Community is such an essential part of local businesses and especially so with indie bookstores…read more Category Is Books is the perfect example of meeting the needs of a community with compassion and empathy. They're a safe space for Glasgow"s queer community, promote groups that support said community, and offer books that few other places would stock on their shelves. It's a labor of love and you see it in everything they do. From the inspirational quotes scattered around the store to the personal ads helping folks connect with each other. I wish there were more places like Category Is Books. You can feel the heart that goes into every single moment of running this wonderful establishment and brings back the sense of togetherness that only an indie book store can achieve.

What a great experience. I consider myself to be an experienced antiquarian book collector from…read morethe US and Caledonia Books of Glasgow did not disappoint. Proprietors Martin and his sister (my apologies for not remembering her name) were just great. Once I explained what I was looking for they were extremely helpful. Nice selection of both contemporary and antique books. Definitely one of the top antiquarian shops in Scotland.

I love second hand book stores, and Caledonia Books is probably the first one you'll meet in this…read morearea since the rest are tucked away doon lanes. It's been here for years and has been the first thing that's met my eye at the bottom of Belmont Street since I was a tot. Thus, I would be distraught if anything ever happened to this store, which has looked the same all my life. I used to go here with my mum who loves reading, but started properly utilising it when I studied English Lit at university. I'll get the negatives out the way first since I don't want to bring the tone down, but it is fairly pricey and the staff study you as you walk in. Unlike Thistle books, where you can engage in a long, lively conversation with the shop owner about the book of your choice (seriously, he knows all when it comes to books) or the erratic, nutty professor approach at Voltaire and Rousseau (which has become treasured by the population of Glasgow for these outstanding qualities), there's a cold breeze that blows through Caledonia. And that cold breeze seems wafted from the general direction of the shop owners. I've felt quite uneasy in here at times, like the shop owners don't think I belonged there. It was like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, but with books and baggy jeans instead of hookers and girls who belonged in magazines. My 18 year old self left with tail between legs, head drooped, but now that attitude just makes me indignant. The guys in here aren't unbearable, but they come across as a bit cold to say the least. It's also quite expensive for books. But there is light at the end of this review, and I'll end it with the glass being three quarters full. The books are in very good condition, they are well ordered, there are loads of different categories, loads of interesting books about art that I want to dive into at every opportunity, and it's a Godsend to lit students. I also enjoy their music category - they always seem to acquire some interesting rock biographies and anthologies. So the attitude of the staff is a bit stuffy, but their book shop is great. So, who cares?

Why has this place not been reviewed yet? It's so resourceful!…read more It's tucked away off the main street but seriously, swerve left before you hit Tattie Mac's, take a wee right and you're there! And you won't be disappointed. Like a better organised Voltaire and Rousseau or a more reasonably priced Caledonia Books, this place has a large collection of lit crit for the uni student, a ton of sheet music past and present, and a plethora of fiction and non-fiction, all organised into appropriate sections. The guys who own it are really friendly, always eager to ask if you need assistance and will find you what you need in a second flat. Great selection, the books are pleasantly priced and in good nick. I bought A Clockwork Orange today (bit of light reading, ha) and not only was it only four quid but it looks like new! The owners are always very knowledgable of their craft and banter is free. Very useful for uni students but also accessible if you just fancy a new read. Thistle Books are a service to the local literati community!

As much as I appreciate playing a game of potentially life threatening over-sized Jenga with the…read morebooks of Voltaire and Rousseau is part of the shop's appeal, sometimes all you want is a little bit of order. On those occasions, pay a visit to this little gem, which is situated in the lane adjacent to V+R. Like its neighbouring competitor, Thistle is a second hand book mecca, stocking virtually every genre you could imagine at extremely reasonable prices. Unlike V+R, it is set out neatly and something resembling orderly, meaning you actually have a chance of finding a specific title. Don't get me wrong, Thistle is no Waterstones. It retains the tattered, rough around the edges appeal of all second hand book shops in this neck of the woods and, most importantly, offers ample opportunity to uncover hidden gems at a fantastic price. The staff are also very welcoming and content to let you spend the day browsing and reading. Hell, they'd probably even make you up a bed for the night if you wanted to stay.

