Bookshops

The Independents
If Britain's independent shops are fighting a losing battle with the big chains that colonise every high street, then the emporia of Bristol and Bath are putting up a doughty fight. Both cities host a good smattering of small bookstores with knowledgeable staff. Bath's top indie is probably the Oldfield Park Bookshop: going strong since 2002. It's now the bookshop of choice for those of independent mind although more recent arrival Secession Books looks set to gather its own fan base too. Bristol's Clifton Bookshop is another local gem for book-lovers and has been doing the business now for some 60 years. Elsewhere you'll find a wealth of specialist and secondhand bookstores, as a quick glance down the listings will reveal.

See the Stars
Local bookshops aren't just for aimless browsing. Bath and Bristol bookstores will email you details of regular author events,where the great Ëand the good drop in to discuss their latest literary endeavoursWaterstone's in Bath and Waterstone's, Blackwell's and Borders in Bristol have recently hosted big names like Bobby Robson, Chris Eubank and Will Self.while Stanfords welcomes a regular stream of travellers and their tales.Ffi: get online at www.waterstones.co.uk, www.borders.co.uk, www.blackwell.co.uk andwww.stanfords.co.uk.

Bath

AMERICAN DREAM COMICS 72-74 Walcot St. Tel: (01225) 424881 The only place in Bath to get your fix of all things comic-related. Open Sundays.

BANKES BOOKS 5 Margaret's Buildings. Tel: (01225) 444580. Web: www.russellrareprints.com Good range of antiquarian books on all subjects, plus a wide range of bargain books. The £1 print box outside is worth a rummage, as are the antique prints. Closed Mondays.

BATH ABBEY BOOKSHOP 12 Kingston Buildings. Tel: (01225) 303316 Christian books.

BATH OLD BOOKS 9c Margaret's Buildings. Tel: (01225) 422244 Antiquarian and secondhand bookshop specialising in children's books, art and architecture, and modern literature.

BOOKSALE 10 Southgate. Tel: (01225) 464114 Remaindered books, art supplies and plastic tat for the connoisseur.

COUNTY BOOKSHOPS 3 Burton St. Tel: (01225) 424006 Remaindered books, including lots of bargain factual hardbacks and classics.

FOPP 8 The Corridor. Tel: (01225) 481949 Mainly a CD and DVD retailer, but they also stock an excellent selection of dirt-cheap books, with the accent on music-related titles.

GEMINI PUBLICATIONS 30a Monmouth St. Tel: (01225) 484877. Web: www.bookbasket.co.uk Specialises in books for the antiques and collectors' trades,contemporary and secondhand fiction. Also publishes many of its own titles.

GEORGE BAYNTUN Manvers St. Tel: (01225) 466000. Web: www.georgebayntun.com An antiquarian's treasure-trove established in 1894, Bayntun specialises in fine leather bindings,mainly English literature, illustrated books and poetry in fine or first editions. A fascinating shop, with a fascinating history.

GEORGE GREGORY Manvers St Located within George Bayntun's store (above), Gregory's (est 1864) offers a large range of secondhand and antiquarian books and prints.

GOOD BUY BOOKS 6 North Parade. Tel: (01225) 469625 Excellent range of factual books, with many at bargain prices. Particularly good range of art history and photography titles.

ITCHY FEET 4 Bartlett St (off George St). Tel (01225) 443893 A wide range of travel guides and maps sourced by.this independent travel store.

OLDFIELD PARK BOOKSHOP 43 Moorland Rd. Tel: (01225) 427722 An antidote to big-chain blandness, this inspiring emporium is especially strong on local history and children's books. Owner Harry will order in any book not currently in stock within 48 hours.

OXFAM BOOKSHOP 4-5 Lower Borough Walls. Tel: (01225) 469776 A well-organised charity shop selling books on all subjects, with art and history its fortes. Also collectable vinyl and CDs plus sheet music.

PATTERSON LIDDLE 10 Margaret's Buildings. Tel: (01225) 426722. Web: www.pattersonliddle.com Charming antiquarian, secondhand bookshop in a quaint shopping street, featuring rare books, prints, posters and a great bargain box. Browsers welcome.

