Secondhand and Antiquarian Bookshops in the UK and Republic of Ireland
NEWS:
The Black Cat Bookshop has moved
Christine's Book Cabin has closed
New listing, The Old Curiosity Bookshop Hathern
New bookshop Daker Books Kibworth
Oxfam Market Place Loughborough has become a Books and Music shop
A Readers Dream Melton Mowbray has closed
Alfred Lenton of Leicester has closed (after 53 years)
new listing Got Enough Books Leicester
Open at advertised times
Phone before travelling
Appointment necessary
Status unknown, update requested
We do our best to make sure these details are correct and up-to-date. However we recommend that you contact bookshops before making a special journey.
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Age UK Book Shop/LEICESTER/68 The Parade
Age UK Book Shop
68 The Parade Oadby LEICESTER LE2 5BF
map
tel:
0116 2718197 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 5.00.
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A very varied selection of good quality second-hand books at attractive prices starting from £1. All proceeds go towards providing important services to local older people.
Less extensive stock than in Mkt Harborough, but still not bad. Very bright clean and friendly. On the way from MH to the bookshops in Leicester and worth stopping off. Jon Morgan 06.03.13
Age UK Book Shop/LEICESTER/74 Queens Road
Age UK Book Shop
74 Queens Road LEICESTER LE2 1TU
map
tel:
0116 270 6049
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This one I found much better than the Loro's over the road. Pricing was more realistic and if you ask nicely they let you browse the shed 'stock room' at the back. 2 purchases made for £5. This shop is in walking distance from Clarendon books and recommended. Laurence Batchelor 01.10.18
Exceptionally good charity bookshop with active management - featured displays changing weekly for regular visitors in this chic street. has been intermittently running a small coffee+cake café in the picture window seats. WAD as in walking distance of 2 other good bookshops. this one has lowest prices. Glen Kinch 06.05.19
Came away with a film book a friend had been looking for for years among other things. This and the Loros Bookshop across the road remind me of the St Giles Bookshops in the WMids area and are similarly cheap. Stive 04.11.21
Good amount of modern fiction, mostly paperbacks. Also a good selection of classics. Prices seemed reasonable. Browsing was accompanied by the dulcet tones of Dusty Springfield until a customer bought the CD they were playing. It’s a decent shop but this was my sixth bookshop visit of the day so biblio-fatigue was beginning to set in which meant I probably didn’t give it as much attention as I probably should have. Jon R 30.12.23
Age UK Bookshop/LEICESTER/1306 Melton Road, Syston
Age UK Bookshop
1306 Melton Road, Syston LEICESTER LE7 2HD
map
tel:
0116 464 9300 web
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 4.30, Sunday 11.00 - 4.00
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Second-hand bookshop with wide range of stock, opened in March 2024.
The Leicestershire & Rutland arm of Age UK is a welcome outlier in terms of its progressive retail strategy: it is the charity's only sub-division
with dedicated bookshops. And now it has opened yet another, a few doors up the road from Age UK's general shop in Syston, six miles north of Leicester. Syston is easily reached by bus or train
(although there is no Sunday train service). The premises were a (non-charity) bookshop many years ago. Booker T 05.04.24
Age UK Bookshop/MARKET HARBOROUGH/16 The Square
Age UK Bookshop
16 The Square MARKET HARBOROUGH LE16 7PA
map
tel:
01858 469014
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 5.00.
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Oh Yes! I want to move to Mkt Harboro and have its babies. The county seems really well supplied with both high quality charity shops and excellent secondhand bookshops. In particular a charity have never heard of Loros both here in MH and in Leicester itself and Age UK, here and in Leicester. The stock here is modern quality and wide-ranging - I picked up several recent fiction releases for under £2.00. A heavenly day. Parking at reasonable rates behind Tesco / Co-op. You will need several hours here and a day in the County. jon Morgan 06.03.13
Visited on a busy spring Saturday. A reasonable charity shop spread over a small 1-room ground floor shop overlooking the main square of the town. All stock was displayed by categories and the assistants were busy filling up the shelves, no doubt as trade on a Saturday is brisk in such a prime location near to the bus stops etc. One thing I did notice was the book displays were a bit tight to move around as on 2 occasions other customers knocked over books onto the floor whilst brushing past. Pricing is fair, but overall I came away empty-handed as there was nothing in the military section I did not already own. Laurence Batchelor 10.05.14
Revisit after 4 years. Nothing special about this shop. No military purchases made despite them shouting up the stairs to check the stock room. What was on the shelves was of a low quality. NWAD. Laurence Batchelor 25.09.18
Pleasant clean shop with fair general stock in charming location. Many books priced at £2 -still! (See 2013 comment above). Note this is not a bookdealer choosing its stock; charity-shops sell whatever gets donated. The AgeUk network includes the fabulous Clarendon Park Leicester outlet, so this one is far better than most charity shops. Glen Kinch 06.05.19
I’d already committed to spending some money here before I’d even set foot through the door as their enticing window display included a book I had to have. It’s a relatively small shop but it’s bursting at the seams with quality titles. There’s a good range of both paperback and hardback fiction. Good on biographies, military, classics and poetry. Jon R 30.12.23
Age UK bookshop/LOUGHBOROUGH/9 Biggin Street
Age UK bookshop
9 Biggin Street LOUGHBOROUGH LE11 1UA
map
tel:
01509 263532
Open: Monday - Saturaday 9.30 - 4.30.
