Second-Hand Bookshops in Britain: 2023 Report

The Book Guide is the most reliable and up-to-date guide to second-hand bookshops in Britain. It is run by volunteers and the details are provided from reports by dedicated browsers out in the field. It is an absolutely invaluable resource for anyone planning a bookshopping holiday or visiting an area where they will have time for one or two (or more) bookshops.

The Guide also helps to keep track of how the second-hand book trade is working. I outlined a broad history of the profile of second-hand bookshops in the UK in an earlier post. After a peak around the turn of the century there has been a decline in the overall numbers, though arguably alongside greater versatility in where books may now be found (eg in cafes, churches, vintage shops etc).

There remain, however, about a thousand shops whose main stock is second-hand books. The major change, in the last 30 years, has been the growth of charity bookshops (ie full bookshops, not general shops with a few shelves of books among bric-a-brac, clothes etc). This was spearheaded by Oxfam, but has been taken up by other national charities such as The National Trust and Amnesty, and by local good causes eg hospices. These now account for several hundred of the total number.

The position in 2023 remained broadly similar. According to reports to the Guide, about 40 second-hand bookshops in the UK closed or changed use during 2023. They included some well-known and well-liked examples. 

Those that said their farewells included Fossgate Books in York, haunt of many a trip by Northern Machenites and friends; The Border Bookshop in Todmorden, where I once discovered in a book of cricketing memoirs the secret of the JHVS Syndicate alluded to by Arthur Machen; the much-admired Harrowden Books, in Finedon, Northamptonshire, one of the few in the shire; Mogul Diamonds in Albrighton, Shropshire, possibly one of the few second-hand bookshops with a church organ inside; and Badger’s Books of Worthing, described by past customers as “A lovely old-fashioned shop” and  “My idea of the perfect traditional bookshop”.

However, at least an equal number and in fact probably a few more have opened or been newly discovered in 2023, which means that the total number has remained fairly constant, at around 1,000. The difficulty in keeping track is illustrated by the addition to the Guide of several bookshops going for many years that had unaccountably been missed, and numerous local charity bookshops in towns off the beaten track. There are without doubt more to be discovered.

Fortunately, several dozen enthusiastic contributors are still finding plenty of good browsing on their travels, as the regular updates to the Guide continue to show, and more reports are always welcome. 

(Mark Valentine)