Is there a finer, funkier, funnier, bookstore in all of Yorkshire? Maybe all of the UK? I don't…read morethink so. What topic are you looking for? Proprietor Barry, with his assistant Jerry the cat, will find it for you. Indeed, probably several books on topic. Or just go in with an open mind and you'll find many books of interest. The difficulty will be deciding which to buy. Don't worry, the prices are so reasonable that you can take all you can carry. Beware, there are approximately 14,000 books there, so bring a really big bag.

I love quaint traditional rummagy book shops and this is one of the best. Set up an old cobbled…read morelane with mandatory ats a top some old books outside, the shops itself is small and paked high with books of all genres as well as some old classics and the frienldy old staff

As a book lover, I saw this shop and ran inside. The smell of old books and leather was almost too…read moremuch to bear. I got all excited like a child in a sweet shop, wandering what I could possibly find here. It is only small but let me assure you that you can spend hours in here. They have old version of Pride and Prejudice and even some Winnie the Pooh books. In Tameside, it is rare to find book stores like these as there is only WH Smith around. So this is a great find. I love this place. So go and have a look at what surprises you may find.

I have to give a major shout out to Paramount Books - a fantastic independent bookstore nestled in…read morethe sometimes overlooked and forgotten Shudehill area of town. Ok so there may be a million KFC ripoff takeaways and a few random shops that have seen better days around it but Paramount stands out as a well looked after 2nd hand book store with loads of character! I was pulled in on a wet and windy Monday by their comic book sale - in fact there's a whole area in the back dedicated to rare comics and graphic novels (fantastic selection) - inside there's a fantastic selection covering everything from music and film to politics, history and philosophy - really good to browse and possible pick up a tome to take home (wow that rhymes...) The best part of this place is the owner who basically is exactly what you'd be looking for if casting this place in a Hollywood movie. With glasses dangling from his neck and a scholarly look as he sorts the shelves - the classical music in the background makes you really feel what a unique place this is in the world of chain stores and amazon. Make sure you check out Paramount soon and enjoy a slip back into yesteryear!

Thank the lord for Paramount Book Exchange…read more One of the few independent bookshops left in Manchester, it's a strictly DIY affair run by a genuine book lover. The sign outside suggests it's only open Fridays and Saturdays but it's usually open Monday to Saturday unless the owner has popped out for something. The lively window displays give a great indicator of what's in store with stacks of new, vintage and secondhand books everywhere. Fans of cult fiction, sci-fi, horror, crime noir, queer fiction, biographies and pop culture will find much to treasure here as the stock leans more towards William Burroughs, Poppy Z Brite and Neil Gaiman than Harry Potter. There's also a small selection of 60s-90s vinyl for crate diggers. All they need is a coffee machine and I'd happily move in!

This is the only shop in Chorlton that sells brand new books. Although the bars on the windows…read moredon't entice you into this bookshop, I would advice you to go in and have a browse. Although this is quite a small store they manage to pack quite a lot in, including a range of current and classic novels. These are shelved around the edge of the front room, and in the middle there is a table with many discounted books ranging from travel guides to recipe books. In the back room there are non-fiction books including foreign language books and dictionaries. The staff are really friendly, and if they don't have the book you're looking for then they can order it for you. They also have a gift wrapping service, and a great selection of arty cards including ones with Quentin Blake illustrations which I love. Let's hope that the giants of Amazon and co. do not force this lovely traditional bookshop out of business.

Toni Morrison Alice Walker…read moreJeanette Winterson Angela Carter Raymond Carter Richard Yates Cormac McCarthy Annie Proulx Carson McCullers It might be smaller than the travel section of Waterstones but Chorlton Bookshop is a lovely independent bookshop stocked with fine fiction and poetry. I've only visited half a dozen or so times but the fact I've never left empty-handed speaks volumes about the owner's selection. As well as a lots of classic British and American fiction, there's a strong, wee selection of African-American fiction, womens fiction, crime noir and books by critically acclaimed local authors. If I remember rightly, it was Chorlton Bookshop where I bought a copy of Jackie Kay's excellent debut novel Trumpet many moons ago. Since then, the Chorlton based author has produced some compelling books of poetry and short stories but I'm still holding out for her second novel. C'mon, Jackie! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiEyuJTyAlI

England Pellegrino and our shop Pellegrino in Belper provide leather goods and bags, a range of…read morequality gifts to suite all pockets and outdoor wear. Pay us a visit or visit online. We have bags from Italian, French and UK brands and aim to provide quality and value in all our products. We have a stock of vintage and designer watches, again for all budgets.

From the owner: A wide selection of current fiction, non-fiction and speciality subjects from all publishing houses…read morewith fast service and quick ordering of titles. Free ordering service - let us do all the online searching. Click and collect to pick up from the store after notification. Support YOUR Local Community & YOUR Local Bookstore

This is such a cute little bookshop - I loved it. And Bay Tree has a surprisingly amount of variety…read morefor such a tiny space. You will find current, cult and classic fiction lining the right hand wall of the shop, various non-fiction and how-to books as soon as you come in to the left, including some on IT plus educational books at the back. I didn't feel like they had any chance of having a fair few books that I've been trying to track down and avoid paying too much for. This is such a small bookshop and they didn't advertise a book search service. So this is basically good for well known bestsellers and classics. Or if you are not sure what you want to read next and just need to stumble upon something. They stock a nice selection of cards - the usual landscapes and funny ones about being old and retired that we picked up for relatives on our visit. Giftswise, there are fancy candles and that sort of thing.

