9 Great Manchester Bookstores to Get Lost In
Manchester, England is an amazing destination for book lovers.
In addition to the several incredible, historic libraries, and the authors like Elizabeth Gaskell who called it home, there are tons of amazing Manchester bookstores.
If you’ve been here before, you already know I’m all about literary travel and tracking down the best indie bookstores everywhere I go. Book shopping in these independent bookstores in Manchester was an absolute delight, and I can’t wait to point you in the right direction to find some amazing book finds.
From bookstore cafés to quirky secondhand book stalls, I’ll tell you what kind of books you can find where, which bookstores are cash only, and where’s the best chance to find that rare vintage edition of a book you’ve been hunting for for your collection.
I’ve visited each of these bookstores personally (and emptied out my pockets at most). So let’s dive in together to discover the best bookshops in Manchester, ones you should absolutely plan to visit on your next trip.
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Manchester Book Buyers
1 Church Street, Manchester M4
Manchester Book Buyers is more of a street-side book stall than an actual bookstore, much like the Paris bouquinistes or the vendors at the Istanbul Book Bazaar. When the bookshop is open, the sides of the stall get rolled up, and passersby are welcome to dive into their disorganized bins of secondhand books.
The organization at Manchester Book Buyers seems to be pretty non-existent, which can make for a fun browsing experience if you’ve got time to kill. It’s not the place to look for a specific title, more of a Manchester bookstore to find a hidden gem. You never know what you will uncover buried under a random book.
There’s no website for Manchester Book Buyers; just show up during their open hours, and browse whatever they happen to have in stock today. The prices in this Manchester bookshop can’t be beat, with most titles selling for between £1-5.
Note that this Manchester bookstore operates mostly on a cash-only basis. I had the bad fortune to have come straight from the airport, before I’d stopped at any ATMS, so I had to walk away without the complete Conn Iggulden trilogy in hardcover I could’ve had for all of £5 total. Rookie mistake.
Update Nov. 2024: Sadly, it looks as though Manchester Book Buyers is closing down, as the entire market area in which it’s located is getting redeveloped. I’m so sad to hear it.
Related: In case you missed it, Conn Iggulden’s Greek historical fiction series was a surprise favorite of mine in my year of reading books set in Greece.
Blackwell’s Bookshop, Manchester Branch
University Green, 146 Oxford Rd, Manchester M13
Blackwell’s Bookshop is a little bit of a journey from central Manchester, but it’s well worth the trip. It’s hard not to be awed when you walk in this gorgeous bookshop; you’ll be immediately impressed by the vaulted ceilings and the enormous mural along one wall depicting writers of significance in Manchester, like Elizabeth Gaskell.
Tip: the Elizabeth Gaskell Museum is only about a 10-minute walk from here and one of the must-visit literary sights in Manchester.
This Manchester bookshop sells all new titles, mostly sold for list prices, but there is always a sale going on. Many of the sale books can be found on table displays, organized around various genres or themes.
At Blackwell’s Bookshop there are lots of books sold 3 for 2 (as in, 3 books for the price of 2). Also, tucked away in the corner of the upper floor next to the coffee shop is a shelf of titles discounted at 50% off, so make sure you find your way up there.
Another draw to this Manchester bookstore is the number of books that are signed by their authors. The bookshop holds frequent literary events and author meet-and-greets. Plus, you’ll find an assortment of fun, bookish gift items here.
This branch of Blackwell’s Bookshop is located right in the heart of the Manchester University area, so there’s unsurprisingly lots of academic books and textbook bundles for University students.
Blackwell’s is a chain of 18 bookstores in the UK, formerly the largest indie bookstore chain in the country. The chain was recently acquired by Waterstones, a development that has proven divisive for book lovers in the UK.
Sadly, that does leave us with at least this reality: that Blackwell’s Bookshop is no longer one of Manchester’s indie bookstores. I’d still call it a worthwhile stop all the same.
Paramount Books
25-27 ShudeHill, Manchester
This might be my very favorite Manchester bookshop. Paramount Books is crowded, quirky, and deliciously browsable (and only a block away from my chosen hotel, the Crowne Plaza Manchester).
