20 of the very best secondhand book stores in Scotland
THE first thing you are likely to notice upon wandering into a decent second-hand bookshop isn’t the books themselves. It’s that smell. The smell of words growing old and wise in a shady corner of an overflowing shelf. Next, you’ll spy motes of dust dancing ecstatically in a stray beam of ghostly sunlight, often the only movement that is worth commenting upon. Everything else is frozen in place, including the bookseller, who may have gathered a few cobwebs along the way too.
A second-hand bookshop is a sacred place, and too much hustle or bustle on the premises would be as startling and unwelcome as a Viking army ransacking an island monastery.
Yet, in our modern era, some of these fine establishments have remarkably learned to adapt into vibrantly sociable hubs, with coffee, poetry readings and even the odd singer warbling to an appreciative audience. The following list constitutes our favourite second-hand bookshops to visit in Scotland, including the best of the traditional, along with the boldly innovative.
ARMCHAIR BOOKS 72-74 West Port, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 229 5927
THE quirk quotient is truly epic in this intriguing Edinburgh book boutique which is described rather splendiferously as: “Very nearly alphabetised chaos.”
It’s certainly not a place for the fainthearted, for the website announces warily: “The dangers are manifold; our overburdened shelves groan like masts in a squall, our threadbare and quasi-oriental rugs may distractingly catch the eye or foot.”
The web blurb eventually concludes triumphantly: “We struggle under goad of Fear, towards Beauty.”
(From the above, it would seem that the ravishing and Rococo prose has seeped out of the second-hand books and infected the poor souls working in their vicinity.) https://www.armchairbooks.co.uk
STIRLING BOOKS 18 Maxwell Place, Stirling Tel: 01786 465 339
SPECIALISING in rare and antiquarian books, plus the Scottish cultural press, Stirling Books also serves freshly brewed coffee and sells unique curiosities. It hosts the occasional book signing, quiz, poetry event and music show, plus there’s comfy seating for visitors to languish in, once they’ve grown exhausted with all of the above. https://stirlingbooks.co.uk
EDINBURGH BOOKS 145-147 West Port, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 229 4431
A LANDMARK for book lovers for more than 20 years. Formerly known as West Port Books, it was saved from the shame and indignity of becoming yet another café in 2006, so thankfully you won’t be assailed by the horror of the café-latte-mocha-chino.
On the other hand, you will find a wideranging stock of second-hand and antiquarian books. And just when you think you’ve perused every shelf there is, you are apt to stumble upon the stairs. (Though hopefully not stumble down the stairs.)
In the basement lurks four more rooms. And, yes, every single one of them is bulging with bookish delights.
The titles on display tend towards the dog-eared and slightly foxed, though glimpses of rarity and respectability can be encountered if you quest long and hard enough. Lovers of stuffed animals will delight in Clarence the water buffalo, who keeps a beady eye on customers, aided by Graham, the rather stuck-up grouse. https://edinburghbooks.net
THISTLE BOOKS 57-73 Otago Street, Glasgow Tel: 0141 334 8777
OPERATING in Glasgow’s west end since 1998, Thistle Books buys and sells secondhand editions and also offers a book finding service for customers. (We imagine this sort of detective work means the proprietor of the shop owns a deerstalker hat, a Calabash pipe and a serviceable magnifying glass. Though we’re not entirely sure.)
There’s a large and constantly evolving stock of books on a wide range of subjects, with impressive Scottish literature and history sections. Another favourite with Glasgow’s student population. https://thistlebooks.co.uk
CALEDONIAN BOOKS
483 Great Western Road, Glasgow Tel: 0141 334 9663
THE Loire Valley is famous for the delicious wines it produces, such as sauvignon blanc. The east end of London is known for its population of twinkle-eyed street urchins, fleet of foot and flat of cap.
Glasgow’s west end also has its specialism … second-hand bookshops. Caledonia Books is another triumphant example of west end word power. Books for sale include rare and out-of-print titles. And if you fail to find what you’re looking for, the shop is happy to take requests and conduct a search.
Textbooks are also purchased from customers. https://www.caledoniabooks.co.uk
TILLS BOOKSHOP
1 Hope Park Crescent, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 667 0895
ESTABLISHED in 1985, Tills overlooks the Meadows, and has carved out a small literary corner in Edinburgh’s south side. First opened by Rick and Ann Till, the shop was taken over in 2019 by Kate and Joshua McNamara.
Open seven days a week, it has a wide selection of literary fiction, both contemporary and classic, quirky sci-fi, history, biography, philosophy and sociology. You may even stumble across the odd antiquarian gem.
There are also a few seats, a cosy, crackling fire, and staff ready to engage the customer in all manner of blissed-out bookish babble. https://www.tillsbookshop.co.uk
THE BOOKWORM 210 Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 662 4357
PETER Ritchie, the proprietor of The Bookworm, has been in the literary biz for 34 years and specialises in military history.
