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Secondhand and Antiquarian Bookshops in the UK and Republic of Ireland


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Open at advertised times   Open at advertised times
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Appointment necessary   Appointment necessary
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Aisling Family Books//Cathedral Buildings
Aisling Family Books  Open at advertised times
Cathedral Buildings  Abbeygate Street Lower  GALWAY  Co. Galway     
tel: 091 563680  web 
Open:  Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.30 (closed for lunch 1.15 - 2.00).
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The shop stocks a wide range of Bibles and other Christian books, as well as second hand fiction, classics and a wide range of other materials.

A small corner shop packed to the ceiling with books of all shapes and sizes. No speciality noted. Friendly people who knew in which corners the antiquarian books were stacked.  Chris Harte 14.04.17

Book Exchange//23 Lower Abbeygate Street
Book Exchange  Open at advertised times
23 Lower Abbeygate Street  GALWAY  Co. Galway     
e-mail  web 
Open:  Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 6.00.
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Secondhand books

Hidden away behind a city shopping centre. Probably half the stock were paperback novels but the rest of the books were general hardbacks covering a range of interests.  Chris Harte 19.10.16

Charlie Byrne_s Bookshop//Cornstore Mall
Charlie Byrne's Bookshop  Open at advertised times
Cornstore Mall  Middle Street  GALWAY  Co. Galway     
e-mail  web 
Open:  Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 6.00, Sunday 12.00 - 6.00.
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Located in the heart of Galway City, stocks over 100,000 bargain, new and used titles on subjects ranging from popular fiction to Irish interest to art and archaeology.

An absolutely amazing bookshop. This is a real old-fashioned place which takes at least half a day to browse properly. All classifications were good with some being exceptional. Vinny, the shop manager, was a joy to be with. His help and assistance was an unexpected, but welcome, bonus. Most books were quality publications. For any booklover visiting Ireland this shop must sit on top of the list of places to visit.  Chris Harte 09.11.15
The best stocked and best value bookshop in Ireland. WWAV . Knocks Kenny's into a cocked hat.  Loyola 24.11.15
I lived in Galway for 11 years, loved this bookshop, I would go in practically every day. I always make sure I visit whenever I am back in Galway. Vinny and Charlie are two of the nicest blokes you could ever meet. Recommended!  Frank Platt 26.04.18
We discovered this fantastic shop purely by accident when passing through Galway City. It is made up of around six large rooms lined with shelves up to the ceiling about ten feet or more above the ground - you need binoculars to read the titles on the upper shelves! The subject matter is very wide-ranging and is obviously, though not exclusively, based on books on Irish history, topography, literature, art, etc, new, remaindered and second-hand, sometimes mixed in together. And that’s not all - although the shop has a street frontage it forms part of a shopping centre and the outside walls of the shop are also lined with bookshelves extending to two or three hundred feet - mostly paper-back fiction though not exclusively so. WWAD, if not a trip across the water by U.K. residents!  Henry Middleton 30.08.23

Kennys Bookshop//Liosbán Retail Park
Kennys Bookshop  Open at advertised times
Liosbán Retail Park  Tuam Road  GALWAY  Co. Galway     
e-mail  web 
Open:  Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 5.00.
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New, Antiquarian and secondhand books. Kennys took their entire bookselling operation online in January 2006 but reopened for retail two years later. With over 50,000 titles covering hundreds of metres of shelving in over 700 square metres of retail space dedicated to books, this is a book lovers paradise!

A large self-contained unit on an industrial estate north of the city. Shelving ran the length of the premises, and there were twelve long rows to browse. Plenty of room to inspect books with ease. Very little antiquarian but row upon row of titles on the 1916 Uprising. Very helpful staff who went out of their way to get books of my interest from their nearby warehouse. Large sections on science fiction, westerns and other popular culture literature.  Chris Harte 09.11.15

MW Books/CLAREGALWAY/N18 Lydican
MW Books  Open at advertised times
N18 Lydican   CLAREGALWAY   H91X 7E2

tel: 0876 927443  e-mail  web 
Open:  Monday - Friday 10.00 - 4.00.
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150,000 hand-picked titles covering all areas of the Humanities. Publication dates range from the 1500s to the present in a dedicated 10,000 sq. ft. warehouse.