddle 23.04.13.
Still the best s/h bookshop between Alnwick and York, I think. Went there on a fairly sunny PM. Plenty of stock to browse but some areas are too dark. Needs better lighting installed in the rooms with no windows. Bought 3 good books though. - Chris K 16.10.13.
Excellemt bookshop well worth a visit. Fair/reasonable prices. - Dickl 05.11.15.
Enjoyed a recent impromptu visit here with friends. Proprietor seemed pleasant & we were all pleased to find a decent selection of cheap but quality used stock & in my preferred area of science fiction. Made several purchases & would gladly visit to browse again. - Darania45 24.09.16.
What a great shop. Broad range of stock, most subjects covered. The place has real character with helpful staff. The general readers stock is fairly priced and the collectible books don't seem unreasonable. - Andy 20.11.17.
Completely transformed from the 1990s era shop that I still fondly remember. No tottering piles of paperbacks threatening to engulf you last you foolishly try to extract one to look at. Keel Row is a clean, tidy and welcoming establishment with room after room of neatly stacked, well organised titles, most if not all in very good condition. Prices are very reasonable and there are even bargains to be had if one looks hard enough. Parking is a problem, however, there is a free car park about five minutes walk away towards the town centre. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. - Graeme Rendall 11.11.18.
Probably one of the best bookshops I have ever been in. Better than any in London or Hay or Cambridge with a welcoming genre of staff who was most helpful. I fell instantly in love with this shop and want to have its babies. light. bright, clean and organised in a characterful end of terrace house. Room after room of books, the shelves are floor to ceiling and the ceilings are very high indeed. stop ladders are liberally scattered throughout I picked up two Terry Pratchett HB 1st Edns I have been seeking as well as other books. All at reasonable prices. There are controlled parking zones all around,. but there is parking available on the forecourt and outside the shop. It is such a pity this is so far from Cambridge but I will visit as often as I am able. A model for other bookshops to follow. - Jonathan Morgan 31.07.19.
Leominster Books
Book Room
The Secondhand Warehouse and Antiques Centre New Street
LEOMINSTER Herefordshire HR6 8DR map
tel: 01568 614114 e-mail
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.30.
On the first floor of this large Antiques Centre. A good selection of secondhand and antiquarian books on all subjects. New stock added regularly.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsQuite a good selection on the first floor. All in category order with a number of shelves of old children's books. - Chris Harte 29.10.12.
Well organised, well lit and stocked with an interesting mix of old and modern books at reasonable prices, even some sheet music. Handy for the car park and free coffee too. One not to miss. - Laura 29.10.12.
Very small stock. About half a dozen bookcases. - Mark 10.11.12.
The customer above must have missed the book room and only visited one of the antique dealers on the ground floor of the Centre who carries a small stock of books. Leominster Books is on the first floor (up the main staircase by the cash desk) and has a substantial stock of several thousand books in considerably more than half a dozen bookcases! - Simon, Leominster Books 14.11.12.
Yes, if you go straight upstairs you will find the real books - excellent selection, decent prices. WWAD. - Norman Davies 24.08.13.
A fairly large unit in a bright and interesting antiques centre. The stock is well presented and in good condition, and there is a comparatively wide selection of well-chosen books at quite reasonable prices. However, there is no facility for those who like to rummage in interesting and dusty corners. - Nicholas Pendower 12.04.14.
Asked for Leominster Books at the main desk, only to be met with puzzlement. There is a unit of books upstairs, but it is fairly small in size and general in character. - TravellingLibrary 18.05.18.
Pendleburys Bookshop
Garreg Fawr
Porthyrhyd
LLANWRDA SA19 8NY map
tel: 01558 650 840 e-mail web
Open: Tuesday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00 .
Booksellers for many decades with a large general stock & specialisms of 20,000 theology, 3,500 botanical & gardening books. Outside advertised hours please telephone before visiting. A remote hillside bookshop housed in converted barns in the foothills of the Cambrians within a three acre garden project.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsA journey into the middle of nowhere was rewarded by a friendly greeting, hot coffee and lots of chatter. This really is an oasis in the wilderness and the tens of thousands of titles on offer took some hours to browse. The theological stock took the whole of one massive converted barn. Other subjects, with a large gardening section, were a joy to behold. Only a fraction of the books are on the internet at the moment. There are many scarce titles on offer, particularly on field sports and rural pursuits. WWAD. - Chris Harte 05.03.13.
