Edinburgh Books

Name: Edinburgh Books
Address: 145-147 West Port, Edinburgh, EH3 9DP, GB
Telephone: 0131 229 4431

Edinburgh

Courtesy of Edinburgh Books

WHERE

Edinburgh

What it’s like

A second-hand bookshop with four basement rooms to dig through, including a decent stash of old children's books.

This is a proper browsing shop, not a bookshop café with a shelf at the back. Four basement rooms of second-hand and antiquarian stock, and from what they list there's a good selection of second-hand children's books mixed in, so it's worth taking a curious eight-year-old down there rather than just leaving them upstairs.

It's not going to hold a toddler's attention for long, this is one for kids who already like books and don't mind a bit of dust and low light while they hunt. Give it half an hour if your child is the sort who reads the back of every cover, less if they're not.

Open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm, and closed on Sundays, so don't plan a lazy Sunday browse around it. It's a five minute walk from the West End of Princes Street and plenty of buses stop close by or opposite, which makes it an easy add-on if you're already in town rather than a trip in its own right.

Need to know

Getting there by bus or train: Buses 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 23, 24, 27, 45 pass by

Closed on Sundays, so plan for a weekday or Saturday visit
The stock is spread across four basement rooms, so expect stairs down rather than a flat shop floor
Good for a browse if you're already near Princes Street rather than a special trip

Plan your visit

Is it good for young kids or more for older ones who already read?

There's no set age range given, but the basement rooms and secondhand stock suit a kid who already likes books and doesn't mind a bit of a hunt rather than a toddler.