Till's Bookshop - Edinburgh

“A gloriously dusty second hand bookshop, it’s packed floor to ceiling with bookshelves, cases and tables weighed down with old books, graphic novels, anthologies, journals and encyclopedias.”

Located at the east end of the Meadows (the bit closest to Arthur’s Seat) is Till’s Bookshop, an independent second hand book shop, established in 1986. It is a breath of fresh air from the same old Waterstones, and the extortionate prices in Blackwells. If you love books or independent bookstores, then Till’s Bookshop is certainly the place for you! Not to mention that the bookshop has been visited by some of Edinburgh’s best writers, including Ian Rankin! This bookstore is also popular among students, especially since it is situated near The University of Edinburgh. In fact, the Edinburgh University Student Survival Guide claims that Till’s Bookshop is ‘possibly the best second hand bookshop in the world. Words can’t describe the wonders kept in this beautiful shop.’

Till’s is an especially fantastic second book store, as unlike others of it’s kind the books are on the shelves rather than in piles and are well separated and organised, making for a stress-free browse. While the book shop is not the largest second hand book shop, it does boast a great selection. There is an extensive collection of poetry, short stories, classic fiction, screenplays, history and general non-fiction, as well as (unusually) a small number of comics and decent graphic novels. For fiction lovers there are plenty of thrillers, mystery fiction, pulp fiction, queer fiction, science fiction, women’s fiction and African-American fiction. Whereas, non-fiction wise, there’s hundreds of hardbacks covering everything from art, film and music to history, local knowledge, politics, alternative medicine and spirituality. There is even a coal fireplace situated at the rear of the shop, which makes the bookshop a fantastically warm and cosy place to lose track of the hours in the colder months.

Given Till’s Bookshop’s fantastic reputation, we wouldn’t judge you for bringing a blanket and curling up next to the roaring fireplace with a book.

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