Secondhand and Antiquarian Bookshops in the UK and Republic of Ireland
News:
McLaren Books are now online only
RGM Books have moved to Bo'ness
new bookshop The Book Nook Stirling
the Strathcarron Hospice Book Shop has closed
new bookshop Seagull Trust Cruises Bookshop
new listing the Birnam Reader
new bookshop Kingdom Books Fife Community Bookshop
Mair Wilkes Books has closed
New listing Guid Reads Alva
New listing Oakholm Books Aberfeldy
New shop Read and Relax Kinross
New shop Fife Forge Kircaldy
RGM Books are now online only
Kingdom Books Fife Community Bookshop Leven has closed
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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Barnardo_s book shop/ST. ANDREWS/43 Bell Street
Barnardo's book shop
43 Bell Street ST. ANDREWS KY16 9UR
map
tel:
01334 479624 web
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 5.00, Sunday 12.00 - 5.00.
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This is a very well-arranged, well-lit and airy bookshop with a wide range of sections. These include a good Scottish offering. The range of the stock and its somewhat imaginative pricing can be illustrated by a single example: those seeking a comprehensive Heidegger dictionary in hardback, with dust jacket, need look no further: for £65, that is is to say. The Bookman 25.07.24
Book Nook/STIRLING/24 Upper Craigs
The Book Nook
24 Upper Craigs STIRLING FK8 2DG
map
tel:
01786 357071 e-mail web 
open 7 days a week between 9-5
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The shop is easy to find, close to the Thistles shopping centre. The main business appears to be selling tea and coffee, most of the tables were occupied when we visited on a Sunday morning. One side of the shop is taken up by a large selection of second hand books, the majority are fiction with smaller sections of non-fiction. The shop also sells new books, stationery and some gift items.
Book Stalls/ABERNYTE/Scottish Antique and Arts Centre
Book Stalls
Scottish Antique and Arts Centre ABERNYTE PH14 9SJ
map
tel:
01828 686 401 e-mail web
Open: 7 days 10.00 - 5.00.
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The largest collection of antique & art dealers under one roof in Scotland. A selection of stock from Mair Wilkes Books, as well as books on a number of antiques dealer's stalls.
Fewer book dealers than at Doune, although Mair Wilkes of Newport has a fairly large section close to the entrance. Steven Kelly 22.12.14
A large antiques and art centre, filled with multiple dealers - some of whom have books, although only 1 or 2 specialising in books at June 2022. Not worth a special trip for the books alone - the books were generally unsorted, average condition and with optimistic pricing, what I pulled out to look at. About a third of what was on offer seemed to be "Scottish Interest", unsurprisingly.
The Centre does have a nice cafe if you're in the area and there for a browse but most antiques and collectibles there are high prices - not a place for a bargain hunter. Flip M 21.06.22
Book Stalls/DOUNE/Scottish Antique _ Arts Centre
Book Stalls
Scottish Antique & Arts Centre DOUNE FK16 6HG
map
tel:
01786 841203 e-mail web
Open: 7 days 10.00 - 5.00.
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Booklore/BLAIRGOWRIE/11 Upper Mill Street
Booklore
11 Upper Mill Street BLAIRGOWRIE PH10 6AG
map
tel:
01250 871120
Open: Monday - Friday 9.30 - 5.00, Saturday 11.00 - 1.00.
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Second hand books donated by the local community for charitable purposes.Good general stock and a few collectables. Bright modern premises shared with the community office- 'One Voice'. Myra is available on 01250 876729 on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9.30 - 5.00 in her other shop 'The Toy Box' for general enquiries.
Spacious charity bookshop located up a side street to the west end of the town centre. General stock as might be expected, small-to-medium sized. Prices are very reasonable (grouped in bands rather than individually priced) - although they do have a 'collectable' section which has some rather adventurously priced items. Steven Kelly 11.05.15
Bouquiniste/ST. ANDREWS/31 Market Street
Bouquiniste
31 Market Street ST. ANDREWS KY16 9NS
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tel:
01334 476724 e-mail
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Very strong on Scottish matters particularly religion and history. Good holdings on these subjects but elsewhere was fairly general. Chris Harte 17.06.10
Brief visit, but very impressed with the high quality of books in this small shop ... they seem to be very selective in the books they stock ... no rubbish shelf fillers! Mike 14.09.12
Always interesting stock, more so given its small size. Prices are also reasonable. Steven Kelly 02.10.14
It's hard to know how this shop has gone without comment in The Book Guide during the forty years it's been trading. That is all the more baffling because this small shop - a single room - contains an exceptionally good selection of second-hand and antiquarian stock about Scotland. The other chief speciality is Arts. The stock in general has evidently been selected with some care. It is correspondingly expensive, but not out of the range of comparable shops in Edinburgh. Thoughtful collectors who have a reason to be in St. Andrews will take a good look - and surely have done so for many years. The Bookman 25.07.24
Errol Sunday Market/ERROL/Errol Airfield
Errol Sunday Market
Errol Airfield ERROL PH2 7TB
map
tel:
07971 238870
Open: Sunday 8.30 - 3.00.
