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    Waterstones

    4.2 (32 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Waterstones Books, Mags, Music & Video Photos

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    Recommended Reviews - Waterstones

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    Sarah-Jane B.

    As a self-confessed fiction addict, Waterstones have been feeding my book habit for a long time. Housed in a magnificent building on Deansgate, this particular store is spread over three floors and has a couple of chairs and comfy leather sofas dotted around to encourage you to browse and buy even more books. The art, photography, travel and cookbook sections are all fantastic and feature a breath-taking amount of stock but the floor I always head for is the fiction one. Admittedly, the stock isn't as jaw-dropping as it used to be five years ago when they had a different manager, more creative control and a bigger budget. But still, the fact Waterstones is still thriving when so many people buy their books cheap online is credit to them. There's no longer an American fiction section - god damn! - but there's still tables of Cult Fiction and New Titles and lots of Recommended Books which always draw me in. They get a bonus star for selling lots of Walter Mosley, Richard Price, Raymond Carver and Jeanette Winterson too. In short, this bookshop is a place where stories magically unfold...

    james b.

    I don't want to make myself sound like I've got problems but Waterstones is a fantastic place to escape your day. The respite from the big bad world offered by three floors of books is really something. The building itself is light, airy and spacious which has an instantly soothing and uplifting effect each time you enter. Book filled black shelves split the large rooms into cubby holes and cosy corners helping you to get lost in this magical land of knowledge and celebrity confessions. Leather setees are strewn around the building like bus stops in the countryside and of course there is the obligitory Costa Coffee which appears in all decent Waterstones (but never with a toilet just to make sure you don't read too much for free). In the words of the great Simon Cowel- "Lahv, Lahv, Lahv it.".

    Coffee and cake!
    Kate W.

    On a raining Saturday afternoon I met a friend on Deansgate to do a spot of book shopping and to grab a coffee. By going together we can then get double the amount of books and swap - saving some pennies. Anyway we decided to stop for a coffee on the to floor in the Costa. We bagged a little corner sofa, however, it wasn't the cleanest up here with sticky tables and crumbs everywhere! I wasn't going to be put off and ordered a caramel latte and we shared a piece of carrot cake too. The cake was good - nice amount of icing and the cake itself was moist but didn't fall apart when using a fork to eat. Coffee was standard I like costa as it isn't too bitter -all in all it hit the spot!

    alexandra s.

    I love all waterstones because: a) I can sit there and waste hours in virtual silence in my own world reading geeky books on psychology/ philosophy etc. everyone around me is sitting there and wasting hours in virtual silence reading geeky (or not so geeky) books. c) The staff always no in which direction to point me to find my geeky books to read in virtual silence around other like minded individuals. I believe (and its slightly ironic that I say this I know) that we tend to rely to much on the Internet these days and don't enjoy sourcing information from book shops and library's. If you are around visit Waterstones in Deansgate. Kick back and enjoy a break from the white light of your computer screen.

    Sam R.

    I think it's great that in the face of the massive book behemoth that is Amazon, Watersone's still exists. People still like to go and browse books, maybe sit down and have a read of a potential purchase. I'm glad that culture still exists, and as long as it does, we'll all need a Waterstone's in our lives. Manchester's Waterstone's is great. Peaceful, calm and quiet. Everything a Waterstone's should be. There's a good little café in here as well.

    Chris T.

    I love this book store, they really have every book you can think of, They also have a nice coffee shop on the top floor. Perfect for any book fans.They also have celebrity signings and many staff to help out if you can't find what your looking for.

    Elie T.

    I think everyone can easily agree that this is one of the best Manchester library : very we'll located In Deansgate , you'll not only find a huge variety of Books well indexed : there is a nice notebook and accessories selection. Event if you don't need a book, take 10 minutes of your time to go through the library and flip through all those colours and words !

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    Review Highlights - Waterstones

    I like Waterstones on Deansgate for the regular events they hold.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

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    Paramount Books - Paramount Books in Manchester

    Paramount Books

    4.3(12 reviews)
    0.4 miCity Centre
    £

    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!

