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Secondhand and Antiquarian Bookshops in the UK and Republic of Ireland

Nooks and Crannys has closed
New bookshop Chapter Two, Chesham
New listing Claydon House Bookshop
New listing Rennie Grove charity bookshop Princes Risborough
new listing Willen Hospice Bookshop Stony Stratford

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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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Buckingham Chantry Chapel National Trust Bookshop/BUCKINGHAM/Market Hill
Buckingham Chantry Chapel National Trust Bookshop  Open at advertised times
Market Hill    BUCKINGHAM  MK18 1JX
map
  web
Open:  Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 10.00 - 3.00, Saturday 10.00 - 4.00
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This twelfth/fifteenth-century chapel was restored by Gilbert Scott in 1875 and is now open to the public as a secondhand bookshop selling donated books. The oldest building in Buckingham. Free entry to shop.

Free to gain entry as this hall is a coffee and bookshop. Bookcases all categorized around all the walls of perhaps 1,000 books at near charity shop prices. No purchases made as zero naval books on offer. Worth visiting if also visiting N.T. Stowe book loft or the places in Brackley. There is also 5 general charity shops in walking distance in Buckingham selling books the best of which was Oxfam.  Laurence Batchelor 06.12.18

Buckinghamshire Railway Centre Secondhand Bookshop/AYLESBURY/Buckinghamshire Railway Centre Station Road Quainton
Buckinghamshire Railway Centre Secondhand Bookshop  Phone before travelling
Buckinghamshire Railway Centre Station Road Quainton  AYLESBURY  HP22 4BY
map
tel:  01296 655720  e-mail   web
On Steaming Days: Sundays, some Bank Hols, etc or by appointment: ring first
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'Our secondhand bookshop is absolutely filled to the brim with books on nearly every subject imaginable! It's not just trains and carriages! Although you will find plenty of these as well!'


Chapter Two/CHESHAM/10 High Street
Chapter Two    Open at advertised times
10 High Street  CHESHAM  HP5 1EP
map
tel:  01494 791260  e-mail   web   
Open: Monday - Friday 9.30 - 4.30, Saturday 9.00 - 5.00, Sunday 10.00 - 4.00
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A community bookshop in the heart of Chesham selling pre-loved books and more. Proceeds to the Hospice of St Francis.

A cut and a half above most charity bookshops, and surely one of the best in the Home Counties. The stock at this very large shop, which has been open at the clock tower end of Chesham’s long high street for more than three years now, is impressive not just in quantity, but also in quality. Although standard charity shop fare is here in abundance, almost every section boasts plenty of books of better quality too. The fiction (mostly paperbacks, priced between £2 and £4) is outstanding for a charity shop, far superior to that in most Oxfams, for example. The history, military and biography sections are fairly strong, as is the selection for art, architecture, photography, crafts, design etc. Children’s books seemed to be a particular strength, with a huge array on offer. A small but decent selection of foreign-language fiction was an unexpected find. Also a bookcase filled with folio editions. Pricing is reasonable throughout, even for the small number of books deemed antiquarian/collectible. This shop is so obviously managed and staffed by people who absolutely love books. I got chatting to a couple of the volunteers, who were highly knowledgeable. The turnover is apparently very brisk indeed, which seemed to be borne out by my own observations - this is a busy shop. The stock is frequently renewed as the Hospice of St Francis is a popular local charity and the shop attracts large amounts of donations. In many sections, any books that do not sell within two weeks are taken off the shelves and replaced with new stock. It was a pleasure to visit this thriving shop, which is well laid-out, with a nice seating area where you can browse through your prospective purchases in comfort. After my visit, I went to a local coffee shop and overheard a fellow customer telling someone on his phone about “a fabulous bookshop” he had discovered in Chesham. I checked with him (no need, really!) and it was this one. Of course. Chapter Two is doing absolutely everything right. Highly recommended.  Booker T 15.02.24
Prompted by the above review I pootled around the M25 to this shop. It is much as described, a definite front runner in terms of a Charity bookshop with books new and old, It is a model for other such shops.