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The organisers have storage containers (the sort that go on the back of articulated lorries) that they lease out to sellers to allow them to permanently keep stock on site. Several of the dealers have turned these into second-hand book "shops" that you can walk into and browse. Jeremy Briggs
Not worth the trouble of getting up early to go there. Mostly paperbacks. TommyG 09.12.11
At Errol Sunday Market, which takes place along with the car boot sale each week at the airfield, there is one specialist book dealer, Duncan Stewart Books, at Unit 3 in the Indoor Market Hall. Information about his holdings has been quite hard to come by, but he has been selling books for 40 years and appears to have a good-quality and varied stock, predominantly hardbacks, with a lot of non-fiction; also some antiquarian books.
Also in the indoor market is the CHAS Charity Bookstore 'n' More, which sells new and used books of the kind typically found in charity shops, along with games, toys and jigsaws, to support the work of Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS); the CHAS shop is open from 8.30am to 2.30pm from April to October and from 9.30am to 1.30pm from November to March. There may well also be second-hand books for sale in the car boot section of this very large site, but the sellers there vary from week to week. Booker T 16.09.24
Fife Forge/KIRKCALDY/69 High Street
Fife Forge
69 High Street KIRKCALDY KY1 1LN
map
tel:
07392 503513
Open: Tuesday - Saturday 10.00 - 4.00, Sunday 11.00 - 3.00
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A carefully selected stock of good-quality second-hand books with a focus on Scottish history and Scottish authors.
Fife Forge is a new venture dedicated to Scottish art, second-hand books and collectables. The shop, which also contains exhibitions of objects relating to local history, opened in early December. The proprietor, John Dennett, is building up the stock of books, with a focus on quality, and expects to be adding plenty more in the New Year. The stock currently includes rare books, first editions, signed copies and a strong focus on Scottish history, in particular that of Kirkcaldy and the county of Fife. Scottish crime fiction is another area in which the shop aims to specialise. It is early days and still something of a work in progress, but this establishment promises to be a very welcome addition to an area that has been rather barren territory for bibliophiles for quite some time. The premises used to be occupied by Oxfam, before it bailed out of the town. Kirkcaldy has a notable art gallery (next to the railway station) with some significant works on display. Fife Forge is half a mile from the railway station and a two-minute walk from the bus station. Booker T 21.12.24
Guid Reads/ALVA/89 Stirling Street
Guid Reads
89 Stirling Street ALVA FK12 5ED
map
tel:
07851 959772 e-mail
Open: Tuesday & Wednesday 10.00 - 6.00, Thursday 12.00 - 8.00, Friday 10.00 - 6.00, Saturday 10.00 - 4.30
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Community bookshop, set up in 2020. General stock, donated by local people. The books have no set price; the shop asks buyers to pay whatever they can afford. Proceeds go towards keeping the premises open as a community drop-in centre, with any surplus given to a different local charity each quarter. The shop posts details of some of its newly arrived stock on its Facebook page; items can be reserved for collection in person or to be posted out in exchange for a donation. Temporary variations to the opening hours may occasionally occur, but will be posted on the shop’s Facebook page.
Came across this shop in the small Clackmannanshire town of Alva when trawling the internet to look at possible Scottish holiday destinations (although the profusion or otherwise of bookshops in an area is by no means the only criterion in deciding where to go!) This seems to be a worthwhile enterprise, set up and run largely by Ruth Galloway (who is the point of contact and whose phone number is listed for the entry). It also sells donated DVDs etc, but is primarily a second-hand bookshop. Recently moved up the road to its current premises at 89 Stirling Street. Booker T 21.02.24
Hanselled Books/BURNTISLAND/19 Kirkgate
Hanselled Books
19 Kirkgate BURNTISLAND KY3 9DL
map
tel:
01592 873323 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Tuesday, Thursday - Saturday 10.00 - 3.00, closed in winter. Check before travelling.