    Photos
    Paramount Books - Paramount Books in Manchester

    Paramount Books in Manchester

    Paramount Books - Paramount Books in Manchester

    Paramount Books in Manchester

    Paramount Books - Paramount Books, Manchester

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    Paramount Books, Manchester

    Magma

    Magma

    4.4(21 reviews)
    0.5 miNorthern Quarter
    ££

    Magma Magma books is possibly one of the coolest shops I…read morehave been into in a long time! Why you may ask? Because it sells MOOMINS merchandise and books!! They sell all sorts of cool things here like books, magazines, swirly notebooks, cuddly toys (moomin ones!), eco friendly stuff which comes in the shape of recycled objects made into something else uselful, the mother board coasters are pretty snazzy! Like the other shops on Oldham street, its only small but the layout is perfectly set out to seem like there is so much space! I love it!

    Situated on Oldham Street, but a hop and skip from the Night and Day Café lies this fantastic…read morebookshop. I've been visiting this place for ages, even if it's just to browse through the store and short list future gifts. I've recently acquired some American Film Making/Studies from there (the Steven D. Katz shot by shot/cinematic motion - books that are usually pretty hard to get hold of unless you're on the net. This is one of those places where the staff know what they're talking about and can help either find what you're looking for or influence you enough to take a punt on their own expertly led recommendations in the vast array of different books and magazines in this store (increasingly rare in the accountant led 'United Chaindom'). It's a shame many more shops were as enthusiastic and passionate as the folks behind magma...I know they can't all be this way but it's currently unfairly balanced. One large chain book store dominates now (and with unfortunately less choice, more celebrity led airport reading fodder) and with supermarkets getting in the act of the book market (albeit with a truly disturbing 'array' of 'books') we should be thankful that places like this are still open in our cities. A large section of this shop sells magazines which are more like the aforementioned coffee table books the higher echelon of mags if you will. Film, Architecture, Typography, Illustration, Photography, Graphics, Fashion, Art, Design, Cities all these creative acts and scenarios collude together in the books and magazine range. They sell a top mag called 'Specialten' which is a 'bi-monthly collection of short films, music videos and exclusive interviews' which comes with a DVD for the media. Just reminded myself to pick up the next edition as I type this... This shop (alongside one or two in London village possibly the other two Magma's as it happens) was the only such store to stock Daniel Johnstone's graphics/drawings books (and as such is referred to in the fantastic Daniel Johnstone documentary). Reanimate your creative synapses and spare at least half an hour to imbibe the glorious fractions of the arts world we don't see as much as we should. It's always a pleasure to walk into a store like this, find what you're looking for (or see something jump out at you which grabs your interest by the book ends) and after downpiping your debit/credit details into the 21st Century piggy bank walk from the shop, freshly acquired book in hand. Rifling through the pages of a new 'Ilva Table book' in a nearby boozer/café is one of life's great, small pleasures.

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    Magma - Magma, Oldham Street, NQ.

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    Magma, Oldham Street, NQ.

    Manchester Book Market

    Manchester Book Market

    4.5(2 reviews)
    0.1 miCity Centre

    Have I ever mentioned that I'm a bookworm? And I like markets? That would make this pretty darn…read moreperfect then wouldn't it. St. Ann's Square, that perfect little spot for the quaint and quirky stalls making up markets of Christmas, flowers, art, food and fashion, is also home every now and again to an exchange of literature. I'm afraid there aren't any definite dates, you simply need to find out when the book market is on from the website. Keeping track of Manchester magazines like Large and CityLife will help with this. (We don't talk about Manchester Confidential any more.) As we all know second hand books can be cheap as chips, and this is your opportunity to grab some rare and unusual reads. Come here for something to take on your next holiday or if you're stuck for a subject to write an essay on. There's plenty to choose from, and I don't know about you but for me there's just something about books which have already been read several times that makes them all the more special. It was here that I managed to get a first edition copy of a Victorian novel I was including in my thesis, which is probably worth a fair bit of money now. Literary nest eggs. Now there's a concept I'll happily get on board with.