One of the most impressive bookstores I have seen through my travel around many cities in the world.read more

This Waterstones is one of two branches in the city center of Manchester, and is probably the…read morebetter branch out of the two, beating the Manchester Arndale branch which is both smaller and busier than this one, located on Deansgate fairly close to St Anne's Square and Market Street, opposite House Of Fraser, or as it's known to locals, Kendals. This store seems to have more of a vintage vibe, more old than new but still the vibe is quite nice for a bookshop, and they did have a selection of books. The store is set over several floors, as I recall there were 3 floors with lift access, in a rather old looking lift, which didn't look very pleasant and escalators available, and there was also a nice store guide to say what is on which floor, which was helpful. The layout of the books also seemed a lot nicer than some Waterstones stores I have visited, pricing seemed reasonable at most RRP prices, but still every book I noticed, was near enough all cheaper on Amazon, especially with delivery charges, which is one thing Waterstones needs to compete with. I'd normally come to Waterstones to take a look, and a read of books without buying, and buying what I like on Amazon, although I'm sure most people use Waterstones as a library, my friend even previously got banned from the Arndale store, for going in every week store, and just sitting in there from open to close, and reading books, without buying, so don't do it too much! There wasn't a lot of staff here I noticed, other than the tills, it would have been useful to see a few staff dotted around then, especially on the main floor, I think is called "Ground" where customers enter and exit the store onto Deansgate. This store is quite a nice Waterstones store and is a very large size and deserves a solid 3 stars, albeit sadly I feel I can't go any higher due to issues with the distribution of staff, pricing not being competitive with retailers such as Amazon and the lift looking something from Victorian Britain.

From the outside, this Waterstones store stands out. Why? It's the biggest book store in South…read moreYorkshire, and is over two floors, from the outside you can see that it is located in an old building with outdoor stairs - considering it is in a shopping centre which is basically outside this is quite a funky, maverick approach. The store does feel pretty old-fashioned inside and it hasn't had any sort of refurb which a lot of the more central and mall locations have, such as the nearest other branch of Waterstones at Meadowhall, which despite being a little smaller is one of my favourite branches of Waterstones. Decent selection of books and the location is decent too being the only Waterstones branch in Sheffield centre, located in Orchard Square fairly close to Costa and Primark. Some unique features to decor mainly in the exterior, but in the interior, it is pretty dark, and a tad gothic, and reminds me a lot of one of my local branches at Manchester - Deansgate. 2* - Useful brand and a decent sized store but for me, it lacks that interior beauty juxtaposing old and new which many of the latest Waterstones stores do have.

I have been using Waterstones in Sheffield for many years, and have always found it to have the…read moremain qualities you would look for in a bookshop: friendly and helpful staff, and a good selection of books. The space is attractive and inviting, with plenty of space to browse and to enable good displays of the more popular books. In common with all bookshops it faces strong competition from Amazon, but does a decent job in providing an alternative: while it can never stock such a large selection or compete on price, it has advantages such as being able to browse at leisure, especially useful when you don't know exactly what you're looking for.

Scarthin Books is a fine second-hand book shop in a lovely little village called Cromford, about…read morethirty miles outside of Manchester. The peak district is a great place for a long walk through the hills and little villages, and Cromford may be one of the places you can arrange to visit. Scarthin Books would make a lovely addition to any country visiting experience. Situated in a crowded, thin building with rickety stairs and five floors, Scarthin Books is an amorphous pile of literature which would feel like a building from a Kafka novel, only where there it is misery, here is it joy. The literature ranges from Greek Drama, to railway manuals, to modern day novels, travel books, philosophy, history, geography, psychology and childrens books. They really do have everything. Its organization is a mystery to me, but it all contributes to the quaint feel of this unique bookshop. Scarthin Books is famous amongst the locals as the best place to buy literature in the area. Also, on the third floor (I think, its pretty confusing in there!) is a quaint little tea and coffee shop selling homemade cakes and homemade soups. Staff are, as you would expect, delightful. My only criticism would be that a lot of the books are not second-hand but brand new. This means that they are full price and in many cases, more expensive than Amazon if not Waterstones. Even so, the range here is unbelievable. For any book lover this place is a really excellent book shop, and as an English Literature postgraduate I have a lot of experience of book shops. I really think that this is one of the better bookshops in the UK, and certainly it's the best (or second best, see The Art of Tea on Yelp) that I've seen anywhere near Manchester.

This place is a real gem. Nestled in the village of Cromford where Arkwright built his mills under…read morethe black rocks. There is a pond in the middle of the village and beside it, just up the street behind the pub, is Scathin Books. There is a sign outside that says "We value old books" which is certainly true. Step inside and you can hardly move for old books, floor to ceiling in every nook and cranny there are books everywhere. Even the cash desk seems to be hidden behind a barricade of books. If you can find it a stairwell leads upstairs to more books and, hidden behind a bookcase door, a lovely vegetarian cafe serving cakes, light snacks and a very nice cup of coffee. There is an abundance of coffee and tea shops around here. It is a very picturesque village. But if you want something a bit different, and you too value old books, this is the place for you.

One of the best shops I have been to. A great selection of comics plus a continual supply of…read morespecial offers.

When I lived on Oldham Street many moons ago, I used to pop into Forbidden Planet on a weekly basis…read moreto pick up new copies of The Sandman, The Invisibles and other cool comics. These days, I only venture in now and again for something specific, like Reinhard Kleist's awesome graphic novel based on the life of Johnny Cash - I See A Darkness. For me, the layout and interior of Forbidden Planet lacks the ambience and wow factor of somewhere like Dave's Comics in Brighton but their range of comics, manga and graphic novels is faultless. For true fantatics and collectors, they also stock a massive range of cartoon, comic and pop culture memorabilia including tee-shirts, games, videos and toys. Personally, I have my eye on one of Frank Kozak's toy smoking rabbits complete with eye patch.