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Over 20,000 books in stock covering both fiction and non fiction. We are particularly strong in science-fiction/ fantasy and in Scottish , science, educational, computer and business titles. We also have a diverse range of difficult to find titles. Corner shop consisting of main shop area, back area of about 200 sq ft and basement area.
Also offer a good selection online. Mark 10.11.12
The hours listed for this shop are not correct. I was there today (Sunday, 8 July) and the shop was double-padlocked at 4:30 in the afternoon. I did not reach anyone when I phoned ahead; it was only a little out of my way. Very disappointing! Roxann 10.07.18
King_s Bookshop/CALLANDER/91-93 Main Street
King's Bookshop
91-93 Main Street CALLANDER FK17 8BQ
map
tel:
01877 339449
Open: mid-morning - 6.00 except Tuesdays
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Large general stock, Scottish books, poetry, history and fine bindings. Garden at rear with plant sales.
A smallish bookshop, one room and a corridor although it wasn’t really clear what was shop and what was storage, but lots of books packed on to the shelves at very reasonable prices. Lots of paperbacks just £1 although many very run of the mill titles Very few of the shelves are labelled so you have to work out which section is which. The proprietor sat at a desk in the middle of the room with her cat, she was friendly and explained she was having a zoom call with friends (10.30am) but it was quite off putting when browsing. Left without buying anything, probably not worth a detour but pop in if you’re driving through Callander HB 14.07.22
The lettering on the shop window proclaims, rather insouciantly: "It's why you came here!" Callander, on the edge of the Trossachs, is a nice town, but for TBG readers, the presence of this shop might indeed - with good reason - be the motivation. Of the 11 bookshops I visited on a recent Scottish jaunt, this was perhaps my favourite. It consists of a large room and, at the back, a narrow corridor lined with books. The two rooms off the corridor are out of bounds. The stock is diverse and good-quality. The corridor includes crime fiction (very cheap at £1 or £2), children's fiction (£1), law, true crime, antiques and topography. Most of the better books, including antiquarian stock, are in the main room: an extensive range of Scottish interest (including some rare titles), a fine selection of Scottish novels, a small but good art section, quite a good stock of military history, field sports, biographies, travel, and more crime fiction and children's books, including some nice vintage ones. Penguin paperbacks are £1 or £2. The poetry selection is unusually strong, reflecting the interests of owner Sally Evans, who is herself a poet of some merit. Almost all the books are in good condition; some have been rebound (her partner, Ian King, is a bookbinder). Other subject categories with a good stock include natural history and gardening. The owner is very knowledgeable and a pleasure to talk to. She opened this shop in 2000, having previously owned a bookshop in Edinburgh for 20 years. None of the stock is on the internet and the shop is cash only - there are cash machines just along the street. Prices are on the low side in almost every category. The sole exception seems to be the Scottish interest books, which are priced at or slightly above the usual level. This is rather a good shop and WAD. Booker T 30.05.24
Oakholm Books/ABERFELDY/Unit 2 5-9 Bridgend
Oakholm Books
Unit 2 5-9 Bridgend ABERFELDY PH15 2DF
map
tel:
01887 224398 e-mail
Open: Thursday - Saturday 10.00 - 4.00 (all year round), also Sunday 11.00 - 3.00 (May to September)
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Good-quality second-hand stock on a diverse range of subjects. Also sells a few new books.