SECESSION BOOKS 2 Trim Bridge. Tel: (01225) 465764. Web: www.secessionbooks.com Opened in 2004, this city-centre shop is proud of its independent ethos. It stocks a goodly range of hand-selected new books, from the latest bestsellers to Îobscure imports. Strong on fiction, art and philosophy, it also supports local authors and artists.

SKOOBS Unit 40-42, Guildhall Market. Tel: (01225) 463133 A secondhand stalwart for 20 years, this big market stall is a great place to pick up a fiction bargain. Experienced staff are always ready with helpful suggestions, if you're not sure what you're looking for.

WATERSTONE'S 4-5 Milsom St. Tel: (01225) 448515 and Bath University campus. Tel: (01225) 465565 Enormous branch of the national chain, with thousands of books ranging from art, design and popular culture to fiction and study guides, arranged in specialist sections over three floors. Pore over your purchases in the Costa Coffee upstairs. Specialised academic texts can be found at the Bath University campus branch.

W H SMITH 6-7 Union St. Tel: (01225) 460552 Current bestsellers, fiction and travel guides. Smaller branc Åh with more limited range at 2-3 Merchant's Passage

WHITEMANS 7 Orange Grove. Tel: (01225) 464029 Delightful little general bookshop in the shadow of the Abbey, specialising in maps, collectables and hobbies, with an inspiring children's section.

Bristol

AREA 51 230 Gloucester Rd. Tel: (0117) 924 4655 Web: www.area51online.co.uk Comics emporium, whose ample stock ranges from collectors' editions to more recent fare, plus videos, toys and related material.

ARNOLFINI Narrow Quay. Tel: (0117) 917 2304 Web: www.arnolfini.org.uk Bristol's cutting-edge arts centre re-opens this autumn after an eighteen-month refurb and the bookshop, like everything else, promises to be bigger and better than before, specialising in the arts, photography, film, design, dance and architecture. Also art catalogues, posters, magazines and contemporary fiction.

AVON BOOKS 4 Waterloo St, Clifton Village. Tel: (0117) 973 9848 General secondhand bookshop, with good history, art and foreign language sections.

BEWARE OF THE LEOPARD BOOKS Stalls 66-69 & 77, Covered Market, St Nicholas St. Tel: (0117) 925 7277 Secondhand store particularly strong on technical, vocational and general academic titles. Plus sheet music and mountains of paperback fiction.

BISHOPSTON BOOKS 259 Gloucester Rd. Tel: (0117) 944 5303 Quality general secondhand bookshop, open Tues-Sat.

BLACKWELL'S 89 Park St. Tel: (0117) 927 6602; University of the West of England, Coldharbour Lane. Tel: (0117) 965 2573 Bristol's most venerable bookshop has served generations of fresh-faced students. Conveniently situated opposite the Wills Memorial Building, it carries all the recommended texts, and boasts a fast ordering service. Also CDs, stationery and medical instruments.

BOOKBARN Central Trading Estate, Bath Rd.Tel: (0117) 300 5400. Web: www.bookbarn.co.uk An enormous palace of plenty for secondhand book seekers, with over a million titles housed in an enormous hangar in Totterdown. They'll also buy used books, and there's a growing selection of CD, DVDs and vinyl.

THE BOOK CUPBOARD 361-363 Gloucester Rd. Tel: (0117) 942 8878/4447. Web: www.bookcupboard.co.uk Handy for UWE students, this place has a strong academic section with a humanities bias, including set texts for English and teacher-training courses. Also bestsellers, stationery, backlists - and some of the cheapest CDs on Gloucester Rd. Free 24-hr ordering service.

BOOKS FOR AMNESTY 103 Gloucester Rd. Tel: (0117) 942 2969 Web: www.booksforamnestybristol.org.uk Excellent charity shop, with a large range of fiction and non-fiction plus vinyl and CDs.

BORDERS Clifton Promenade, 48-57 Queens Rd. Tel: (0117) 922 6959 This huge two floor store has 130,000 titles in stock, and will order any in-print UK or US title. Tempting extras include a 20% student discount from Weds-Friday in the first two weeks in October, late-night shopping six days a week and regular author signings. Also newspapers, magazines and Starbucks coffee shop upstairs.

CAPTAIN'S LOG 74-75 St. Nicholas Market. Tel: (0117) 954 4744 Wide range of comics and autographed cards.