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Charity bookshop selling donated books.
Recently relocated from 5 to 9 Biggin Street. Roger Scoppie 07.12.17
Similar in size to the Market Harborough outlet, a notch above standard charity-shop fare. Steven Kelly 11.11.21
Black Cat Bookshop/LEICESTER/Leicester Market, Market Place
The Black Cat Bookshop
Leicester Market, Market Place LEICESTER LE1 5GG
map
tel:
0116 2512756 e-mail web
Open: Wednesday only 8.00 - 3.00
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Stock on display is mostly paperback fiction but other items by arrangement. Specialities include children's collectable authors & illustrated books, crime fiction, Leicestershire & Rutland books and ephemera , etc. Regularly exhibiting at book fairs across the UK and vast stocks of books available by worldwide mail order service.
We reported the shop's move a few months ago, but its website reports that it's been online only since 2007! TBG2 22.01.22
Within less than an hour of our posting the comment above, user Gary sent us a message saying "are you sure?". I must learn to read one day. The shop is operating as usual from Leicester Market. TBG2 22.01.22
Bloodwise Furniture _ Book Charity Shop/LUTTERWORTH/1 Bell Street
Bloodwise Furniture & Book Charity Shop
1 Bell Street LUTTERWORTH LE17 4DW
map
tel:
01455 553094
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 5.00.
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A small charity shop with free parking for 1hr just outside. Inside I counted 10 bookcases of books fairly priced from 20p to £3. Strong on fiction, art and children's books but non-fiction poor meaning only 2 children's books purchased.
Overall there are 3 more charity shops nearby in this pleasant small town - 2 x Age Concerns and 1 Loros. The bigger Age Concern a short walk away had also a large wall of books where my 1 military non-fiction purchase was made. Laurence Batchelor 15.12.18
Clarendon Books /LEICESTER/144 Clarendon Park Road
Clarendon Books
144 Clarendon Park Road LEICESTER LE2 3AE
map
tel:
0116 270 1856, mob 07845 211689 e-mail
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00
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About 25000 books. Antiquarian books bought and sold, with the emphasis on history, local history and the arts.