Stumbling across this shop in the pleasant town of Aberfeldy was a welcome surprise as, despite trawling the internet in advance of a recent visit there, I was oblivious to its existence; it has no social media presence. Situated just up from The Square, opposite the Breadalbane Arms Hotel, it opened in March 2022 and is owned by the former proprietor of David's Bookshop in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. The shop is quite small, but the stock is carefully selected and of high quality; there is no dross here. Very good for fiction, military history, Scottish interest, transport, natural history and vintage children's books. A smaller but still good stock of poetry and books on art, architecture, music, cookery, gardening and sport, particularly angling. The books are mostly hardback and in good condition. The fiction is very reasonably priced. The better-quality non-fiction bears evidence of careful pricing, but is mostly within the normal range, or not far above. The owner is very nice and his shop is a real asset to this little town, which has associations with Robert Burns and also boasts another good bookshop, the award-winning Watermill (which sells only new books). Rather a shame the shop isn't a bit bigger, but the quality of the stock here makes it WAD. Booker T 31.05.24
Oxfam Books and Music/PERTH/118 South Street
Oxfam Books and Music
118 South Street PERTH PH2 8PA
map
tel:
01738 446790 web
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Small outlet, similar in scale to the Edinburgh Morningside or Carlisle branch. Good stock nonetheless. Prices reasonable to steep-ish. Steven Kelly 22.12.14
Small to medium sized shop in the town centre which, while catering for the mainstream reader, has a remarkably wide and good selection of books. Perhaps this is because Perth, despite its size, does not have another second hand bookshop (indeed in 25+ years of visiting I dont remember it ever having a second hand bookshop before Oxfam). I have found some interesting items here in the past and this visit was no exception. Jeremy Briggs 16.04.15
Typically bright and well organised Oxfam shop with an interesting stock. Prices are generally high, particularly for anything deemed special, with an extravagant £50 price tag not uncommon on glass case items. Was pleased to find a recent history of the War Graves Commission at a more usual Oxfam price of £3.50. Perth has some fine Classical architecture and is well worth a visit. TravellingLibrary 08.08.15
Seven years since the last reviews and the shop is still there and seems much the same as then. Normal Oxfam bookshop pricing, enough to make some complain about, but nothing too crazy that I noticed. Adrian 07.04.22
Oxfam Bookshop/STIRLING/79 Murray Place
Oxfam Bookshop
79 Murray Place STIRLING FK8 1AU
map
tel:
01786 462380 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Friday 9.00 - 5.00, Saturday 9.00 - 5.30, Sunday 11.00 - 5.00
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Approx. 5500 books, some vinyl, CDs and DVDs. Specialities: Scottish, Art, Literature, History, and Transport.
Smaller stock than the size of the shop would suggest - with Oxfam's own branded goods taking up a substantial part of the floorspace. However prices are very good by Oxfam's standards. Steven Kelly 02.10.14
Selling all their stock at 50p apiece at the time of our visit, with a view to closing for a refit mid-August. Rather small stock available. TravellingLibrary 08.08.15
Back at Stirling on 05/08/16; 24 years on. Popped into the Oxfam shop but couldn't find any non-fiction items to purchase. Sorry. Chris K. 08.08.16
A large shop, with quite high-quality stock. Very good for books on Scottish interest, although the prices for some of these are ambitious. Above-average selections in many other subjects, including history, military, art and architecture, travel, climbing, natural history, cookery, religion, science and philosophy. OS maps vary from £2.49 to £3.49; Stirling is the gateway to some prime walking country and so the prices are a notch above the usual. Good also for children's books, including some vintage ones. Books on music, and also sheet music, are in a separate room, together with records, CDs, DVDs and a large selection of books on sport. An extensive stock of fiction, reasonably priced (paperbacks £2.49 or £2.99). The "old and interesting" section is considerably larger and better than at most Oxfam bookshops, but prices are on the steep side for the more desirable of these. This is a very busy shop. One of the volunteers told me that, although books are routinely taken off the shelves after six to eight weeks, "not many stick around that long". Prices are more or less standard for Oxfam, although slightly above average for some of the non-fiction. The usual fair trade items are sold here, but the shop is big enough to withstand the scale of the encroachment. Booker T 29.05.24
Shop flooded out, most stock in storage at Perth Oxfam. 05.05.25
Read and Relax/KINROSS/157 High Street
Read and Relax
157 High Street KINROSS KY13 8DA
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e-mail web
Open: Tuesday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00
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Second-hand books of good quality, as well as new books. The shop opened in November 2024 and is located in the town centre.
The small former county town of Kinross has lacked a bookshop for many years, a void now filled by this shop, which opened on 2nd November. The proprietor, Sarah Jarvis, says she is prioritising the acquisition of good-quality stock. As well as plenty of fiction and non-fiction, there is a large section for children's books. The shop also serves coffee, tea and juices; the tables are positioned well away from the bookshelves to enable easy access for browsers. Intending visitors should note that, after Christmas Eve, the shop is closed until 14th January 2025. Kinross, which is just off the M90, is a pleasant town on the shores of Loch Leven, about 15 miles south of Perth. It has no railway station, but there are frequent bus services from Perth, Dundee and Edinburgh. Booker T 10.12.24
Red Cross Bookshop/LINLITHGOW/221 High Street
Red Cross Bookshop
221 High Street LINLITHGOW EH49 7EN
map
tel:
01506 20671658
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 4.00.
