About The Guide

Hello! We are Sonja and Ivan. And this is our Bookstore Guide - an amateur guide to book shopping throughout Europe. We hope this Guide will help you find the book(stores) you are looking for. Unfortunately, the bookstores are no longer uploaded and may be out of date

Skoob, London

Skoob Books logo

Where?
London, England, UK



Recommended by
Cristina Cona

Cristina said: "I visited it quite a few years ago, when it was still located at its old address in Sicilian Avenue, near Bloomsbury Square, and was very impressed with the quality of their second-hand choice (a lot of academic books, as they are located close to London University)."

Skoob (Books in reverse) is not a typical bookstore. It is a heaven with a scent of old and used, the moldy paper-like scent of knowledge and experience, where the shelves are full of old and sometimes dusty books, characterized by their yellowish-brown color. It has been working for over thirty years and it was founded by an ex-academic who still, together with a knowledgeable staff, manages the store. Skoob used to have more locations throughout the 80s and 90s but only one remained. Presently, it is located in central London, not so far from the British Museum, in an area of Bloomsbury just off Marchmont Street and it is a place filled with only secondhand books.

From a strictly practical viewpoint - the functioning of Skoob can be described as a highly effective book-recycling mechanism. They buy out used books, sort them out, store them in their warehouse, display in the bookshop or ship them out directly if you order online. The bookshop itself is some 180 square meters (2000sq feet) large and houses over 55.000 titles, priced at half or less of their original price. The stock is a true mixture of a little bit (or more than a little bit) of everything, bot academic and non-academic, fiction and non-fiction. Skoob also has an online catalog with some 80.000 titles which are stored in their over-a-million-book warehouse in Oxfordshire. So, if you don't find the book in the store and you do find it online, they will deliver it to the shop for you, free of charge.

The story of Skoob may well have been a sad one, as the bookshop was closed for a year and a half after The Brunswick Centre underwent a major upgrade to a rather fancy mall, and most of the independent traders weren't able to afford the rent. However, Skoob made a very successful comeback - it moved to a less prominent part of The Brunswick Centre, and although the ceiling height in the new premises might be lower, Skoob is still the old Skoob as all their loyal customers remember it. And so the low-key alternative is still there, refusing to give up, and that's a very positive ending.

Skoob Books Brunswick CentreSkoob
Address
66, The Brunswick off Marchmont St.
London Wc1N 1AE
Skoob bookshop London











Website:
http://www.skoob.com/

Phone and Email:
+44 (0)20 72788760
skoobbooks@btconnect.com

Working Hours:
Mon-Sat 10:30-20
Sun 10:30-18



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Hodges Figgis, Dublin

Hodges Figgis logo

Where? Dublin, Ireland



Recommended by
Cristina Cona

Cristina said: "[Hodges Figgis has a] very good selection of books on all subjects, with particular emphasis on works of Irish interest. A cut-price, remainder section in the basement."

A sad fact lies behind Ireland's largest bookstore. While it used to be the biggest independent bookstore in the whole country, it was bought by the HMV Group a couple of years ago, the same group which owns such chains as Waterstone's and WH Smith. Nonetheless, Hodges Figgis has made its way to Bookstore Guide not only because of its size but also because of its long history and reputation, interesting stories behind it and, last but not the least, its immense stock.

Hodges Figgis is the largest bookstore in Ireland, while at the same time, it is one of the oldest. It was founded in the 18th century, the year being 1768 to be precise, and has a very picturesque history. What is interesting is that it was mentioned in James Joyce's Ulysses:

"She, she, she. What she? The virgin at Hodges Figgis' window on Monday looking in for one of the alphabet books you were going to write."

Imagine being in the same bookstore as Mr. Joyce once did, and though back at the time it was located elsewhere, the store is the same, painted in its familiar green and gold, with a special aroma of a different bookstore (although no more independent).

Hodges Figgis stretches out on three floors and has numerous categories of books. It used to house a coffee shop on the first floor but in the end, it was removed because the space needed to be expanded for reading purposes. Nowadays, the ground floor is dedicated to the main categories. There is also a basement with bargain books, so be sure to check it out as well.