It’s as old school as it comes. There is no website, no active social media, and phones are discouraged in the shop. It’s only open on the weekends (and the hours are unreliable), but let me tell you it is worth stopping by to find it when it’s open.
Paramount Books in Manchester is housed in a former movie theater building, hence the name.
The book selection here is dazzlingly eclectic. In addition to your usual genres, there’s also an enormous selection of biographies and autobiographies of actors and musicians. You’ll also find vintage comics and National Geographic magazines. I left with an assortment of random finds that I couldn’t have been more pleased with.
Books are crammed onto shelves and every available space in the shop, including on top of and around an old upright piano in the center. Paramount Books is simply the cream of the crop when it comes to second hand bookstores in Manchester.
Books tend to be priced at either £5 or £10, with some variation. It’s cash only, but there’s a free ATM nearby at the ShudeHill bus station. And don’t forget to grab a free piece of fruit with your purchase (yes, seriously).
Didsbury Village Bookshop / The Art of Tea
47 Barlow Moor Rd, Didsbury, Manchester M20
If you love a bookshop that stays open late, where you can sit and have a bite to eat and some tea (or a stronger beverage), then Disbury Village Bookstore is the Manchester bookshop for you. I absolutely loved it (after all, nothing goes better together than books and tea).
The Didsbury Village Bookstore is uniquely housed inside The Art of Tea, a café, bar, and restaurant. The bookstore is in the backroom of the café and, though it’s a separate business, it keeps the same hours as the restaurant up front. That means you can shop for books from 9 am until 10 pm most nights.
The Didsbury Village Bookshop is a second hand bookstore in Manchester, and many of the titles are in very used condition. But this is the place to go if you love vintage paperbacks. They even separate the various editions of paperbacks onto different shelves; for example, there are seemingly endless shelves of vintage orange Penguin paperbacks, a great selection of black spine Penguin paperbacks (not the lousy new ones with all-white text), and Oxford Paperbacks.
So if you collect any specific book edition, you might just be able to fill some holes in your book collection at this Manchester bookstore. The selection is definitely not what you’d typically find. I even found an Edith Wharton novel I hadn’t known existed (and of course, I had to have it, as she’s one of my favorite American writers).
During my weekend getaway to Manchester, I enjoyed a delicious, relaxing dinner here among the bookshelves, and the tea and food were top notch. Plus, the staff were exceptionally welcoming and friendly.
It is a bit of a journey from central Manchester, about 35-40 minutes via the extensive tram network, but it is worth escaping the bustle of the inner city to come to this great indie bookstore.
The LGBTQ+ Bookshop
Afflecks Second floor, 52 Church Street, Manchester M4
This is one of the most unique bookstores in Manchester. The LGBTQ+ bookshop is part Gay Pride store, part queer literature store. One half of the store sells an extensive assortment of pride flags, pins, badges, and other gear, while the other half specializes in LGBTQ+ books.
There are books here for every age, including young adult and children’s books. You’ll find very detailed subgenres of books in this Manchester bookshop. For example, you won’t just find “queer romance,” but gay male romance, lesbian romance, trans romance, bisexual romance, and more.
It’s a bright, colorful, joyful place to shop for books in Manchester. Make sure you don’t miss the large section of 50% off titles!
In case you need more convincing, the location of the LGBTQ+ Bookshop further makes this an unmissable Manchester shopping experience. It’s housed inside Affleck’s in the Northern Quarter. Affleck’s is a quirky shopping experience that’s more like a colorful, multi-level crowded maze of tiny independent shops.
Browsing Affleck’s means winding your way through corridors of over 50 independent sellers of records, punk rock T-shirts, comics, collectibles, gems, and crystals. It means going up graffitied staircases and stumbling across tiny tattoo studios and tarot readers.
Manchester’s LGBTQ+ Bookshop is housed on the second floor of Affleck’s and is well worth a trip during your time in Manchester.
House of Books and Friends
81 King Street, Manchester
Manchester is apparently the place to go if you love bookstore cafés, because here’s another great one to add to your list. The House of Books and Friends is a bookshop with a unique mission — not just to sell books, but to help address the public health crisis of loneliness.
The founders of Manchester’s House of Books and Friends were disturbed by the loneliness epidemic that resulted from COVID-19 isolation. Their cure? An independent bookshop café with a goal of bringing people together. Their business is a Community Interest Company, meaning it’s not all about profits for them.