Decent collection of literature to browse through here (3/4 cases), although not recommended for claustrophobics. Prices rarely exceed £2.50, so probably the best value of the Leicester shops. Nick Campsall 04.11.08
Without a doubt the best stocked and most knowledgeable of the Leicester Bookshops. A great selection from paperback classics to the more scare and antiquarian. J Jobson 27.10.12
Very tight and with my eyesight (even wearing glasses) I could not get far enough away from the shelves to see properly and the lower ones needed someone who was good on press-ups (not me) I got all un-necessary when I spotted a really good selection of Asterix Bandes Dessinees in French and opening the first one it was £2.00. Unfortunately the others were £5.95 each. Ho-Hum!!! Good military and WW1/WW2 sections. One corridor I could not get down because of books piled on the floor. Jon Morgan 06.03.13
A proper second hand book shop. Most subject areas covered. Prices are very reasonable. I thought I would struggle to find anything in my areas of interest but bought a big bag of books in the end. Knowledgeable and friendly owner. Loyola 05.11.16
An excellent bookshop and probably the best in Leicester itself, but I found parking nearby hard to come by on a Tuesday and had to park several streets away in a terraced road. The shop itself is jammed packed to the rafters with books, so many that most shelves have books pushed in on top of the ones you can see the spines of making browsing a bit risky of starting collapses and avalanches. All subject matters seem well catered for and in my military area, I came away with 3. The owner also is a PBFA member and runs the local book fair in Uppingham Rutland and displays in York and London amongst others. He mentioned he needs a bigger shop as has 5k books yet uncatalogued and no space to display them. Laurence Batchelor 25.09.18
Serious, erudite bookdealer with an adventure of a shop with extensive stock in tight space, Lots of Folio Society etc in window and owner nesting behind it posting parcels worldwide. located opposite the library and just round the corner from 2 excellent charity bookshops. Glen Kinch 06.05.19
Space can be a bit tight in places and books were piled lengthways on top of those standing in shelves making browsing a bit precarious on the upper shelving. I didn't come away with much but the owner was very friendly and gave me a decent discount on the small quantity I did buy without my asking. This place is around the corner from some nice cafes and a couple of decent charity bookshops so, of course, you should visit if you are in Leicester. I came midweek and found a parking space in opposite the bookshop with no trouble. I suggest you try Clarendon Park Road for parking as Queen St looks much busier. Stive 04.11.21
Daker Books/KIBWORTH/The Barn, 29 High Street
Daker Books
The Barn, 29 High Street KIBWORTH LE8 0HS
map
tel:
0116 279 1121 e-mail web 
Open: Monday - Friday 10.00 - 5.00, Saturday 10.00 - 4.00
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Independent bookshop specialising in rare and collectable literature, music, signed copies.
The sign outside says “Kibworth Books” rather than Daker Books but they seem to trade online using the Daker name. There’s an accessible entrance round the back if you find the steps at the front difficult to navigate. The main part of the shop at the front is all new stock. But if you continue past a children’s section then right at the rear you come to a room of second hand stock. Although not a huge room, it’s a case of quality over quantity here. No Jeffrey Archers or Jilly Coopers in sight. But what you will find are interesting titles in good condition at reasonable prices. Good for biography, history and modern/classic fiction including some signed first editions. They also have the highest number of Folio Society books per square foot I’ve ever encountered in any bookshop which I found very pleasing. Jon R 30.12.23
Must disagree with the last comment. I don't find £15 for an average green Penguin crime paperback available everywhere for £3-5 to be reasonable. Other items perused were similarly steep. Free parking nearby but, other than this shop, there is nothing in Kibworth to detain you. Stive 25.01.24
Got Enough Books/LEICESTER/Unit 1, 50 St George Street
Got Enough Books
Unit 1, 50 St George Street LEICESTER LE1 1QG
map
tel:
07981 657751 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Friday 09.00 - 16.30
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Specialising in secondhand coffee table books - so primarily Art, Architecture, Design, Photography, Cookery, Music & Film with some magazines.
LOROS/LEICESTER/85 Queens Road
LOROS
85 Queens Road LEICESTER LE2 1TT
map
tel:
0116 270 0931
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Charity shop selling donated books.
Real treasure trove, always excellent stock, well arranged & categorised. Friendly staff. P/bs usually start £2 fj21@le 10.07.10
Never heard of this bunch but excellent stock as in the branch in Market Harborough. Just opposite Age UK Bookshop at No 74 Queen's Road, which has a cafe and walking distance from Clarendon Park Road. Parking in the street is free but limited to an hour. Worth a visit. Jon Morgan 06.03.13
A good children's section in the back room but the military was poor as just 1 shelf. The 1 book which was of interest was over-priced so I left empty-handed. I found the Age UK charity shop over the road had superior stock. Laurence Batchelor 25.09.18
Excellent charity bookshop with solid general stock at very reasonable prices. Charming children's room at back is decorated as fairy woodland with toadstool chairs etc. High turnover of archaeology + history, extensive collection of Landranger OS maps still at £2. Special mention for its sister-shop a few doors down selling vinyl lps cds and dvds. Glen Kinch 06.05.19
The place was heaving on Saturday afternoon so lots of shuffling round people and pressing yourself against the bookcases to let others pass. Strong on literature, poetry, Shakespeare and general fiction. Staff very pleasant and genuinely seemed keen to both assist customers and raise money for the charity. Jon R 30.12.23
Maynard and Bradley/LEICESTER/1 Royal Arcade
Maynard and Bradley
1 Royal Arcade Silver Street LEICESTER LE1 5YW
map
tel:
0116 253 2712
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 5.30.
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Fine books, maps and prints on all subjects.