With the bookstore specializing in Irish literature, here you'll find almost any book ever published in Ireland. As for other categories, Hodges Figgins has it all, from books on gardening via books on Native Americans to study books on maternity. All in all, their stock consists of an impressive 60.000 different titles. When it comes to prices, considering that the books sold here are new, they do not differ from other bookstores in Dublin. But then again, you can apply for the loyalty card if you shop here often and you'll be surprised at how much you can save. According to many customer reviews, Hodges Figgis is also known for its friendly staff and the possibility to order books which you fail to find at the bookstore.

Hodges Figgis DublinHodges Figgis
Address:
56-58 Dawson Street
Dublin 2
Hodges Figgis bookshop











Website:
none

Phone: +353 (0)1 6774754

Working Hours:
Mon-Wed 9-20
Thu-Fri 9-18
Sat 12-18




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Boekhandel Roelants, Nijmegen

boekhandel roelants nijmegen logo

Where? Nijmegen, The Netherlands



Recommended by
: Hartger Wassink, Nijmegen

Hartger said: "I'd like to propose Boekhandel Roelants in Nijmegen to be mentioned on your site. It is a fine, independent (one of the last in the Netherlands) bookstore (two stores actually, a few 100 metres from each other), with a rich supply of English books, new and antiquarian. Of course, the main inventory are Dutch books, however, Wouter Roelants (the owner) specializes in antiquarian art books, mostly in English. It's really worth a visit for art book lovers. He also regularly has good antiquarian English fiction and non-fiction from renowned publishers."

Success stories of Dutch international booksellers are becoming less and less frequent. One of the main reasons responsible for this sad trend is depicted in more detail in one of our article features - Independent Booksellers and the Fixed Book Price: a Horror Story? However, there are still numerous examples proving that respected and popular indie bookstores can still compete with the giants and the story of Boekhandel Roelants can serve as an inspiration. This bookstore was formerly known as Oude Mol (Old Mole) and it has stuck with the old logo even after changing the name to Roelants. When Wouter Roelants took over Oude Mol in the 1990s, it was the beginning of a new era marked by several crucial changes.

In 2009 the owner of the bookstore Mr. Roelants decided to realize a bold move and Boekhandel Roelants underwent a complete reconstruction, which resulted in increased size of the shop. With their main store temporarily closed ,a second store has been opened in the premises of the LUX center as of March 2009. This back-up location proved to be so successful, that it stayed in business even after the main store at Van Broeckhuysenstraat 34 reopened and offered its new looks.

Since Boekhandel Roelants is not a specialized English-language bookstore, the majority of its stock is in Dutch. However, a decent selection of new books in English is available as well and many titles in English can be found in the antiquarian section. This section, housed in the spacious basement, is probably the most interesting part of Boekhandel Roelants, especially when it comes to foreign titles. One small reproach - although the bookstore's website seems well maintained, informative and updated regularly, we were a bit disappointed to discover that the content was available solely in Dutch.

De Oude Mol NijmengenBoekhandel Roelants
Address:
Van Broeckhuysenstraat 34
Nijmegen, NL-6511 PJ
Boekhandel Roelants











Website:
http://www.roelants.nl

Phone and Email:
024-3221734
roelants@roelants.nl

Working Hours:
Mon 13-18
Tue-Fri 9:30-18
Sat 9-17



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La Feltrinelli International, Rome

La Feltrinelli logo

Where?
Rome, Italy




Visited:
February 2010

La Feltrinelli is the most spread chain bookstore in Italy, with 11 locations only in Rome. As you can imagine, we were reluctant to even consider adding it to the Guide, but we definitely wanted to see one of their stores - La Feltrinelli International, dedicated solely to titles in languages other than Italian (vast majority in English). This specialized branch of La Feltrinelli opened in the summer of 1996 and it is located close to Rome's main train station and Piazza della Republica. Through the years, it has become a well-known and very popular destination for English speaking and reading public and after visiting the bookstore, it's not difficult to see why.