The prices for the more recently published were on the high side for donated items, but in general the prices were very good. It is bright and well laid out and was very busy on a wet and miserable Thursday morning. A good solid history section and I bought a long sought book on the SOE for £3.99 - A bargain.

Chesham has deteriorated significantly in the (many) years since I was there last and is a bit of a ghost town with shops closed and the no doubt well intentioned pedestrian high street's blood paving showing its age.

The shop is worth visiting in the area but NWAD from further afield.
  Firedrake 29.02.24
What a super shop and staffed by people who could not have been more helpful and charming. My wife went on a buying spree of books for the grandchildren while I just watched her in amazement. The classifications were well noted and laid out for easy checking. This, no doubt, due to the volunteer manager who is a former librarian. There was no dross anywhere and it was obvious that paperback fiction had all been checked for quality.  Chris 12.03.24

Claydon House Bookshop (National Trust)/BUCKINGHAM/Middle Claydon, near Buckingham
Claydon House Bookshop (National Trust)   Phone before travelling
Middle Claydon, near Buckingham  BUCKINGHAM  MK18 2EY
map
tel:  01296 730349  e-mail   web  
Open: April-October, Friday - Monday 10.30 - 3.30
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Magnificent 18th-century interiors. The bookshop and reading room selling donated books are on the ground floor of the house. Entry fee or NT membership is needed to visit the bookshop.


Crazy for Books/MILTON KEYNES/Central Market
Crazy for Books  Open at advertised times
Central Market   MILTON KEYNES   MK11 1AY
map
Open:  Thursday 9.30 - 4.30.
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Market book stall.

Stock is mainly readers' paperbacks but the turnover is good, the prices very reasonable and the owner e.t.g.o.w. There are often some charity stalls with books on the market but these are less reliable.  Steven Whitehead 09.06.12
I can confirm that the stall is called Crazy for Books and repeat what I said last time. Excellent for paperbacks but little else on show.  Steven Whitehead 31.05.13
I was in Milton Keynes on a Thursday before Christmas 2017 and again on a Thursday in February 2018 and the stall has gone, unless it is seasonal and only comes out in the warm weather. One charity stall with a few books but NWAD.  Steven 28.03.18

Old Dairy Bookshop, was Hayloft Bookshop/BUCKINGHAM/National Trust StoweNew Inn Farm
Old Dairy Bookshop, was Hayloft Bookshop    Open at advertised times
National Trust Stowe  New Inn Farm    BUCKINGHAM  MK18 5EQ
map
tel:  01280 817156  e-mail   web
Open: Monday - Sunday 10.00 - 5.00 summer, 10.00 - 4.00 winter
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Located in the Parlour Rooms of the New Inn, the Hayloft Bookshop is a treasure trove of good quality donated books. Entry is free to all including NT shop and café.

Given the name it should be no surprise it's reached by way of a (narrow) staircase and consists of a quaint but small room, over the reception area. As with any NT used bookshop they rely on donations and has a limited general stock but if you're local or nearby it may be worth a look. The nearby NT Chantry Chapel used bookshop in central Buckingham has more stock (doesn't require a membership or entry fee and has cheap refreshments - but is only open a few days a week).  Flip M 28.03.18
The sale on books I found was not the ones in the Hayloft but in one of the downstairs rooms on the other side of New Inn Farm. The Hayloft did surprisingly have a good selection of military and children's books so 4 purchases made. You do not need to pay to enter the park or property in order to view the books as the volunteers escorted me to the narrow staircase. Seating was provided in the small loft to rest weary legs. I'd say there were a few hundred books in all. If not a National Trust member parking is £2.  Laurence Batchelor 06.12.18
The bookshop is no longer in the Hayloft, so no more climbing stairs! It's located nearby on the ground floor.  polypody 27.09.22
The relocated and renamed Old Dairy Bookshop is a larger, brighter space than the old Hayloft Bookshop with a much greater stock of books. The shelves are clearly labelled, the books are well organised and there are several regularly changed, themed displays. The books range from modern fiction and non-fiction (the 20th century history section is quite good) to vintage and collectable volumes. The bookshop has its own 'catalogue' of higher value signed and rare books on display in the shop and the books can be viewed on request.