Their website explains that “every penny spent also goes forward to support projects and not for profit partners also directly addressing social isolation and loneliness.”
That’s a great reason to drop some book buying dollars here, even if it means buying at list prices. This Manchester bookshop is one of those well-curated bookshops where you can’t help but discover new books you’d never heard of but suddenly can’t do without. Plus, the personalized staff recommendations are all over the shop, one of my favorite features of good indie bookstores.
Manchester’s House of Books and Friends sells all new books. It is also a great place to shop for books as gifts, and you’ll find more than a few book copies signed by the authors on their shelves.
Fight the loneliness and stop in to this Manchester bookstore for a browse, a bite, and a beverage.
Travelling Man Bookshop
4 Dale Street Manchester M1
The Travelling Man is one of those independent bookstores that really caters to a specific audience — that is, comic lovers and gamers. Half of this Manchester bookstore is filled with board games, card games, and RPG games, more games than I’ve probably seen in my life!
The other half of the Travelling Man is, of course, dedicated to books. On the bookshelves here, you’ll find a massive selection of comic books, graphic novels, and manga. And this shop is popular! Just like Otherland in Berlin (another fantasy/comic store) this was the most crowded of the Manchester bookstores I visited.
I found The Travelling Man to be a really fun browsing experience. I especially enjoyed perusing the shelves of board games and discovering games I’ve never heard of.
If crowded bookstores aren’t your jam, you can shop their selection online and get free shipping within the UK for orders over £60. Plus, this indie bookstore is a small local franchise, with other locations in York, Leeds, and Newcastle.
Chorlton Bookshop
506 Wilbraham Road, Manchester M21
Chorlton Bookshop is among the most popular independent bookstores in Manchester. It’s family owned and run, something you can sense from the minute you walk in the door. It’s a brilliantly curated, cozy bookshop that sells all new titles.
One of the best features of Chorlton Bookshop is the ongoing sale. So many books were reduced to 50% off, so a patient browser can score some really great book deals here. The titles on sale change throughout the year, but the sale itself is year round.
This is probably one of the best places to find bookish gifts. When I was there, they handed out their own catalog of books to give as Christmas presents. Plus, I heard them giving recommendations to other shoppers who were looking for presents for friends and family members. And you can treat it as a one-stop gift shop, because they sell adorable wrapping paper and greeting cards, too.
For Manchester locals, there are some other fun features at Chorlton Bookshop. If you’re local, you can order a book and get it delivered by bike messenger for free through their partnership with Chorlton Bike Deliveries. Also, if you’re ordering multiple copies of the same book for a book club, they will give you 20% off your group order.
In a world where great, family-run bookshops are becoming scarce, Chorlton Bookshop is a breath of fresh air. It’s a bit of a journey from central Manchester, again about 30-35 minutes via tram, but then it’s only a 5-minute walk from the Chorlton tram station.
Chapter One Books
19 Lever Street, Manchester
Chapter One Books is an oft-recommended Manchester bookstore, though in all reality, it’s more coffee shop than bookstore. The atmosphere is rustic, with lots of natural elements and eclectic decor. There’s plenty of seating to bring your laptop, or to meet up with friends and chill. It really nails that cozy coffee shop vibe.
While books are a consistent part of the decor at Chapter One Books, interestingly, not many of them are for sale. I did find a small section of books for sale, though it was smaller than I anticipated.
Still, especially if you’re wanting to find a place to stop for a coffee, Chapter One Books is worth a stop.
Bonus: Other places to find second hand books in Manchester
As I embarked on my literary tour of Manchester, I found a lot of other locations that aren’t necessarily dedicated bookstores, but where you can find used books for sale (and usually for a great price!).
Here are some other hidden second hand bookstores in Manchester:
- Elizabeth Gaskell’s House (must pay admission)
- Chetham’s library (must book a tour)
- Portico library (free admission, books are cash only)
- Oxfam books (a chain of charity shops in the UK that frequently sell used books)
That wraps up my personal recommendations for the best Manchester bookstores to visit on your next trip. I love the variety of bookstores here. Each bookshop has its own creative elements that make it unique from all the rest. Which one would you be most excited to visit?
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