Edinburgh's Most Beautiful Bookshops
Edinburgh is a magnet for book lovers. It’s home to some of the world’s most influential writers and to the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and many happy hours can disappear exploring the masterpieces that are packed into Scotland’s UNESCO City of Literature.
Whether you’re in it for the hunt or craving a casual browse, check out our bibliophile’s guide to Edinburgh and start exploring its most beautiful bookshops.
1. Golden Hare Books
Bookstore
2. Typewronger Books
Bookstore
Found within McNaughtan’s Gallery, it’s easy to lose track of time in Typewronger Books with its retro chairs, vintage typewriter selection and new and indie press reads. This unique book browsing experience is made even brighter with pots of fresh coffee and the odd origami animal upon arrival. Although new to the capital’s reading scene, it feels like home straight away thanks to founder Tom’s extensive book knowledge and bookselling background. The personalised book subscription service caters to avid readers looking for a steady flow of hand-picked finds.
4. Armchair Books
Bookstore
5. The Edinburgh Bookshop
Bookstore
6. Till's Bookshop
Bookstore
Till’s Bookshop is a treasure trove of second-hand literary finds of all kinds. The pleasing layout and the overflowing cases, rich in titles, make browsing a breeze. Anyone stuck on what to read can ask the owners, who are forever up to speed on the best new picks. This tried-and-true book sanctuary has established a loyal following over the years and is a pilgrimage site attracting book fans from far and near. After all, visiting Till’s is just like getting hooked on a good book — once you start, you can’t stop!
7. Lighthouse
Bookstore
As home to the independent Scottish book publisher Word Power Books, Lighthouse is more than just a bookshop. It’s a vehicle for challenging the socially constructed status quo and a politically-engaged hub for titles involving radical, left wing Scottish politics, intersectional feminism, revolutionary history, environmentalism, LGBTQ writing and more. A self-confessed ‘oasis for curious minds’, ‘Edinburgh’s radical bookshop’ hosts numerous talks and discussions worth getting involved in. Whether translated fiction, poetry, tattoo art or cookery books, Lighthouse is brimming with niche literature; you’re guaranteed to find something new on these shelves.
8. Transreal Fiction
Bookstore
9. Edinburgh Books
Bookstore
With its maze of second-hand fiction, non-fiction and collector’s editions, Edinburgh Books is in a league of its own. Formerly West Port Books, this quirky Edinburgh icon has catered to the city’s book enthusiasts for over twenty years. And just when you think you’ve explored every nook and cranny, the four additional basement rooms are revealed. One such room, rented by Alba Musick, is bursting at the seams with sheet music. Voracious readers can delight in the collection of antiquarian books, compelling titles and the old maps selection.
10. Elvis Shakespeare
Bookstore, Shop, Store
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Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
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