This wonderful branch of Waterstones is filled with gorgeous big bookcases full of every kind of…read morebook you could possibly want. I can easily spend hours in here, browsing the shelves, flicking through a few books and then wandering downstairs for a coffee at their little branch of Costa. Waterstones has managed to make this great big book shop into a comfortable and cosy feeling store that welcomes its customers warmly, with staff that are well read and more than able to advise on your purchases. A good old British book store that will be staying put for years to come.

This is not only Glasgow's largest Waterstones, it's Glasgow's largest bookshop. Actually, scratch…read morethat, I can do one better, it's Scotland's largest bookshop. This is a fact that Waterstones quite rightly takes a little pride in. It's split across five levels and includes a Costa Coffee in the basement. Certain indie coffee shop fans may turn their nose up at Costa, and while I sympathise, any coffee shop that's inside a bookshop automatically becomes a good coffee shop. I'm pretty sure that's a universal rule. I feel like in a good bookshop I browse differently to how I would online. If I'm looking for a book online, chances are I already know which book it is and I'm just trying to get the lowest price/nicest edition/fastest delivery time. In a real book shop you have that joy of exploring and of looking at books that you never knew you wanted (or even books that you never knew existed). It's easy to start on the top floor and lose 20 minutes, lose another 30 on the next floor down (that's non-fiction and reference covered), lose at least another hour on the next floor which contains most of the fiction, 20 minutes one floor below that , which is the level you enter on, the stock rotates a lot here and includes toys, gifts and (inhale sharply) stationary. See? You've already lost over two hours and you haven't even looked at the children's section or the young adult section. You've not even seen the books on travel! Or film! Or art! They're to be found across the next two floors alongside that coffee shop. It's a dangerous thing to enter a bookshop and the larger the shop the more dangerous it gets. Tell a friend to come looking for you if they don't hear from you after a day or two.

The south of Glasgow does not have enough book shops, and Centre Books is too idiosyncratic to…read morecover all the bases. It has a great selection of children's books and work on Scotland: the tops shelves look pretty interesting as well, with some serious erotic romances. But most of the books are markdowns and cut price, meaning that although the selection is wide, it doesn't necessarily have the books you'd expect. Certainly, if you want to get a collection of Scottish cartoons, this is the place to come, and there are plenty of novels by writers you haven't heard of: it's a lucky dip. However, it does cover most subjects, and is very cheap. An easy place to browse for half an hour, and there is usually something that you didn't know that you wanted waiting there...

If you're looking for bargain books then have a little rummage through Centre Books. Located in…read moreShawlands Arcade, this little store is full of a whole range of books at very reasonable prices. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly no Borders and isn't huge but if you're looking for a bestseller, a recipe book, travel or childrens books then the selection isn't too bad. I purchased a baking book for only £2 and have since made a chocolate muffin recipe which worked out great! They usually have a selection of reduced books in baskets outside to entice you in for a browse.

Voltaire & Rousseau is the book shop of Bernard Black's dreams. There's no chatting, no coffee, no…read morecustomer service, just books; books & books & books (oh and a cat!) I L O V E this shop, to me it's a Glasgow institution, a unique treasure trove of literature that appears to be completely unaffected by the world outside. If you remember seeing Scrooge McDuck diving into his vault of gold coins, I have this image of the owner jumping off the shop's ladder into all those books! What I love about this place is the fact that it's so jam-packed with books, a good number of which are probably at least 20 years old. It's like stepping back in time in the history of publishing. I've bought some of the most enjoyable & informative books I've ever read. Even if you don't like reading, then how about an old Oor Wullie annual for £1? Look up to the wooden shelf to get a (rough) idea of the subject of the books in front of you, just bear in mind that the books are three rows deep & tall enough to bury a child. I noticed a book in the shop today on mountain disasters & I felt a chill run through me, as if the cries of children, trapped behind the rows of books, were calling out to me. It also occurs to me that the current shop cat may not be the original... The two guys running the shop aren't the most animated of shop owners, usually they only move to make a cup of tea or if one of them is rolling a cig. There's a book for everyone in this shop, just don't expect any help finding it. While they're not particularly chatty, they're no Bernards either, so don't let a lack of a welcome put you off coming in to (carefully) rummage through the piles of brilliant, cheap books. Just leave a trail of breadcrumbs or maybe take a GPS marker if you decide to venture in past the first row!