The bookshop is open every day, usually manned by one of the team of volunteers. It's well worth a visit, especially when combined with the nearby Chantry Chapel bookshop in Buckingham, or Claydon House bookshop. All of them are National Trust so your purchases all raise funds for a good cause.
  Kitewatcher 16.10.23

Oxfam Book and Music Shop/OLNEY/Adam House
Oxfam Book and Music Shop  Open at advertised times
Adam House  Stanley Court   OLNEY   MK46 5NH
map
tel: 01234 714592  e-mail  web 
Open:  Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00, Sunday 11.00 - 2.00, Bank Holidays 11.00 - 4.00.
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All categories - subject to donation. We are tucked away off the High Street near the Co-op and have been open since 2005. We are frequently complimented on the quality of our stock and we also have a specialist music section with a great selection of vinyl.

Oxfam shops are often criticised for being more expensive - this most certainly isn't! We bought 8 books all in excellent condition for £11.44 this morning. Not large, but sections covering fiction, history, biogs, the usual charity shop areas I suppose - often for less than a pound. There were a number of antiquarian books incl some unusual things. I saw nothing over £9.99 and most far less (I picked up a 1956 Agatha Christie for £1.99 with a VG+ DJ). Well laid out and worth a browse if you're in the area.  Flip M 26.07.16
Well laid out with books of above average calibre and condition and fair prices. Too small to be WAD but if you add in the antique and other charity shops there is enough in the town to make a worthwhile visit. Parking is free and there are some good places to eat.  Steven 21.04.17
Repeat visit (August 2018) and I repeat what I said last time (April 2017).  Steven 09.08.18
Agree not worth WAD on its own but as I was visiting the other book shops in the County I called in. Found one paperback for £1 which the assistant brought from upstairs but overall the military section was weak. Upon chatting to the staff it seems the locals regularly buy up the quality donations quickly.  Laurence Batchelor 25.09.18
As per my comments from 2 years ago really - still worth popping in if you're in the area. Prices still very reasonable - I recently paid £8.99 for 1 book (which was roughly the expected price) and the cashier did say it was unusually expensive for them! Usually pay no more than £2. Olney has good places to eat and a couple of charity shops and antique centre.  Flip M 01.10.18
I repeat what I have said before: a pleasant little shop with helpful staff. Not strong in any categories although there is probably a shelf for most subjects. Good for readers and collectors may get lucky.  Steven 13.06.19

Oxfam Books and Music/BEACONSFIELD/5 Station Parade
Oxfam Books and Music  Open at advertised times
5 Station Parade   BEACONSFIELD   HP9 2PB
map
tel: 01494 730005  web 
Open:  Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 5.30.
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Ever-changing selection of current titles, classic literature, CDs, vinyl records,

Very Good quality stock but a trifle expensive fairly large shop  John Bacon 23.10.17
As John Bacon says, very good quality stock, much of it appears new and un-read... Remainders perhaps or unwanted presents donated by the extremely affluent residents of Beaconsfield? Prices okay for the standard Oxfam charity shop stock, but hardbacks and history (Good general and local stock) were quite steep. Oddly, no crime section! There are several other charity shops in town, some with quite good ranges of books. The town has changed massively since the mid seventies when I was a boy living there - looks quite tatty now!  Jon Morgan 30.10.17
I found this a surprisingly good bookshop. Everything was neatly stacked on the shelves and clearly marked as to its category. It was mainly titles which had been published since around the 1980s and so I was able to pick up quite a number of children's books which were suitable for my grandchildren.  Sue Harte 07.10.21
Quite the best Oxfam I have visited in a quite a long time. Virtually the whole stock was of interest with very little rubbish fiction. The prices were most reasonable and the standard of the books on sale was very impressive.  Chris 25.11.23
I really cannot believe I have not been back here in nearly 7 years. It now has a crime fiction section which is welcome with some good titles as well as the apparently ubiquitous celebrity crime fiction offerings.

