A book-lovers paradise!…read more We heard about this place when staying at a nearby B&B. Apparently, it's the largest second hand book seller in the UK, and after visiting I can truly believe this. The Book Barn is a massive warehouse on an industrial estate not far from Bath. It doesn't look much from the outside, but enter at you peril and be prepared to be overcome with the musty smell of second hand books - and what better smell is there, if we are honest?! Shelves are stacked floor to ceiling with every genre of book that you could possibly imagine - cookery, health, travel, science, religion - every topic under the sun. The fictional novels take up most of the space and are loosely categorised alphabetically. It can be a little overwhelming but the staff will run a search for you if you are looking for a particular author, and there are a couple of computers available for public use. The best bit about these books? They are all priced at £1!! I challenge you to come out with less than an armful! There is also a children's area and a rare book section, obviously with a slightly higher price tag. There is a cafe here too selling everything from hot drinks, to freshly baked cakes, cooked breakfasts, and light lunches. A great place to make a start on one of your new purchases. This really is book heaven. Bring a large bag and be prepared to lose a few hours in here!

I'm going to Bookbarn tomorrow and have been several times...its heaven!…read more Literally the biggest library of books you've ever seen in a huge converted barn just outside of Bristol...all books are £1!!! They have free parking and a small tea shop with homemade cake and big old sofas. There is a vintage book section as well with rare books at still very cheap prices. The last time i went i bought 16 books i kid you not. Out of those included the complete works of Shakespeare for £1 (mint condition) complete works of oscar wilde (less mint condition) and the best thing ever: the complete sonnets of Shakespeare which had a sweet message written inside from 1962 where a man bought this book and gave it to her on their 20th Anniversary..and here it was going home with me in 2014. Love that so much. You really can spend hours here, books are put into genres and you are given a map when you come in, sofa's and chairs dotted around for you to casually read along with wheel-able shopping baskets. The staff are super friendly and helpful, it's a bit rough around the edges but super cute, exactly the kinda place i feel at home. If you don't see me for 3 days, i've been in bookbarn :)

Just a small shop, but with plenty of stock in it. And whatever they haven't got, they will try to…read moreorder it for you. But you can be sure that the up to date offers and Bestseller list are always there and you won't miss out. Good range of magazines and cards as well. The staff is very friendly and forthcoming. And if you sign up for their e-mail newsletter you get vouchers that you can print out and take down to the store for discounts. Great idea.

This is a great example of the WHSmith chain, a nice small store that has a good atmosphere and…read morestocks a wide range of products. The staff are always friendly and willing to help, even when it is busy on a Saturday! It is possible to order items that are not in stock, for example if you've seen them at a larger branch. It is also possible to order items on the whsmith website and have them delivered free to the store for you to collect, a great service.

Tons of books and a friendly knowledgeable staff that has a good sense of humor! Shop here!read more

Bath is hardly short of book shops (being England's publishing mecca) - so what sets Mr B's…read moreEmporium apart from the rest? Outstandingly friendly service, fantastic book signing events and a room dedicated to tranquil reading to name just a few. Voted Best Independent Bookshop, Mr B's Emporium isn't just a shop - it's an experience. My favourite thing to do of a lunch hour, is to pop along to the Bibliotherapy room at the top of the show, pick up a book, sit on the sofa and listen to the relaxing music. They also have a special booth equipped with tea, biscuits and headphones if you're looking for the ultimate in 'me time'. The shop spreads over three floors and covers a number of genres from cookbooks to psychology. These books are always sold at full price, so don't expect to get a bargain here, but you will find a carefully chosen selection of publications which you don't find on the highstreet.

I do adore bookshops and this one is a real treat for the eyes. There are paper cuttings directing…read moreyou to the fiction section and even free cake offerings! This place is almost my perfect bookshop (more comfy sofas to sink in to please)! I think they even have gigs here which is just a thing of dreams! Can't wait to return to actually purchase something, as last time i got extremely distracted with photographing every corner of it.