CIRCLE BOOKS 65 North St, Bedminster. Tel: (0117) 966 2622 Bristol's secondhand bookshop/cafe, offering a wide range of carefully selected books at reasonable prices. CDs, videos and DVDs also bought and sold.

CLIFTON BOOKSHOP 84 Whiteladies Rd. Tel: (0117) 983 8989 Web: www.cliftonbookshop.co.uk Easily missed, because of its small frontage, but full of good finds. Upstairs, there's a fine children's selection. Downstairs, you'll find adult fiction and non-fiction with modern fiction a particular strength.

FOPP 43 Park St. Tel: (0117) 945 0685 See Bath listing.

FORBIDDEN PLANET 28-30 Penn St. Tel: (0117) 929 8692 A 'pop culture emporium', boasting a fine selection of comics and a wide, eclectic stock of magazines, model kits, cult movies on video and role-play games.Specialities include American sci-fi and fantasy, plus drugs, graffiti and art titles.

GREENLEAF BOOKSHOP 82 Colston St. Tel: (0117) 921 1369 Friendly co-operative shop, with strong green, feminist and alternative health sections. Temporarily closed as we go to press.

DURDHAM DOWN BOOKSHOP 39 North View, Westbury Park. Tel: (0117) 973 9095. Web: www.durdhamdownbooks.co.uk Strong kids' section plus a wide range of general titles. Can order books in overnight.

GOLDEN GROVE BOOKS 15 Penn St, Broadmead Rare and secondhand books.

HAMMICKS LEGAL BOOKSHOP 9 Broad St. Web: www.hammickslegal.co.uk Offer a 5% student discount on selected titles from their large stock, which comprises practitioner tomes, plus all the standard student and revision texts from every publisher.

HIGHER OCTAVE BOOKS 1b Pittville Place, Cotham Hill. Tel: (0117) 946 7772 Secondhand and rare books, plus a wide general range.

HMSO BOOKSHOP Wine St, Broadmead. Your first port of call for official government publications. You'll also find an ever-expanding stock of legal, business and computing books here.

NEMO BOOKS Clifton Arcade, Boyce's Ave. Tel: (0117) 923 9667 General secondhand bookshop, strong on the humanities, especially literature, history and philosophy.

OXFAM BOOKSHOP 1 Queens Rd (top of Park St). Tel: (0117) 9294890 & 26 Princess Victoria St, Clifton. Tel: (0117) 946 7926 Oxfam's Queens Road branch is a specialist bookshop, with a large academic section upstairs, fiction and non-fiction downstairs. Excellent history, music and media sections, plus vinyl, CDs and sheet music. The Clifton Village branch stocks a range of classics, travel, fiction and art books plus reference books and academic texts.

PAPERBACKS PLUS Regent Street Shopping Arcade, Kingswood. Tel: (0117) 967 5777. Web: www.pbplus.freeserve.co.uk Secondhand emporium specialising in popular fiction, with some rarer titles too.

SPCK BOOKSHOP 79 Park St. Tel: (0117) 927 3461 Christian titles.

STANFORDS 29 Corn St. Tel: (0117) 929 9966 Travel bookshop, packed with maps and guides for every kind of excursion. Plus a wide selection of travel writing, atlases, climbing guides and maps, tr »avel accessories and much more.

WATERSTONE'S 11a Union Gallery, Broadmead. Tel: (0117) 925 2274; 27-29 College Green. Tel: (0117) 925 0511; University Computer Building, Tyndall Ave. Tel: (0117) 925 4297 and The Mall, Cribbs Causeway. Tel: (0117) 950 9813 Bristol boasts four branches of this national chain. The biggest branch is in the Galleries, good for fiction, academic, travel, business and computing and its kids' sections. The College Green branch is a general shop, particularly strong on fiction. The Bristol University branch stocks degree-level academic texts in all subjects, as well as a range of general books.

WESLEY OWEN 60 Park St. Tel: (0117) 926 4426 Christian books and music.

WESTBURY BOOKSHOP 67 Westbury Hill. Tel: (0117) 908 0810 Books, CDs and sheet music.

THE WORKS 8 Horsefair, Broadmead. Tel: (0117) 925 1554 Bargain books.

Student Guide - Bristol and Bath's best guide to all you need around town, plus tons of free vouchers. To order your copy ring 0117 942 8491. Only £2.95.