| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? 13:43 - Sep 10 with 5327 views | Pique |
I think for me it would be Barter Books in Alnwick, Northumberland. A huge second hand bookshop in an old train station on the edge of the town. A truly beautiful building and setting, with a cafe in the old waiting room and miles and miles of books - I could lose myself in there for days.
Genuinely interested to hear if anyone else has a favourite, either in the UK or overseas. |  | | |  |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 17:26 - Sep 10 with 1477 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 17:13 - Sep 10 by ElephantintheRoom |
I used to enjoy thumbing through books in Foyles - and occasionally trying to navigate their baffling buying process. This century I find Amazon more accommodating. |
I don’t think it’s the case anyone, but didn’t Foyles’ organising of books used to be famously confusing (to the extent it was practically a selling point)?
I think one of their competitors on Charing Cross Road used to have a sign saying something like ‘Foyled again? Come and find the book you’re looking for here instead!’ | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 17:39 - Sep 10 with 1459 views | jaykay |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:51 - Sep 10 by BlueBadger |
Chapel Books, in Westleton.
You quite often have to bang a tin can on the counter to get the attention of the owner.
Who is often serving in his PJ's and dressing gown.
https://www.chapelbooks.com/about.php |
are you one of the people who park outside ,causing mayhem  |  |
| forensic experts say footers and spruces fingerprints were not found at the scene after the weekends rows |
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| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 18:01 - Sep 10 with 1436 views | jontysnut |
Love Baggins. I once made the classic mistake by of Sasking if they had a list and the answer was if it's not on the shelf we haven't got it. Barter is nice to visit but overpriced. Shaun Bythell's Diary of a Bookseller is an entertaining read. |  | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 18:22 - Sep 10 with 1420 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 18:01 - Sep 10 by jontysnut |
Love Baggins. I once made the classic mistake by of Sasking if they had a list and the answer was if it's not on the shelf we haven't got it. Barter is nice to visit but overpriced. Shaun Bythell's Diary of a Bookseller is an entertaining read. |
Fair point on the prices at BB - for a secondhand bookshop it’s not cheap. Still love it though.
Haven’t read Diary of a Bookseller yet, it’s on my list. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 18:51 - Sep 10 with 1391 views | JonBlue |
Addyman Books in Hay on Wye, great selection and keen prices for a specialist bookshop, with the added bonus of several other top notch bookshops within a few steps. I like a trip to Hay at least every couple of years. |  | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 19:03 - Sep 10 with 1379 views | Coastalblue |
I've always enjoyed visits to Hatchards, claims to be London's oldest bookshop. Not the cheapest tbh but nice for a browse.
Recently I regularly have a couple of hours spare in Oxford during the middle of the day and it's normally filled by a spot of M&S lunch before popping over to Daunt's for a browse. |  |
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| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 19:41 - Sep 10 with 1362 views | Freddies_Ears |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 17:15 - Sep 10 by Sharkey |
Maybe not 'the best' , because it's only small, but my favourite is the Open Road in Stoke by Nayland. I like it because it tends to have some surprising European fiction in English translation. |
I'd never heard of that one. Website looks fascinating - I'll be popping in! Thank you..m |  | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 22:30 - Sep 10 with 1318 views | brazil1982 |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 17:19 - Sep 10 by Pique |
I think I’ve been to the Inverness one - is it called Leaky’s (or something like that)? Was fantastic, exactly as you describe - gloriously disorganised, with a big wood burner in the middle if I remember correctly. |
Ues that's it. The fire did concern me, surrounded by all that paper. |  | | |
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| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 23:38 - Sep 10 with 1288 views | Warkystache |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 18:51 - Sep 10 by JonBlue |
Addyman Books in Hay on Wye, great selection and keen prices for a specialist bookshop, with the added bonus of several other top notch bookshops within a few steps. I like a trip to Hay at least every couple of years. |
I love Hay-on-Wye as well. Addymans a favourite.
Locally, used to love Poor Richard's in Felixstowe until it shut. I also love the Chapel in Westleton (owner is a hippy type) and my favourite ever was one in Debenham, run by David Shaplock, but i haven't been for years and wondered if he might have died? |  |
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| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 07:07 - Sep 11 with 1235 views | Lesta_Tractor |
The Sun Theatre in Yarraville has a bookshop just off the foyer, always loved a look in there before watching a movie |  |
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| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 07:10 - Sep 11 with 1219 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 22:30 - Sep 10 by brazil1982 |
Ues that's it. The fire did concern me, surrounded by all that paper. |
Ha ha, yeah it was a tad worrying! Nice and toasty though. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 09:28 - Sep 11 with 1176 views | unbelievablue |
What a lovely thread. My favourite is undoubtedly The Grove in Leeds.
