| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? 13:43 - Sep 10 with 4243 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 13:46 - Sep 10 with 2243 views | MattinLondon |
Is that the one where a model railway runs along the inside of the building? |  | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:47 - Sep 10 with 2236 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:46 - Sep 10 by MattinLondon |
Is that the one where a model railway runs along the inside of the building? |
Yes! And they have a huge mural of lots of writers from history painted on the wall.
It’s also where the Keep Calm and Carry On poster was (re)discovered. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:50 - Sep 10 with 2219 views | fabian_illness |
Woolworths for me.
They had every single Mr Men book ever made. |  | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:51 - Sep 10 with 2212 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:50 - Sep 10 by fabian_illness |
Woolworths for me.
They had every single Mr Men book ever made. |
I don’t think there’s a day that goes by when I don’t miss Woolworths a little bit. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:51 - Sep 10 with 2210 views | 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 |  |
| |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:53 - Sep 10 with 2200 views | Pique |
| 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 |
Looks amazing. And some admirable honesty from the owner…! | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:55 - Sep 10 with 2188 views | Churchman |
My favourite is not the best, which I suppose is Foyles, but the Ian Allan bookshop near Waterloo Station (Lower Marsh). It’s for military books, not that large but great!
Being an avid reader, I love all bookshops and have trouble passing them by, despite doing most of my reading from kindle and the library service Libby. |  | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:02 - Sep 10 with 2165 views | Mullet |
No idea what it is called, but there was in central Lisbon so olde worldy and full of sights I sent a picture to HarryfromBath. Never been in a place like it.
In terms of how good it was a book shop, probably not a lot as I don't speak Portuguese, so I'll go with Manchester Waterstones instead. |  |
| |
Login to get fewer ads
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:04 - Sep 10 with 2150 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:02 - Sep 10 by Mullet |
No idea what it is called, but there was in central Lisbon so olde worldy and full of sights I sent a picture to HarryfromBath. Never been in a place like it.
In terms of how good it was a book shop, probably not a lot as I don't speak Portuguese, so I'll go with Manchester Waterstones instead. |
I love Waterstones. Never been to the Manchester one, but the London Piccadilly flagship store is a thing a beauty. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:05 - Sep 10 with 2142 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 13:55 - Sep 10 by Churchman |
My favourite is not the best, which I suppose is Foyles, but the Ian Allan bookshop near Waterloo Station (Lower Marsh). It’s for military books, not that large but great!
Being an avid reader, I love all bookshops and have trouble passing them by, despite doing most of my reading from kindle and the library service Libby. |
Sounds great.
I know what you mean about not being able to walk past a bookshop. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:21 - Sep 10 with 2080 views | EJP |
Powells - Portland, Oregon.
https://www.powells.com/
I did 3 summers in the 90s working at a summer camp just outside Portland, and Powells and Apple Music (now sadly gone) were my break day staples.
Coffee and a read of the imported Q magazine every month! |  | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:25 - Sep 10 with 2076 views | Illinoisblue |
Sportspages. RIP |  |
| |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:29 - Sep 10 with 2054 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:21 - Sep 10 by EJP |
Powells - Portland, Oregon.
https://www.powells.com/
I did 3 summers in the 90s working at a summer camp just outside Portland, and Powells and Apple Music (now sadly gone) were my break day staples.
Coffee and a read of the imported Q magazine every month! |
Never been to Oregon, but I’ve definitely heard of the legendary Powell’s - would love to go one day. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:30 - Sep 10 with 2051 views | Pique |
I have been to this one! It was truly spectacular.
Buenos Aires is a great city as well. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:33 - Sep 10 with 2052 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:25 - Sep 10 by Illinoisblue |
Sportspages. RIP |
Had to look that up, I hadn’t heard of it, but looks like it was a brilliant place. Assume it fell victim to the Charing Cross Road high rents? Seem to remember a crime bookshop called Murder One (I think) that went the same way. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 15:10 - Sep 10 with 1946 views | Pique |
The Strand really is magnificent isn’t it?
That Rochester one looks really interesting, will have to pop in when I’m next in Kent. | | | |
| [Redacted] on 16:12 - Sep 10 with 1868 views | victorywilhappen |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 15:10 - Sep 10 by Pique |
The Strand really is magnificent isn’t it?
That Rochester one looks really interesting, will have to pop in when I’m next in Kent. |
[Redacted] |  | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 16:18 - Sep 10 with 1847 views | brazil1982 |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:33 - Sep 10 by Pique |
Had to look that up, I hadn’t heard of it, but looks like it was a brilliant place. Assume it fell victim to the Charing Cross Road high rents? Seem to remember a crime bookshop called Murder One (I think) that went the same way. |
Brilliant shop, closed many 6ears ago. Had a branch in Manchester for a few years.
Theres a small 2nd hand bookshop opposite Pickering station which I a pleasure.
Another in a former chapel in Inverness is worth a visit. Nicely disorganised.
Barter books is brilliant. |  | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 16:42 - Sep 10 with 1824 views | EastTownBlue |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 14:33 - Sep 10 by Pique |
Had to look that up, I hadn’t heard of it, but looks like it was a brilliant place. Assume it fell victim to the Charing Cross Road high rents? Seem to remember a crime bookshop called Murder One (I think) that went the same way. |
Visited there a few times. It was certainly a place to pick up fanzines from various clubs.
I seem to recall seeing signed books from referee Kevin Lynch (he of Carrow Road 1995 notoriety). I resisted the temptation to purchase that. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 17:13 - Sep 10 with 1779 views | 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. | |
| |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 17:15 - Sep 10 with 1771 views | 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. |  | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 17:19 - Sep 10 with 1764 views | Pique |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 16:18 - Sep 10 by brazil1982 |
Brilliant shop, closed many 6ears ago. Had a branch in Manchester for a few years.
Theres a small 2nd hand bookshop opposite Pickering station which I a pleasure.
Another in a former chapel in Inverness is worth a visit. Nicely disorganised.
Barter books is brilliant. |
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. | | | |
| What’s the best bookshop you’ve ever been to? on 17:22 - Sep 10 with 1749 views | Pique |
| 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. |
Hadn’t heard of that, just looked at its Instagram page, looks great. I see they were previously offering a free potato with every book purchased! | | | |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