Looked very promising until you realised that most books had framed pictures hanging in front of them. Stock looked interesting but you can't easily move the frames. Chris Harte 01.04.09
There were some large boxes in the way of the military stock (some other shops delivery I was informed) but upon asking the owner he was only too happy to move them and any pictures which were blocking books to the ends of shelves. One has to remember this seems to be a picture framing business 1st and a 2nd hand bookshop 2nd. I found the military holdings extensive, but on aviation and not my area which is naval. Pricing was reasonable and so 3 purchases made. The owner made me aware he has further stock upstairs but it's not priced or catalogued and not available for joe public yet. This shop along with Clarendon books makes the city worth a brief visit for any booklover. Laurence Batchelor 06.10.18
A fine bookshop in the last millennium, but now a picture framer selling dull stock at quadruple the going rate. Glen Kinch 06.05.19
Old Curiosity Bookshop/HATHERN/Viking House, Viking Court, Shepshed Road
The Old Curiosity Bookshop
Viking House, Viking Court, Shepshed Road HATHERN LE12 5LZ
map
tel:
07737 738 018 web
Open: Monday 10.00 - 2.00, Tuesday - Friday 10.00 - 6.00, Saturday 10.00 - 5.00
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50,000 titles, Fiction and non fiction. Huge range of cheap school and Uni text books. Cafe on site. Free car park at rear, dogs welcome.
Oxfam Books. Music _ DVDs/LOUGHBOROUGH/53 Market St
Oxfam Books. Music & DVDs
53 Market St LOUGHBOROUGH LE11 3ER
map
tel:
01509 235072 e-mail
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 5, Sunday 11 - 3
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Oxfam Bookshop/MARKETHARBOROUGH/8a High Street
Oxfam Bookshop
8a High Street MARKET HARBOROUGH LE16 7NJ
map
tel:
01858 0433319 e-mail web
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Popped in, 2 mins later popped out empty-handed. The stock I was interested in (WW2/military/naval etc.) was 5 books strong, so definitely NWAD. Laurence Batchelor 10.05.14
4 years on and sadly nothing has changed for the better. Despite them pulling out the additional few military books they had in the stock room this Oxfam pales in comparison to my previous reviews of the ones in Chipping Norton or Knowle as no purchases made as nothing of any quality. The manageress made the comment that the locals all descend on the place every Saturday morning and whisk away any military books within minutes. So it seems timing might be the key! Laurence Batchelor 25.09.18
I found this the best bookshop in town and came away with a bagful (none military) all very reasonably priced compared to many Oxfams - mostly between £2-£3 including one of several first edition Pevsners. Excellent photography section and especially music with good stock of lps and cds. Glen Kinch 06.05.19
Good selection of books and especially classical records. Prices ok. Check before travelling though as they have to close if they don't have the staff to volunteer.
Last few Sundays I've tried, the place has been shuttered up with no opening hours on view.
The actual Oxfam shop nearby is closed on Sundays. Ron Johnson 12.03.22
The left hand wall is devoted to DVDs, CDs and vinyl. The rest of the shop has a good range of books with hardbacks mixed in with paperbacks on the fiction shelves. I did find the prices on the high side here, especially for some dusty old vintage books. Just because something is “old” doesn’t mean it’s “valuable”. But the newer titles were often optimistically priced too. There was one book I particularly wanted but I put it back on the shelf once I’d seen the price. Jon R 30.12.23
Pooks Motor Books/ROTHLEY/Unit 4 Victoria Mills Fowke Street
Pooks Motor Books
Unit 4 Victoria Mills Fowke Street ROTHLEY LE7 7PJ
map
tel:
0116 237 6222 web
Open: Monday - Friday 9.30 - 5.00, weekends by appointment
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Car, motor cycle and truck books, magazines and ephemera.