I love finding Book Shops. |  |
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| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 10:57 - Sep 11 with 1127 views | Sikamikanico |
For pure nostalgia, the harbour bookshop in Dartmouth.
Some of my favourite childhood books were bought there. Even met Christopher Robin once lmao | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:40 - Sep 11 with 1078 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 09:28 - Sep 11 by unbelievablue |
What a lovely thread. My favourite is undoubtedly The Grove in Leeds.
I love finding Book Shops. |
Just looked that one up, looks lovely.
Another couple of favourites that have popped into my head are Scrivener’s Bookshop in Buxton (in the Peak District) and P&G Wells in Winchester. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:43 - Sep 11 with 1062 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 10:57 - Sep 11 by Sikamikanico |
For pure nostalgia, the harbour bookshop in Dartmouth.
Some of my favourite childhood books were bought there. Even met Christopher Robin once lmao |
Looks like a great shop with a great story behind it! | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:58 - Sep 11 with 1042 views | Juggsy |
Barter books is an awesome place! Lived in Alnwick 2002-2019 and spent many happy hours in there as mt kids chose their next batch of books.
Live in Newcastle now and went back up to Alnwick - Barter Books was the first place we went to of course. |  | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:11 - Sep 11 with 1037 views | WeWereZombies |
Almost at the bottom of the second page and no mention of Orwell Books ! There are times when the TWTD forum disappoints.
Also, the first time I went in the Heffers opposite Trinity College in Cambridge I was astonished at the size of it and the lowered mezzanine section.
I never made it on the trip I did yesterday (and I have been acquiring too many books of late anyway) but Leakeys is worth a visit if you find yourself in Inverness. |  |
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| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:18 - Sep 11 with 1019 views | Sikamikanico |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:43 - Sep 11 by Pique |
Looks like a great shop with a great story behind it! |
I don't think I appreciated the story as much as I should have done at that age.
But then I don't think I appreciated my Devon holidays quite as much as I should have done with friends jetting overseas | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:20 - Sep 11 with 1017 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:58 - Sep 11 by Juggsy |
Barter books is an awesome place! Lived in Alnwick 2002-2019 and spent many happy hours in there as mt kids chose their next batch of books.
Live in Newcastle now and went back up to Alnwick - Barter Books was the first place we went to of course. |
Such a lovely part of the world to live in as well - Alnwick (and the whole of Northumberland) is really beautiful. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 17:42 - Sep 11 with 942 views | Juggsy |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:20 - Sep 11 by Pique |
Such a lovely part of the world to live in as well - Alnwick (and the whole of Northumberland) is really beautiful. |
Yes, it's lovely - just a little too far from Portman Road though :( | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 21:04 - Sep 11 with 894 views | Ely_Blue |
For me it would be books for cooks https://www.booksforcooks.com/ in Notting Hill. Thousands upon thousands of cook books with a test kitchen/cafe at the back where they are often cooking up dishes from new books that arrive. |  |
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| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 22:01 - Sep 11 with 860 views | Sharkey |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 21:04 - Sep 11 by Ely_Blue |
For me it would be books for cooks https://www.booksforcooks.com/ in Notting Hill. Thousands upon thousands of cook books with a test kitchen/cafe at the back where they are often cooking up dishes from new books that arrive. |
Am I right in thinking there's a large independent bookshop in Ely? (Is it still there?) |  | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 22:10 - Sep 11 with 843 views | WeWereZombies |
Another Ipswich institution that was too short lived was The Globe bookshop on St. Margaret's Plain. It was all comic books (and a few portfolios too) and sucked a fair few pounds out of me. But I had the disposable income and it looks like I can make a killing on collectables now should I wish to.
Also, Steve who ran it got the first serious mohawk I encountered as well as describing seeing The Sex Pistols as a religious experience. [Post edited 11 Sep 2022 22:12]
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| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 02:57 - Sep 12 with 798 views | Pablo_Counago |
For me, this is my favourite: https://www.gdavidbookseller.com/
Located in Cambridge
Especially good as I love antiquarian books. Found a couple really nice, rare books in there and the prices are usually below 'market value' |  | | |
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