The fiction section was fairly standard charity shop fare, with only the occasional nod to the affluence of the area.

What really marked it out was the History section. Very well curated and although with a focus on more modern history, still had quite a good range of stuff.

The shop is Oxfam corporate decor but with taller quality shelving and without the toot that tends to pad out some of their shops ie organic knitted Birkenstock sandals and olfactorily offensive 'ethnic' rugs. (Epping is an offender in this respect.) The children's section is extensive and nice set out to welcome the younger reader. I had a chat with a volunteer and manager and it would appear that within certain guidelines, the individual shops are given latitude in terms of stock and pricing. I was told that whilst prices are checked on the Oxfam website and ABE, outlandish ABE asks are rejected and a mean is taken of other prices and they then reduce that by at least a quarter, The books I bought were very reasonably priced, Once again, worth a visit if in the area.
  Firedrake 29.02.24

Oxfam Bookshop/AYLESBURY/32 High Street
Oxfam Bookshop  Phone before travelling
32 High Street   AYLESBURY   HP20 1SF
map
tel: 01296 423843  web 
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Not as good as the Berkhamsted one but about all that there is left in Aylesbury.  Steven Whitehead 27.04.11
While Aylesbury has POCS only the Oxfam shop is reliably interesting. Prices are reasonable and bargains not unknown.  Steven 16.02.17
Return visit. Aylesbury town centre may be dying but the Oxfam Books and Music Shop remains a beacon. Good turnover and fair prices - what's not to like?  Steven 24.03.19
First post lockdown visit. A well presented shop with books where I would expect to find them, all major subjects covered, and room to browse. Prices for readers' paperbacks and the children's section were sensible but anything collectable is at the top end. If I had found that elusive title to fill a gap then I would have been reaching for my credit card but several books that I might have taken a punt on and returned to be sold again if they were not what I expected were just too pricy to take the chance so I left empty handed. Worth a visit if you are in Aylesbury but not worth a special journey.  Steven 18.11.21
Repeat visit. Still much as it was last time. Keen on old cameras and photography books and a good selection across most subjects. Some of the 'collectable' books do not fit my definition of the word and the prices were frankly silly. However, if you stick to the main shelves there is some good stuff to be found at a fair price.  Steven 07.04.22

Pemberley Natural History Books/IVER/18 Bathurst Walk
Pemberley Natural History Books  Open at advertised times
18 Bathurst Walk  Richings Park   IVER   SL0 9AZ
map
tel: 01753 631114  e-mail  web 
Open:  Monday - Saturday 10.00 - -5.00.
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Natural history bookshop selling new, second-hand and antiquarian books on Entomology and other natural history subjects. On-line ordering via a secure website. Occasional printed catalogues.


Rennie Grove charity bookshop/PRINCES RISBOROUGH/61 High Street
Rennie Grove charity bookshop  Open at advertised times
61 High Street  PRINCES RISBOROUGH  HP27 0AE
map
tel:  01844 690546     web
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 4.00
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Rennie Grove have numerous shops raising funds for hospice care in Herts and Bucks, but this is the only one devoted to books. It was established in 2012.

I arrived as unsold and reject donated books were being collected by a pulping firm. Two trolleys full were wheeled out. It made me wonder how regular this was.

The shop is a decent size but the stock is mostly on a par with, or below, most charity shop levels with a huge amount of 'chick-lit' in evidence. Pricing was very reasonable for the one crime novel I bought (£1.50) but the 'collectable' section had absurd pricing.