    Fantastic place. I'm from London but I've spent the last four or five years living in Manchester…read more People are forever asking me what I think of Manchester, and I always say that its got everything. One of the few things it really lacks though, is second hand bookshops. Browsing the second hand bookshops in London is a great day-trip in itself, but in Manchester you rarely find a good second hand book, let alone a place with a good number worth looking at. I should mention The Art of Tea in Didsbury here, which is probably the only exception to the rule, apart from Manchester Book Market. I study English literature so you can imagine this is pretty close to my heart. Not only can you get rare books for good prices here, but they genuinely have a wide selection so if it's a classic you're after then you've a good chance of picking it up for a couple of squids. They've usually got all Dickens (who could want anything more) as well as plenty of other classic works. Spend £10-£20 quid and get yourself half a dozen quality books. Plus some great editions. I too picked up a gem in a colour-illustrated copy of Oliver Twist.

    WHSmith

    WHSmith

    3.4(8 reviews)
    0.7 miPiccadilly
    ££

    WHSmith at Manchester Piccadilly is a pretty good branch, especially for a travel store, the prices…read moremight be really high, to the point I can't understand why as there are multiple rivals nearby selling many of their items or similar items for less, but they do have a pretty good selection if you're in a rush, ahead of getting a train. I do like the special events they seem to have on here, they sell Airpods and more recently they brought the Carabao Cup here ahead of 2020, giving supporters the chance to get a selfie with the trophy, this was a pretty cool experience to lift the trophy right before Manchester City defeated Aston Villa to retain the trophy for the third year in a row at Wembley back in 2020. (This was an experience offered by Carabao as part of their trophy store, but it is nice to see the store arranging experiences like that) They do also sell the IRN-BRU Energy drink range here, they are one of the few stores outside of Scotland to do so, I think it tastes terrible and at 2.5x the price of Carabao, it isn't worth it, but if you do love IRN-Bru, you'll probably like it. 4* - For a travel location, this branch of WHSmith is good, although I do prefer grabbing my drinks and travel stuff from the Co-Op just outside the station as the store looks a little better inside and is much cheaper.

    The Observer? Tick Sunday Times? Tick…read moreTelegraph? Tick Mojo magazine? Tick Elle magazine? Tick Food and Travel? Out of stock. Thanks WH Smith for almost making my Sunday afternoon.

    Photos
    WHSmith
    WHSmith

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    Chapter One Books - Iced Americano with Salted Caramel Syrup and Oat Milk // good, just quite small

    Chapter One Books

    4.3(24 reviews)
    0.5 miNorthern Quarter
    ££

    Amazing place that accepts you for being you. *Warning* @ Social Refuge where they treat you…read moredifferently if your not like them. I visited this coffee shop recently and left feeling pretty uncomfortable with how I was treated. From the moment I ordered, the staff came across as dismissive and noticeably colder toward me compared to other customers around me. There were a few interactions that felt unnecessarily sharp, and it gave the impression that I wasn't particularly welcome there. I want to be fair, but as a straight customer, the difference in tone and attitude didn't go unnoticed. Whether intentional or not, it made the experience feel exclusionary rather than inclusive. It's a shame because the space itself has a lot of personality, but the service made it hard to enjoy. I'd hope they work on creating a more welcoming environment for everyone.

    I get the irony by starting with the quote "don't judge a book by its cover" but tbh this is…read moreexactly what I've been doing every time I've walked past this place in the past few months... Whether it was because the area of town is a bit random, the building a bit unattractive and me thinking it was more of a bookshop - something just seemed to be putting me off. But today in my meeting with Matt F we decided to give it a go and what a great decision it was! First off this place is huge and a labyrinth once inside - one half hipster bookshop, the other half cool cafe with a real nod to health (check out the menu on my pics). A really lovely environment with working fountain and a variety of places to sit. The food was excellent too - my breakfast pancakes were probably the best I've had in Manchester so far which is saying something. Quick note that they don't do sides - at one stage I thought I was going to turn into Jack Nicholson in '5 Easy Pieces' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wtfNE4z6a8 but thankfully the guy sorted us out with a side of toast after I asked nicely...repeatedly... Very friendly staff, great venue. I'll be back soon to work/eat/drink coffee/read a book - or all at the same time!

    Photos
    Chapter One Books
    Chapter One Books
    Chapter One Books

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    Waterstones - bookstores - Updated May 2026

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