This is a fab original little bookshop fighting against the likes of Waterstones and Blackwells. I…read moremean, it's not actually fighting those giants, but you know what I mean. If you've seen You've Got Mail you know what I mean. This is a proper bookshop. Books are crammed onto rickety-looking shelves and span all kinds of categories. They buy as well as sell books, so you can get yourself a good swop-shop thing going on if you're savvy enough. Obviously, you've got to have some spare time on your hands to browse through everything, but it's well worth it as this is one of the few remaining old fashioned book stores in the city centre, and you can find some real gems. Also worth a look from an academic point of view - being near the university campuses means you can get some bargains as far as uni reading goes.

It's good because it sells a lot of books cheaply but my enthusiasm for little quaint second hand…read morebookshops has worn a little thin mainly because the owners al seem to be sociopaths or misanthropes. Too harsh? Maybe, it could just be the case that put end to end and the hours sat alone with only books for company probably add up to years, either that or books give off some sort of toxic fumes that effect the central nervous system. Still there are lots of books here so if books are what you're after then why not take a few minutes to see if there's anything amongst the second hand stock - and therefore tick your little green eco box for the day to boot - and you may just come across some thing you'd never thought of picking up .

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.

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!

I've used this shop many times as the prices of books are so cheap you can usually come away with a…read moregood few to read, it has a good wide selection of childrens books too so they make good little gifts and presents, they also gave some educational books too for children which are good are for anyone who wants extra help with a particular subject. They sometimes have special offers on too so you can save even more money, i'd usually choose this shop ove some of the more expensive highstreet book stores if you looking for something i would try this shop first it's pretty well stocked.

A small local bookstore located in the centre of town. I've been using this shop since I was a…read morechild and it's a great place to go for a quick browse or to grab a bargain. Often they have books in which are three times the price in chain stores so you can find some amazing deals. Their classics book section is great, especially for students who may be studying them as recommended texts. They do some brilliant offers on these as well. The sales assistants are very friendly and helpful and its very easy to browse as it is laid out simply.

Although the front part of this former record shop is now the Art of Tea, the Didsbury Village…read moreBookshop still remains in the back room! It's a great little shop that's crowded with endless rows of bookcases, each holding a huge variety of secondhand and collectable titles, including lots of coveted vintage Penguin paperbacks! For some reason, the shop also does a great line in books about classic Hollywood icons. I've picked up everything from straightforward biographies of Clara Bow and Jean Harlow to a slightly odd biography of Jayne Mansfield written by her psychic here! The prices aren't cheap at around £2 6 per book. But there really are some great one-off titles here that you'd struggle to find elsewhere. The man who works here is very chatty and will happily recommend titles to you. His mind seems to function like a human stock control system, too. So he can usually tell you whether or not there's a particular book in stock, saving you hours of rifling through the shelves!

Fantastic second hand book store at the back of the Art of Tea. Literally crammed floor to ceiling…read morewith books of all descriptions and in the type of environment perfect for rummaging through old books, especially when you have a couple of hours spare. This shop is situated directly behind the Art of Tea as part of a four piece (alongside zero and the Picture framing service) avant garde nod to commercial shopping. The perfect one stop shop for your creative needs and caffeine addled brains. Have a good rummage through the countless number of books (thankfully listed by style and subject matter) then pop next door to grab a brew and purvey your literary acquisition. I found a bargain on a Stanley Kubrick hardback perfect condition and sold for a very good price considering it's quality. This part of Didsbury Village is slowly but surely re emerging from years in the wilderness and this type of book shop is exactly the type of thing Didsbury currently needs.

The worst shop experience ever. The gentleman in the shop (use that term very loosely) was…read moreextremely rude to us. We went into the shop so I could look for a sailing book. My son who loves insects found a book on ants and excitedly pick it up. My partner's dad was there and they asked if they could sit on a chair in the shop so my son could have a look at the book and see if he'd like to buy it. The man replied by asking if we were going to buy the book in a really rude tone and explained that if we opened the book it would be ruined and he would have to discount the book. At this we decided to put the book back and look for another book shop where the staff would be nicer. As we were leaving the man continued to mumble rude comments at us. I didn't catch the first things he said but heard him say something along the lines of "this isn't a bloody library". At this I asked how we would know if we wanted to buy a book of we aren't allowed to look at it? He continued to be rude suggesting we had been picking up all the books (this didn't happen and even if it did, it's a book shop?) He continued to say rude things to me so I wished him a good day and left. Avoid this shop of you are looking for a pleasant experience. Really poor customer experience for what looks like a lovely shop with many vintage and antique books. I can't see him making much money if this is

From the owner: High quality antiquarian and second-hand books in all subjects, specialising in natural history.read more

This is quite a large store for a small town, It is on 2 levels if you enter of the main stree it…read morebrings you into the book dept. There are every type of books from fiction to reference, childrens books and learning books. They have a range of books that complement the Oxford learning tree that children use at school as well as learn at home workbooks. There are travel guides, paper backs, atluses. If you go down the steps into the second part of the store there is another enterance/exit that leads into the precinct. Here they have newspaper, magazine, gifts like sponser a monkey Lots of stationary from simple pencils to expensive Parker pens. Theres a small confectionary part, Cd's, Dvd's., and another till; theres another till near the enterance/exit at the top of the store. It a good shop well worth a look if your looking for a present or need a book. They have offers regularly advertised in the window and you can pre-order books. The staff are friendly and knowledgable.