So, if you want to discover the crafty tactics used by Napoleon to invade England in 1066, this is the place to find out. (Actually, we just might have got a few of those details ever so slightly wrong. So perhaps we should make haste and scuttle on down to The Bookworm ourselves, to find out exactly what did happen in 1066.)
In this well-stocked store you will also find general literature, travel, history, art, Scottish classics, plus a large section of crime and sci-fi.
ELVIS SHAKESPEARE 347 Leith Walk, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 561 1363
YOU get more bang for your buck at Elvis Shakespeare. (Or should that be punch for your pound, this being Scotland, after all.) This store doesn’t just sell second-hand books. It also stocks rare vinyl records.
Which means you can enjoy reading the profound plays of Elvis Presley while bopping along to the smouldering hot beat of a William Shakespeare hit record.
(Or could it be that, yet again, we find ourselves a tad confused?) Sigh.
Once we’ve finished clearing up the military history muddle, over at The Bookworm, we’ll have to skedaddle along to Elvis Shakespeare in order to untangle our Blue Suede Shoes from our Stratford codpiece …) https://www.elvisshakespeare.com
THE BOOK NOOK 24 Upper Craigs, Stirling Tel: 01786 357 071
LAUNCHED by Stirling University graduates Leanne Brown and Jasmine Stenhouse in 2020, this bookshop was the consequence of a boozy lunch, when the two concerned former scholars found themselves lamenting their career prospects.
Once the liquid lunch had dried up they tottered over to the local Waterstones to purchase a book on business. And soon afterwards came … WORLD DOMINATION!!!
Okay, perhaps not world domination. Though the entrepreneurial pair have created a rather spiffy shop which sells both used and new books, and also offers a refreshing cuppa and toasted bagel.
And if that’s not better than world domination, frankly, we don’t know what is. https://thebooknookstirling.co.uk
BOOK ATTIC 93 Perth Road, Dundee Tel: 01382 202264
WHEN is an attic not an attic? When it’s a ground-floor bookshop, of course. Which is exactly what this cosy, quirky home for elderly volumes happens to be. It may not be huge, but the Book Attic still packs an impressive punch, with a range of fascinating literary marvels for you to roll your eyeballs across.
You may fortuitously stumble upon a leather-bound edition of the complete plays of JM Barrie.
Or perhaps a selection of poetic ramblings of that roving Romantic, Percy Bysshe Shelley. There’s modern fare, too, with well looked-after editions of Ian Rankin’s Rebus crime novels often available.
LEAKEY’S BOOKSHOP, INVERNESS Greyfriars Hall, Church St, Inverness Tel: 01463 239947
SECOND-HAND bookshops aren’t merely places where you can unearth dusty, ancient tomes. They are portals into undiscovered lands of entertainment, education and enchantment. Which is why such stores should be magical in appearance. Entering one should be like stumbling into Aladdin’s Cave or Alice’s Wonderland.
Leakey’s Bookshop, right, provides just such a backdrop. This wondrous space has a winding staircase, several levels of shelves bulging with over 100,000 volumes, and a crackling wood-burning fire.
Established in 1979, it has one of the largest collections of second-hand books in Scotland, with the owner purchasing stock from across the Highlands and further afield. https://leakeysbookshop.com
YOUNG’S INTERESTING BOOKS, GLASGOW 18 Skirving Street, Shawlands Tel: 0141 649 9599
IN the Glasgow borough of Shawlands you will find quite possibly the most understated name ever used to promote a shop. We can but imagine the discussion that took place prior to the store’s opening …
“Say, why don’t we call the store Young’s Spectacular Books?”
“Nah. Sounds way too boastful.” “Okay, how about Young’s Fascinating Books?”
“Still a wee bitty excessive. Best to avoid bombast.”
“Eureka, I’ve got it … Young’s Interesting Books!”
And, lo, it came to pass. (Or maybe not. We’re just guessing, after all.) The sign above the door may be drily understated. But walk inside and the quirky quality of the books on display positively screeches in triumph from the shelves. There’s a selection of sci-fi titles, garish pulp fiction, and classic magazines, decades old. We spotted an old edition of Cosmopolitan, with hand-painted front cover, which included a tale by Damon Runyon, author of the original Guys and Dolls stories.
VOLTAIRE & ROUSSEAU, GLASGOW 12 Otago Lane, Glasgow Tel: 0141 339 1811
BEFORE the Medieval era … before the Ancient Romans and Greeks … before Cro-Magnon man, the dinosaurs and even the Big Bang … there existed a certain bookshop.
And it was known as Voltaire & Rousseau. At least that’s how it probably seems to residents of Glasgow’s west end.