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River Thoughtful Fishing Books/BLAIRGOWRIE/Old Barn
River Thoughtful Fishing Books
Old Barn Bridge of Cally BLAIRGOWRIE PH10 7JJ
map
tel:
01250 886327 e-mail web
Open: Most days except Monday 10.00 - 6.00.
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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.
Seagull Trust Cruises Bookshop/FALKIRK/47 High Street
Seagull Trust Cruises Bookshop
47 High Street FALKIRK FK1 1ES
map
tel:
01324 629634, mob: 07935238113 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 4.00
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The Seagull Trust Cruises Bookshop opened in October 2021, now in new premises with cafe. About 2000 books, also available online. Prices are suggested, pay what you can afford. Donations go the Seagull Trust Cruises.
Has closed the shop in the shopping centre and is now open in the High St about 50 yards from the entrance of the Howgate Shopping Centre. Now has a cafe at the front of the shop. Booksellerbull 02.08.23
Stirling Books/STIRLING/18 Maxwell Place
Stirling Books
18 Maxwell Place STIRLING FK8 1JU
map
tel:
01786 465339 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Wednesday, Friday - Sunday 12.00 - 3.00
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Around 8,000 secondhand books in a wide range of categories. Large theology and philosophy section, large natural history section, fiction titles from the 1800's through to current paperbacks and hardbacks. 400 free books currently available.
Broad range, strong on academic titles. Following a recent revamp they seem to have fewer coffee table and 'celebrity' biography type books. Prices reasonable, occasionally on the higher side. Steven Kelly 02.10.14
Stirling Books may well have 30,000 books in stock, but I'd say only a fraction of that number were out on display in the shop. Very general coverage and rather high prices. Some books currently stickered at £2 and £3. TravellingLibrary 08.08.15
New opening hours listed on their web site. Open 12.00 to 5.00 Monday to Saturday. Closed on Sunday booksellerbull 18.07.19
This shop seems to have shrunk since my last visit a couple of years back. The helpful owner/assistant did check on her computer for any titles matching my interest, but sadly little was available. Wessexman 22.09.19
A bit of a disappointment, as the stock seems not quite as good as in years gone by and the prices - already fairly robust - have been whacked up further. The business appears to be focusing increasingly on selling online, hence the much shorter opening hours. The back room contains rather a lot of fiction, much of it by long-forgotten authors, at high prices. Also an extensive selection on the social and physical sciences, although many of these seemed dated and are no doubt hard to shift. A decent choice on theology and a small section on natural history. The stock in the front room is considerably better, especially for history and the very large range of Scottish books, although many of these seemed overpriced. Also a small but good section on art, some high-quality biographies, several shelves of vintage children's books and a large bookcase filled with Folio Society volumes. Apart from the near-ubiquitous ambitious pricing, there are other things to be irked about here. The books are packed too tightly on the shelves, making them difficult to remove - a real bugbear of mine. The two large and comfortable sofas in the front room were piled high with boxed-up excess stock, which also impeded access to the history shelves. Certainly worth a visit for those with deep pockets whose interests are Scotland or history, but I left empty-handed. The shop is difficult to find for first-time visitors. It occupies a basement below a photography studio, on the right-hand side of the road (when walking downhill). It is two minutes' walk from the Oxfam Bookshop, where you have a better chance of picking up a bargain. Booker T 30.05.24
I really should have read the previous review before turning up at this shop as I initially thought it was no longer there. No.18 is a beauty salon at ground level and I was on the verge of leaving when I just spotted the book shop down a flight of steps to basement level. Even then, I was disappointed to see a Closed sign on the door (on a Saturday afternoon) but I ventured down anyway and it turns out they’d just forgotten to turn it to the Open side. On to the books - there’s a decent range of Folios near the entrance. The pricing is somewhat curious though. For example, not £12, not even £11.95, but £11.71. Are they calculating the price per page? Converting from a foreign currency? Deploying some retail psychology? Who knows. Regardless, the prices did seem a little steep. They’re strong on history and biography, and the room at the back is where you’ll find fiction. Nothing really to write home about but I did find one title that I was pleased with, if a little overpriced given its condition (I’ll try to glue the spine cover back on). But it had a nice 80-year-old inscription on the flyleaf which I’m always a sucker for. Jon R 08.12.24
