A Guide to Independent Bookshops in Edinburgh

hi guys so as I speak to you just know it is independent bookshop week here in the UK which as the name implies is a week all about celebrating and using your independently run book shops in honor of that I wanted to share with you a little bit of a guided tour through the independent book shops in Edinburgh Scotland which is as I'm sure many of you know my home city over the years I've lived here there have been independent book shops have come and gone and all the way it is a capital city and certainly not so just somewhere like London so I have four book shops to talk to you about today all of which have amazing selections of books and really individual character so without further ado let's get into the book shops let's start with word power books now this bookshop is situated pretty much in the tone centre it is right next to the mean Edinburgh University campus and is situated on West Nicholson Street of course I'll link all the websites and addresses of these book shops down below so that you can find them easily word per has a bit of everything all across the board children's adults poetry nonfiction fiction and everything in between but it definitely has a massive focus on nonfiction so if you enjoy nonfiction you're gonna find a massive and varied selection of books in this bookshop and it's a very political bookshop as well as being incredibly active in celebrating independent book shops in itself it also hosts a variety of events on a regular basis as well as the independent radical Book Fair this boot shop looks a lot smaller from the outside than it is on the inside you go in and it seems as though it's sort of one little bookshop but then it's completely doubled on the other side if you just go through a little doorway and discover all the more books the staff are incredibly friendly and helpful the even hosts their own independent book publisher and published a few titles here and there under the name of wordpower which makes the book so how you was their walls all the more exciting and not to forget possibly the most important point for those of you who are visiting word Paranal which is that they have a shop dog and really let's all be honest a shop dog or cat is what completes an independent book shop it's not the books really it's the pets if you're ever in ed and right I would highly recommend checking them out and if you do manage to get two words per there you'll be pleased to know that not too far away is my second independent book shop which is trans real fiction which is just off of Edinburgh grass market on candle maker rule again not too far from the city centre or the main agent by University canvass this independent bookshop is definitely on the smaller side but they've used every inch of space to their advantage this little shop is bursting fill of books in particular fantasy and science fiction if you are a lover of fantasy and science fiction and find yourself an Edinburgh then you need to visit times real they have the classics to the most recent publications and those genres they have novels and graphic novels and even a little section dedicated to Scottish folklore if you're on holiday and interested in picking up a Scottish because your souvenir if you call yourself a science fiction and fantasy narrowed then you will be liking the site down if you don't pay a visit to trans reel at some point if you're ever in Scotland or you live here there may be a whole new fantasy world waiting for you to discover within their shelves but still within walking distance and I could see this for most of Edinburgh it's a pretty walkable city M is Edinburgh bookshop although a little further away definitely worth a wander up to Bronx Field Morningside area to visit you can find it situated on Bruns field place and this is an absolutely beautiful bookshop but absolutely lovely an interesting displays hosting a game poetry fiction nonfiction and in particular a massive selection of children's books all the way from picture books those of you who may be interested in something a little bit more teen orientated of course they have tons of on topics as well but you can definitely tell there is a very inviting and happy place for children to go who love reading or who are ready to discover the love of reading the walls are decorated with gorgeous murals of traditional children's book characters like Paddington Bear and Elmer the elephant not only that but the staff in the Edinburgh bookshop are so helpful kind and good with children they know everything about the books in their store and it's just such a warm and inviting space in fact it's won many awards as an independent bookshop in Scotland and has been celebrated as an independent children's book store so don't take my word for it the experts agree he the Edinburgh bookshop is well worth checking it divide up all their books and two really neat Anish sections so you can find a little bit of everything no matter what you're interested in but lastly I have to mention goldenhair books and I'm so sad to say I don't have any phone footage of this bookshop because of memory cards disasters I don't want to talk about it I'm still grieving but maybe that will make it all the more lovely a surprise for you when you visit because this bookshop is specifically curated towards beautifully designed books everything has been specifically chosen to be in that book shop carefully and with great consideration and there's an interest in unites diverse selection of beautiful designs and it's just a gorgeous bookshop to be in it is just absolutely stunning in a reminds you of the importance of the illustrators and the book cover designers as well as the writers this bookshop used to be located in Edinburgh grass market so if you have been taking around the past and come back and are confused to see that it's not there anymore it did move its premises to the Stockbridge area in Edinburgh what you'll find on st. Stephen's Street and it's another book shop with secret debts it looks a lot smaller on the outside than abductor than it is on the inside if you continue back into the shop you will find yourself an entirely separate room with even more books so even more to discover and an absolutely wonderful because shopping experience for those of you that are in Edinburgh at any point so I hope you find this little guided tour of Edinburgh book shops helpful I have stuck to independent Phil price book shops but if you'd ever like to hear me talk about secondhand book shops in Edinburgh then do let me know sure I can get around to doing another video when I get a chance but I hope you are all celebrating independent bookshop week alongside me if you check your local independent bookshop websites that he may even be hosting events in honor of this week in their book shop this week but if you can't get to an independent bookshop this week then hopefully you do get a chance to in the near future and maybe it will be one or more of the four I've mentioned today until next time guys happy reading and I'll see you all again soon bye

Channel: Jean Bookishthoughts

Views: 8,456

Rating: 4.9909091 out of 5

Keywords: booktube, bookshop, bookshops, book shops, tour, edinburgh, independent, indies, guide, scotland

Id: ZHmuo-rkB58

Length: 7min 29sec (449 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 21 2016