For V&R has squatted messily in its cosy corner of Otago Lane for as long as anybody in these parts can remember. Amble inside and you will be confronted by a primal chaos of books, books and more books, piled high and sloping and sloshing precariously.
There can’t be a Glasgow University student who hasn’t spent at least one idle and intellectually invigorating afternoon browsing this cavern of words. Skilful rummagers may even find a few hidden gems, including rare editions. voltaireandrousseaubooks.com
BOOKPOINT, DUNOON 2A Ferry Brae, Dunoon, Argyll Tel: 01369 702377
THIS bright and cheerful independent shop has everything a literature addict could possibly desire to quench that burning need for yet another fix of unadulterated language. Hot and sweaty for historical writing? Bingo. Antsy for poetry and travel writing? Ditto. Havering after Scottish themes? Och aye, ma jo.
Bookpoint’s ethos is to celebrate knowledge in a fun and welcoming environment. And once you tire of all that page-flipping, there’s a gift shop stocked with jewellery, bags and games, along with a café. Also look out for the secret reading spaces and quotes decorating the windows.
The shop mostly stocks new works, though there is a small amount of secondhand books to rummage and rampage through. In Dunoon, you’re never done reading. bookpointdunoon.com
THE BOOKSHOP, WIGTOWN 17 North Main Street, Wigtown Tel: 01988 402499,
THE oldest bookshop in Scotland’s national book town, with one of the largest second-hand collections.
The shelves are more than a mile long, so you’re bound to get plenty of exercise while browsing. Your eyes will also get a serious workout, for there are around 100,000 volumes to study. On an average day The Bookshop receives about 100 second-hand books, meaning there’s an endless flow of words shuffling in and out.
A hub for tourists and a hotspot for anyone hankering after a quirky, quality afternoon among well-packed shelving. https:// the-bookshop.com
BOUQUINISTE BOOKS & POSTCARDS 31 Market Street, St Andrews Tel: 01334 476 724
THERE’S only one thing better than a second-hand bookstore. And that is a second-hand bookstore arrived at by strolling along a cobbled road. And that is exactly what you do when making your way towards Bouquiniste Books in St Andrews. A cosy little book cavern, it has been a familiar presence at the narrow end of Market Street for 40 years. The establishment buys and sells antiquarian and secondhand books plus postcards. Its specialties are Scottish subjects and the arts. You’ll also discover a good selection of books in other fields, plus numerous paperbacks and children’s writing. https://www.bouquinistebookshop.com
PRIORSFORD BOOKS 11 Northgate, Peebles Tel: 01721 497 008
ANOTHER cosy little hideaway, packed with second-hand and nearly-new books. You’ll find a wide range of reading material. Everything from The Epigenetics Revolution to old editions of Alice in Wonderland.
Some of the finds are exceedingly illuminating. For instance, a perfectly preserved 28-year-old Lothian Bus ticket, doubling as a bookmark, was recently unearthed in one ancient volume. And the price of the ticket? Sixty pence … for a single journey. Who says we’re living in an age of progress? www.priorsfordbooks.co.uk
MCNAUGHTON’S BOOKSHOP & GALLERY 3a & 4a Haddington Place, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 556 5897
ESTABLISHED in 1957, McNaughton’s is the grandaddy of Edinburgh antiquarian bookshops. You’ll find some truly ancient and rare volumes on the well-stocked shelves. Recent finds include Bibliomania, a pamphlet authored by Edinburgh physician John Brown, MD and published in 1867. It celebrates the madness of book collecting. One of the nicer madnesses, we think you’ll agree. The McNaughton’s gallery also hosts Typewronger Books, which sells new books and second-hand typewriters. https://mcnaughtans.co.uk
KING’S BOOKSHOP 91-93 Main Street, Callander Tel: 0187 733 9449.
IT’S not often that you find a second-hand bookstore owned by a published poet and novelist, though that’s exactly what Dr Sally Evans happens to be. The talented author runs King’s Bookshop along with business partner and husband, Ian King.
Ian is a bright chap, too, and personally binds some of the older books for sale. Specialisms include Scottish books, history and poetry. There’s also a wide range of books for children. While browsing, you may even get a chance to chat to Sally about her PhD in creative writing, which she completed a few months shy of her 80th birthday. She has a new novel out, too, titled Wildgoose, A Tale of Two Poets.
THE OLD ABERDEEN BOOKSHOP 140 Spital, Aberdeen Tel: 01224 658 355
ABERDEEN is known as that northern city where the oil flows freely and cash does too, a consequence of the high prices of most things in this neck of the woods.
Luckily you do get the occasional good deal. The Old Aberdeen Bookshop has over 7000 books, old and modern, in hardback and paperback, and at a fraction of the high street price. Open for over 20 years, the shop specialises in academic literature, classics, modern, Scottish and local books. https://www.oldaberdeenbookshop.co.uk