Worth a look but do not go out of your way.
  Firedrake 29.02.24

St Andrew_s Bookshop/GREAT MISSENDEN/61 _ 65 High Street
St Andrew's Bookshop  Open at advertised times
61 & 65 High Street   GREAT MISSENDEN   HP16 0AL
map
tel: 01494 862168  web 
Open:  Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 5.00.
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Christian bookshop with a room of secondhand / remaindered books.

Mainly general Christian with some theology plus a few bits and pieces in other genres. NWAD for the general reader but would be of interest to those who read Christian literature.  Steven Whitehead 15.12.18
First visit post lockdown. Quality and quantity both improved since my last visit and for those interested in Christian literature WAD. Owner etgow.  Steven 09.10.21
repeat visit. My previous comments stand but it is worth noting that the turnover of the second-hand and remainder stock is good so if you have an interest in theology and Christian books repeat visits can be rewarding. Prices are sensible and bargains can be found.  Steven 21.04.23

Willen Hospice Bookshop/STONY STRATFORD/30 High Street
Willen Hospice Bookshop  Open at advertised times
30 High Street  STONY STRATFORD  MK11 1AF
map
tel:  01908 262281    web   
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 4.00
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Willen Hospice cares for end of life patients and their families in Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas. They have a network of more than a dozen charity shops, including this bookshop.

“Whether you are looking for contemporary novels, paperback or hardcover; folio volumes or maybe a perfect gift….we are sure to help you find a tome to suit. Crime fiction is our bestseller. We also have a large stock for our younger clients – from Board Baby books to Teen Fiction."


Wolverton Books/MILTON KEYNES/202 Stratford Road
Wolverton Books  Open at advertised times
202 Stratford Road  Wolverton   MILTON KEYNES   MK12 5RL
map
tel: 01908 319 620  e-mail  web 
Open:  Tuesday - Saturday 9.30 - 4.00.
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Charity bookshop. We have a wide selection of all types of books including some unusual & collectable ones. The shop is next to the street level entrance of the Wolverton Branch of Tesco's. Visitors arriving by car may use the Tesco's customers car park.

Prices very good & shop belongs to Age UK, so money goes to a good cause.  Barumboy 15.06.13
Prices always very reasonable. Never very busy. Often "2 for 1" offers on some ranges. Small antiquarian section. Very rarely do I leave without buying something.  Flip M 22.10.15
Always worth popping in if nearby though - prices for most books are a pound and they're very often almost as new. The antiquarian books are usually a pound or two more. I found a very nice pre-war House at Pooh Corner for £2. Possibly little for serious collectors but the best range of any of the charity shops in the MK area with a constantly replenished stock. But do note the new opening times.  Flip M 26.01.16
The antiquarian stuff is no longer there - due to making room for a large amount of crime non-fiction stuff, I was told. They're just figuring out where to put the antiquarian stuff - but that was over a month ago and its not back so at the moment, while the stock is decent and cheap for scifi/crime/fiction and run of the mill recent biogs, it's not the "must see" it was.  Flip M 29.04.16
Update - the antiquarian cabinet is back - indeed there are now 2 glass cabs with old books in. But the quality really isn't up to much, from what I can see. I suspect the best stuff now goes on their Amazon store. If you're nearby, they still have a good range of used books in the usual genres for £1 each in excellent condition.  Flip M 29.10.16
An excellent charity shop spread through 2 largish rooms. The 1st is filled with your usual paperback fiction but the 2nd has a good selection of children's, transport, local history, archaeology and military amongst others. The shop assistant allowed me to browse their stock room which was a nice touch but all my purchases were from the shop. I came away with a bag load for £16! Outstanding shop and a place where rare finds can be made as some of mine included Italian language warship books. Free parking in nearby Tesco.  Laurence Batchelor 25.09.18
Plenty for readers and some items of interest for collectors too. Lots of vintage pulp paperbacks and a decent children's section. Prices very reasonable and there is an invitation to negotiate on the prices of their Internet stock. With the closure of the Penn shop I would say this could now be the best in Bucks.  Steven 15.10.18