River Thoughtful Fishing Books
Old Barn
Bridge of Cally
BLAIRGOWRIE Perthshire PH10 7JJ map
tel: 01250 886327 e-mail web
Open: Most days except Monday 10.00 - 6.00.
A wide selection of second-hand, antiquarian and collectable fishing books,maps and prints. We also keep a small amount of general field sports titles. The shop is right opposite the Bridge of Cally Hotel. We are open most days but please ring ahead if making a special trip. Please ring the bell if the door is shut.
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Stella Books
Monmouth Road
TINTERN Monmouthshire NP16 6SE map
tel: 01291 689755 fax: 01291 689998 e-mail web
Open: 7 days 10.00 - 5.00.
A large stock of 30,000 books on all subjects, specialising in children's and illustrated, UK topography, railways and natural history. Stock available on web site.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsA lovely bookshop in a superb setting. Quality titles all over the place and a visit is highly recommended. There is nothing to criticise regarding the shop itself although I do have considerable reservations about their on-line selling and the carelessness in book descriptions. Attention to detail is paramount and needs consideration. - Chris Harte 19.04.11.
Lovely location with distracting view of Tintern Abbey. Interesting stock sorted by budget. Books may all be on-line but browsing adds new interests. - Simon Procter 14.05.11.
If you are daft enough to pay these sort of prices then this is the place for you. The shop appears to act as a storage facility for their internet book selling business, which means that prices are well in excess of those you would expect to pay in any provincial bookshop (even the most expensive ones). This is not a place for the passing trade, and if you are thinking of making a special trip make sure that you've organised a bank loan before you go. After seeing their advertising I arrived in optimistic mood but left feeling annoyed that I had been hoodwinked into such a costly and time consuming drive. - Nicholas Pendower 05.04.14.
The Gently Mad
2 Summer Place
EDINBURGH Midlothian EH3 5NR map
tel: 0131 261 6028 e-mail web
Open: 7 days 11.00 - 6.00.
In the shop above our bindery we hold an interesting selection of antiquarian and collectable books that cover a wide range of subjects. We always have a good selection of military, natural history, children's illustrated, transport, sports, folklore and legends, art, history and classic literature.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsWas T & B Bookcrafts, changed ownership and name in January 2013. TBG 06.03.13.
Times of change at The Gently Mad, with stock en route from the first floor to the basement. This move should be completed shortly. In the meantime, a concentrated essence is on display, illustrated books and decorative bindings of great beauty, in that small part of the shop that is not occupied by the bindery. I was in heaven! Staff were friendly and the emporium felt very accessible. Prices are high, sadly, but a visit is sheer visual joy. - TravellingLibrary 01.08.15.
Expanding - the owners are in the process of opening the basement, in order to relieve the rather cramped area upstairs. - Richard Beaton 05.10.15.
Shop has now expanded - you can go down to the basement, where I did find one Edinburgh book to add to my collection. Better condition titles are in the window but too many others not in great nick. - Chris K 23.02.16.
I loved this shop - chaotic with variable condition items but an excellent place to spend browsing time. Fascinating and less stuffy than many others in Edinburgh. - Norman D 30.10.16.
Vanessa Parker Rare Books
Old Thatch
MULRANNY Co. Mayo
tel: 00353 (0)8723 39221 e-mail web
Open: 7 days 11.00 - 6.00 July to mid September, rest of the year pot luck or appointment.
We stock a wide range of books with an emphasis on early children`s, illustrated, fine bindings & sets, antiquarian, Irish, poetry literature, history,horses & dogs, country pursuits, fishing, plus much more. See our slowly growing website for books for sale. We also stock prints wrapped ready for sale and genuine Antiques. In a very picturesque location overlooking the mountains across clew bay.
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Winram's Bookshop
Balgairn
Bridge of Gairn
BALLATER Aberdeenshire AB35 5UA map
tel: 01339 755440 e-mail
Open: Thursday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00.
5000+ books, paperbacks, Scottish, natural history, fishing and shooting, military history, mountaineering, children's, art & collecting, travel, history, antiquarian, and many other subjects. We are friendly! Established 1976. 2 miles west of Ballater on A93.There is a bus from Aberdeen going to Braemar. Get off at Bridge of Gairn stop.
Add a comment Read commentsHide commentsMoved here from Aberdeen at the end of 2006. -TBG.
I am sorry to see it move as it was an excellent little shop with an interesting stock and reasonable prices. I wish her well as she was always pleasant and fair to deal with. - Allan Campbell.
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