W H Smith in Buxton is not huge. It is situated on two levels with an entrance from the main street…read moreand one from the precinct. On the plus side the book area is quite large and there is a large selection of books for all ages and all tastes. However once you step down to the other level you find that too many different items have been crammed into too smaller place which means the choice is small. There is a small DVD section, a small CD selection and other small areas for cards, stationary, magazines and gifts. On a Saturday the place gets very full and there tends to be no where to move.

I had a badly paid temp job in a call centre just before Christmas. Desperate times call for…read moredesperate measures. In mid-November I decided to have a look around Chorlton to see if I could find any inspiration for Christmas presents. I am not a typical girl as I hate shopping, but book shopping doesn't count as shopping so I naturally gravitated towards Oxfam Books, one of Chorlton's two bookshops. I came out 79p worse off and tried to shove the foreign children's book I had purchased into my pocket in case I bumped into anyone I knew and aroused suspicion. When I arrived home safely I carefully set about rubbing out the price in the front cover without leaving any smudges. Christmas Day: Me: Merry Christmas sis. Sister: Wow! 'Snow White' in Dutch. That's amazing. So thoughtful! Me: Glad you like it sis. Mum: Go on then, read us some. Sister: (starts to read aloud in Dutch) Mum: That's brilliant. Where did you get it from, Kirsten? The Internet? Me: *cough* Oxfam Books *cough* Alongside obscure foreign books Oxfam Books also sell a range of novels, travel guides and reference books. They are currently accepting donations, so when I get round to having a spring clean I will donate my old books and maybe replace them with some new ones. Well, they'll look new once I've rubbed out the prices!

After a copy of Zadie Smith's White Teeth? How about Toni…read moreMorrison's Paradise or Marilynne Robinson's Home? Step this way then.... Nestled amidst charity shops, cafes and green grocers, Oxfam Books is a small store packed floor to ceiling with great secondhand books, CDs and vinyl. As it's in deepest, suburban Chorlton, its a fabulous place to pick up copies of recent paper and hardback fiction. There's also a strong selection of literary classics, African-American fiction, gay and lesbian fiction, biographies and reference books. Go by all means but leave the Raymond Carver books for me please!

For its size the Blucoat Books and Arts store crams a hell of a lot into its small store which is…read morebasically a space under the stairs leading to the rest of the stores in the Gostins Building. Their selection of books is really very good especially in the arts, films and music sections. Taking an interest in the cinema section I was pleased to see many titles that you would struggle to find even in the new Waterstones - which for all its size isn't as extensive as you would expect, maybe they should concentrate on the books instead of the coffee to go with them. Added to this they only have an arts and crafts space that would give Rennie's a run for their money. It is not a one stop kind of place for all your artistic needs - that would be a bit too much to ask considering the lack of floor space - but with an extensive range of paints, cards and paper the enthusiast will find enough to keep them busy.

When I think of the bookshops in Liverpool, this one never seems to spring to mind first, but it…read morereally should. Tucked away in a little cluster of shops off Hanover Street, Bluecoat Books is a good little store for the budding artist, crammed with Art and Design books on specific artists and architecture as well as the usual A-Z of fiction. They have an art materials workshop with a rainbow of paints, brushes and canvases on sale and also a surprising amount of childrens books which took me back to the days when I was much happier reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar than Austen! I also noticed there was a whole section on travel guide to...'s and they had some out-of-date ones out at 50p each! Also it was £5 for 3 of the second-hand hardback books so I'm stock up for a while now! I won't be forgetting this place in a hurry!

This is a very interesting store in Manchester near the Manchester Piccadilly train station, about…read moretwo blocks away. It has an array of things, including books, records, but also clothes. Very cheap, as everything is used. What makes it worth visiting is its charm as an "anything goes" type place..I bought CD's and a few books there. I thought the owner was friendly. It's fun to rummage through these things. Take a half hour or so and have fun browsing.

HELP WANTED! I'll be traveling to Manchester, Liverpool, and London for a week in late November and…read morewould really appreciate some good recommendations for music shops, bookstores, coffee shops, and places to eat! I really like places that are quirky and out of the box so if you live in any of these areas and have suggestions please reach out! Thanks! :) -Amberly