Chain bookstores have a strong tendency to impress the customers with their sheer size - La Feltrinelli is not an exception in this respect. However, we were pleasantly surprised, that in this case, the volume is not the only aspect that makes the stock of this bookstore worth mentioning. But first off, lets get the numbers out of the way - 2 floors, over 100 thousand titles. Although we're primarily focused on English books, we have to point out one aspect of this bookstores that puts it ahead - the word International highlighted in its name translates into a very good offer of titles in French, but also in Spanish, German or Russian.

This bookstore is also a good option for those intending to improve their language skills in any of the above mentioned languages. Practically the whole space of the underground floor is occupied by language learning materials, coursebooks, readers and dictionaries. A vast selection of books on Rome and Italy is also on offer to satisfy the tourists, as well as many coursebooks in English for those who wish to learn Italian. A bit surprisingly, the most impressive part of the bookstore's stock is probably concentrated in the backroom on the ground-floor which holds the travel section - the amount and quality of titles on offer is more than likely to satisfy most travelers. The fiction section also showcased a satisfying selection of novels, although a bit limited in a way - while some popular authors were covered almost completely (almost a full shelf of Murakami's books), several interesting authors (perhaps not as widely known) lacked completely.

La FFeltrinelli Internationaleltrinelli International
Address:
via V.E. Orlando, 84/86
00185 Roma
Feltrinelli International Rome











Website:
http://www.lafeltrinelli.it

Phone and Email:
06/4827878 or 06/4870999
roma.international@lafeltrinelli.it

Working Hours:
Mon-Sat: 9-20
Sun: 10:30-13:30/16-20 (closed Sundays in August)


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Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights, Bath

Mr Bs Emporium logo


Where? Bath, England, UK



 

Recommended by Susanne Laws

Susanne said: "I wanted to write to recommend our fabulous local bookshop: Mr B's Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath. It has one of my favourite names for a bookshop and, even better, it does exactly what it says on the tin. It is filled with carefully selected stock that covers a wide range of tastes and reading requirements - fiction and non-fiction - something to delight everyone. And if they don't have it they can get it for you very quickly - often the next day and much quicker than the chain stores. The staff are all well and widely read and always willing to have a chat and recommend books to you. Their diverse interests mean that there is bound to be someone who can help if you have a question. But there is no hard sell - they love their books and want to share the pleasure of reading them with you.

It is a beautiful shop on three floors of a Georgian building, very light and airy with the stock well displayed. I love the innovation of the Bibliotherapy room upstairs with comfy chairs in front of a fire and free coffee and tea to sip whilst your browse. And if you don't know what you want, or need an unusual present for a book loving friend they offer a Reading Spa - time with a book seller to discuss your likes and reading habits so that they can make recommendations and then money to spend on books.

And in case you were wondering, after this glowing review, I'm not involved in the business or related to anyone who is! But we have been massive fans of this shop since it first opened in 2006 and filled a very big gap in the market in Bath. And we must not be the only ones who love it as it has won several awards, including Independent Bookshop of the Year 2008 - not bad for such a new shop!"

After such a glorifying and thorough recommendation, we have almost nothing left to add but perhaps a few technical details about this award winning bookstore. They pride themselves in excellent service, ordering even your most difficult hard-to-find books within one or two days. As for their stock, we were assured that every book is hand-picked for the aim of Mr B's is "to promote reading indulgence". Categories such as fiction, history, biography, travel, philosophy, poetry and a children's section all find their place in the book haven.

Mr B's Emporium also holds regular book readings and signings and one of their most notable guests was Yann Martel, the author of the Man Booker Prize winning novel The Life of Pi.

Within these walls, books reign supreme


Mr Bs Emporium of Reading DelightsMr B's Emporium of Reading Delights
Address
14-15 John Street
Bath, BA1 2jL
Mr Bs Bath










Website: http://www.mrbsemporium.co.uk

Phone and Email:
01225 332 11 55
books@mrbsemporium.com

Working Hours:
Mon-Fri 9-18
Sat 9:30-18:30
Sun 11-17



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