Rare and secondhand books are my thing, so I was bound to like it. I didn't know that it would be…read morelove at first sight though. Off the beaten track from the city's main shops, Colston Street is rapidly becoming the new cool, lined with retro boutiques, classy bars and one-off jewellery shops. The perfect location for a super cute second-hand bookshop, with a few other interesting kitsch bits and bobs thrown in for good measure. The space is compact, but I am drawn across the smooth wooden floors by the magnetic appeal of ALL THE BOOKS. For a mish-mash of different subjects (fiction and non-fiction) they're all well organised and some costs just a few quid. I suspect the selection is so good because of the proximity to a. University of Bristol English Literature department and b. University of Bristol Drama department. The quality classics, playtexts and poetry anthologies stand testament to that. The proprietor is too cool for school and is heard to blast out Dylan or Joni Mitchell from his laptop whilst reading and drinking coffee (exactly what I aim to do when I own my second hand bookshop). Saying that, he's enthusiastic and helpful (despite his nonchalant demeanour) and has been known to offer you a free slice of cake with a purchase.

This small Waterstones is an invaluable resource to students too late to take books out from the…read moreneighbouring university library. Here, the friendly sales assistants can track down and order those important university textbooks for you to arrive within days. Don't forget to visit the nearby student cash machine before visiting - the books from here aren't cheap, but you can be assured you'll be buying and ordering the right editions for your syllabus. Non students are also welcome here, where they have a good range of mainstream books too.

I know, you're thinking, Waterstone's, books, yawn, we know what it does…read more However despite being in the middle of the brain-dead Broadmead shopping centre this shop is a little gem purely because of the passion of its staff. Yes I come here to get a book I know about, and it has a pretty good stock of classics and new books and they can order anything in you like. However, the love comes when you have time to browse. This is when you should have a look at the side shelves at the end of the sections and the tables in the middle. The staff carefully pick out titles on a theme - perhaps Russian writers or books about serial killers in America - and have little reviews underneath. Now I know all Waterstone's do this but this shop seems to have a knack for finding some very interesting books. I discovered The Master and the Margarita here (I know! What was I doing all this time?) and for that they will always have my respect.

As you might well expect from this chain store, it's a great place to pick up all the new titles…read moreand classics. Anything they don't have immediately available in store can be ordered (although quite why you would do that instead of heading over to Amazon.co.uk, is beyond me!). There is something just a little bit British about Waterstone's shops. I think, if Stephen Fry were a high street shop, then this would be it. There is a need in the British culture to continuously better ourselves, and books are a great way to do this. Walking into Waterstone's is like walking into a vast world of possibilities. I think there're not many people who would not get excited by a good bookshop, and this is a great example of a neat shop staffed by people who are passionate and knowledgeable.

All my life I have greatly enjoyed reading books but almost as much as I enjoy reading them I enjoy…read morefinding them. Never been one to peruse the clean cut aisles of W H Smith or Ottakers for instance, or to click through pages of Amazon - oh no, I prefer the real mc coy. Book shops like this one are a dying race and it's a shame. These books are all pre-loved and you can really feel it; the notes in the margins, the underlining of key points or simply the messages in the inside cover. Avon Books is an old fashioned affair complete with well spoken gent behind the till and a musty smell of ciggies. The stock is mostly on the subjects of war, espionage, natural history and philosophy but you can root out a few gems too. Recently I found the entire Gray's Anatomy for just a quid! Try and beat that.

It was the owner sitting outside having a quiet smoke that made me want to have a look inside this…read moreshop. A proper old bookshop, run by a proper bookish booklover, it's lovely for browsing, and is well organised if you're looking for something specific. I love buying books this way, rather than brand new from shiny big high street bookshops, and Avon Books does a good job of providing a classic library atmosphere to satisfy the old-fashioned among us. True to its local name, it stocks a good section of books about Bristol's history, which I'm sure get picked up by tourists on their way back from the Suspension Bridge. The classics section is large, so students of English Literature, take note: this is a good place to come if you need to stock up on books from your reading list.

Topping & Co is pretty much the ideal bookshop for this new frame of mind. Set in a beautiful…read moreformer Quaker meeting house, just round the corner from Bath Abbey. it is literally the stuff of book-lovers' dreams. Gorgeous shelf ladders, carefully curated displays, and a really friendly atmosphere, coupled with a quirky building and fabulous views. There's a wonderful gallery/walkway and a huge basement, so the whole place is surprisingly big. We visited just after Christmas, which only added to its charm. Topping and Company Booksellers, in the beautiful and quintessentially English city of Bath, have many different incarnations. We bought one book, had a cup of coffee, did chit chat with the owner/staff, and then proceeded to the other stop

The most adorable bookstore. I wish I had more time to browse before returning to my tour bus. Only…read moredownside is that it is a little bit cramped at times.