V & R is exactly what a second-hand bookshop should be - it's a decaying old building with books…read morestacked from floor to ceiling so that you feel it can only be the books that are stopping the place from collapsing. The shelves have long ago been filled and are now half-concealed behind the piles of books on the floor. Don't expect an organised filing system here - I'm sure there is one but it's pretty impenetrable. Fortunately the chaps who run it have a positively encyclopaedic knowledge of what they have and can usually point you in the right direction. There are some great finds to be had if you're willing to spend the time looking; in the past I have found some rare esoteric books in here. They're not so good at buying books from you as I discovered recently when I was offered a pittance for 5 boxes of quite unusual books from my library, all in good or better condition. I appreciate they have to make a living and it can't be easy in this age of e-books and Amazon; anyway I declined the offer and I still have the books for the moment. In winter it's a bit chilly and the sole heating appliance appears to be a portable Calor gas fire - not the safest thing to have in room full of nice flammable paper you would think and I'm sure it's an accident waiting to happen. Definitely not the place to visit if you're in a rush; expect to lose an hour or two browsing around in here. It has to be my favourite second hand bookshop in Glasgow and long may it continue to be so.

It was late one Thursday evening and I had missed the late night shopping due to a rehearsal I was…read moreat. I needed to kill some time and also was still in thinking mode about some Christmas present ideas. I stopped outside Waterstones and though 'ach I'll hiv a wee nosey' so I came across some audio books and a staff member pointed me in the direction to more. I explained I was looking for something my dad and she suggested a couple for me. Well he absolutely loves them. Yay! I just want to thank the kind girl who helped me out. I was struggling for ideas and just didn't know where to begin as there's just sooo many titles. I also asked on the off chance to see if they had the Yo! Sushi cookbook at a cheaper price rather than purchasing it from Yo! Sushi themselves. Unfortunately they didn't have it in stock but the Sauchiehall Street branch did but it was about 9.30ish and it wasn't on my route to the restaurant I was heading to. It was the same price too so was best just to nip round the corner and get it out the restaurant. The staff were very helpful and took their time to help me even though it was near to closing time. Athough not as well stocked as Sauchiehall Street it catered my unexpected needs.

This branch of Waterstones pales in comparison to the Sauchiehall Street one which is alot bigger,…read moreand better. This Argyle Street store has a decent selection of books all the same, which goes beyond best sellers to include academic books and stationary. I don't think it necessarily deserves the bad rep it appears to be getting on Yelp, but it does come second best to the Sauchiehal Street branch.

Books, books, books. Lots of books! This little charity shop is full to the brim with them,…read moreincluding a small section devoted to CDs. Slap bang in Merchant City, it's just a few seconds walk from the bustling Argyle and Buchanan Street, meaning that you don't have to venture too far away from the more popular shopping haunts to get your second-hand literature fix! The shop is well-organised, with clearly divided genre sections, making it easy to find what you're looking for. When I was in most recently, they had a great selection of books, new and old. (Even a first edition Burns collection! Oooh!) Browsing here is always a delight and I could easily kill a good half hour searching! It's all good in my book!

Good place next door to the museum of modern art (goma). This place sells a variety of books & has…read morea small selection of CDs & DVDs. For the size of the place it is well organized & laid out compared to some of disaster zones that call then selfs a charity.

great shop. i love it. There are so many things, books, crystals, etc. When you visit, you will…read morealways want to visit again and again. I always meet a lady at the cashier in the store who recommends things to me if I have a hard time choosing, and she helps me with great warmth and a good aura.

Authenticity of Samantha, excellent selection, traditional preservation and educationread more

Something of the schoolkid's favourite- and so best avoided around lunch time and betwen three…read morethirty and four- this is one of the few newsagents that actually stock a good range of magazines, in Shawlands. While some of the other shops get by on papers and cigarettes, this actually has heaving shelves- difficult to find the exact magazine you want, sometimes, but well stocked. The staff are friendly enough, if sometimes rather busy, and it has the usual range of odd items that you come to expect from a local store: random food in tins, writing pads, cheap pens, string and combs, et cetera! It is a bit dark and foreboding around the entrance- a consequence of being so heavily stocked- and can get crowded quite quickly. It also seems to be a bit of a hang out for some locals, who can be found chatting to the shopkeeper for most of the day!