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For literature lovers, almost nothing beats a trip to a bustling city boasting brilliant libraries and fantastic independent bookshops – the joy of getting to explore an exciting new destination, while scoping out new novels to read along the way. Or stocking up on your holidays to replenish your book shelves when you get home.
So which UK city is the best for bookworms? With annual global book sales set to hit 107 billion next year, The Knowledge Academy has attempted to pinpoint the best breaks for book lovers.
They identified the number of bookshops, libraries and public bookcases across major UK towns and cities.
Cambridge came out on top in the literary stakes - boasting an overall index score of 9.74/10. With a perfect public bookcase score of 10/10, the city also boasts the highest library score at 9.84/10. It’s no surprise that this magnificent city is well known globally for its education and culture.
Securing joint second place are Edinburgh, host of the world-famous International Book Festival every year and home to famous writers such as Inspector Rebus creator Ian Rankin and Harry Potter author JK Rowling, and York, with impressive joint rankings of 9.53/10. Achieving a perfect score of 10/10 for bookshops, York also came out on top for its library score.
Edinburgh, however, had a much higher public bookcase score, at 9.84/10.
Ranking as the fourth best UK city for book lovers is Oxford. Renowned for its exceptional university, Oxford earns an overall index score of 9.43/10. Achieving a perfect library score of 10/10, the city also has a near perfect score of 9.53 for its bookshops.
Securing fifth place is Brighton and Hove with a final index score of 9.32/10. The East Sussex city has a near-perfect score of 9.69 for its bookshops and public bookcases, but falls short with a library score of 8.59/10.
Leeds scooped sixth place, Portsmouth came in seventh, Manchester eighth, Nottingham was ninth and Woking came in tenth place.
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