Nothing priced, had to ask the price of everything. Was told lots more books on my interests in store but not accessible. Sadly left empty handed. Anthony 31.05.14
Worth checking if they are still operating - website not updated for years and suggestion from visitors that it's no longer functioning. Anthony 24.07.23
The owner has confirmed they are open and updated their hours. TBG2 03.08.23
St Giles Hospice Book Shop /ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH/26 Market Street
St Giles Hospice Book Shop
26 Market Street ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH LE65 1AL
map
tel:
01530 414306
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 4.30
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A small but well-stocked shop on the high street with everything categorized and with a small stock room which was also checked and books brought out for me. Staffed by volunteers as one would expect so they are at the mercy of donations for their quality. Free parking in the co-op nearby. My only negative is their pricing for a charity shop was a tad high. To elaborate, military hardbacks were around £5 here where they would be £3 at other nearby charity shops. Similarly paperbacks here £2-£2.50 but £1 elsewhere. Despite this, I still came away with 5 books. Laurence Batchelor 06.10.18
Return visit after 4 years qnd still surviving post lockdown on this busy high-street.1 Frequented by locals and tourists and still very well stocked with no gaps on the shelves. All books are sorted into categories making browsing swift. A nice collection of old and rare books and a store room full which the volunteers are only too helpful to bring out more to browse. 2 children's books bought and pricing reasonable. There are a number of general charity shops with 2nd hand books in the town also. Laurence Batchelor 14.04.22
Tin Drum Books /LEICESTER/68 Narborough Road
Tin Drum Books
68 Narborough Road LEICESTER LE3 0BR
map
tel:
0116 254 4607 e-mail web
Open: CLOSED for the time being (normally Monday - Friday 10.00 - 5.00, Saturday 10.00 - 3.00)
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Small/medium size. General secondhand bookshop; good on poetry - thats our best bit. On Narborough Road (A5460) opposite Westcotes Drive. Parking in Briton & Roman Streets.
Small/medium sized stock of novels, slightly pricier than the other Leicester shops and ordered alphabetically only in the loosest sense, although thankfully the owner is incredibly kind and gives great discounts! Nick Campsall 04.11.08
looked like it had potential and the back room was the best of the bunch. Modern fiction stock was poor, quite a lot on the floor. Strange slightly unwashed odour in the place. NWAD. Jon Morgan 06.03.13
A small shop with a small stock spread through 2 rooms. Fiction out front and the back room non-fiction. Parking nearby in the back streets for 50p for 1hr or 2 hours free in the Tesco further up the Narborough Road. The stock was a low quality for me as I left empty handed but the owner was pleasant. The best topic covered appeared to be railways. His opening hours appear 10 to 5 Mon-Fri and 10 to 3 Saturday's. Only worth visiting if also in the area for Clarendon books. Laurence Batchelor 08.10.18
Charming old-fashioned style shop with piles on the floor and a fair range of prices, none very high, little antiquarian. good for poetry and children's literature with interestingly unusual travel section. tumbledown building, and owner runs a bicycle-repair business out the back! located on direct cycle route across river from university. Glen Kinch 06.05.19
Whitemoors Antique Centre/SHENTON/Mill Lane
Whitemoors Antique Centre
Mill Lane SHENTON CV13 0LA
map
tel:
01455 212250 web
Open: 7 days 11.00 - 4.00.
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Around 2000 - 3000 general books but Aucott & Thomas are no longer trading from the premises (17.02.16.)
Never had an opportunity to visit, but have bought on several occasions through their excellently-maintained website and have had nothing but quality books at reasonable prices with excellent customer service. Sam Glen 15.05.13
Very reasonably priced stock within 1 main room upstairs in this popular craft centre. Despite buying multiple books the sales assistant would not give me a discount. I would, however, recommend a visit as quite a varied stock with a few gems to be had. Laurence Batchelor 02.01.14
Aucott's books at Whitemoors are mainly up to £3 and the items not worth listing on the internet. Their main internet stock of around 14,000 books is housed in this pleasant office on the high street in the village of Ibstock. I would advise telephoning or emailing before you visit and to park not on the high street, but in one of the side streets. Upon my visit I was met by the very pleasant Roger Thomas and was given the pleasure of viewing their stock over 2 hours at my leisure. This is shelved by author alphabetically so I would advise for you to peruse their website and print a list to save time. Clearly this book dealer specialises in 'pony' books, but they do have a varied stock of every description as they do many house clearances. I came away with a bag of books at a very reasonable 'bulk' discount. Well worth visiting if in the Midlands. Laurence Batchelor 25.01.14
Visited the one room of books located at this antiques farmhouse again and was pleasantly surprised that the stock was refreshed. I came away with 5 books which could have easily been more all reasonably priced. All books are categorized and easy to browse worth visiting if nearby. Laurence Batchelor 20.05.14
Visited by appointment and was not disappointed by what I saw. Books on all subjects, but having checked their website first I could give the exact details of what I wished to view. Took away a box full of books and magazines. Very helpful folk and pricing reasonable. Chris Harte 25.07.15
