Books On The Green

I was in a bit of a pickle, I’d forgot my pen and I needed one.
Initially I looked to see if there was a bookies, then I spotted a spar, before seeing Books on the Green. A local business, there’s where I’ll buy my pen.
Inside is a small space stuffed high with books, greeting cards and some stationary.
I opted for a pencil for a finish, 25c. The guy didn’t have change of a tenner, but offered the pencil to me anyway. How nice!?! Still I had to go break the tenner and pay him. A CapriSun later (I’d forgotten how nice these are), I handed over the 25c to complete the transaction.
And after all this I spotted a Paddy Powers right beside Books on the Green — ha! But I’m glad I’d had this good experience with BotG.

‘Books on the Green’ is a bookshop in Sandymount, a leafy Dublin suburb famous for being referenced in the writings of James Joyce and Ross O’Carroll Kelly.
It provides all the goods and services one might reasonably expect from a neighbourhood bookshop, as well as a range of cards and toys.

A lovely wee shop that has more to it than you initially think! Aside from the books that you would expect to see there is a great wee toy-​shop at the back and the shop also boasts the only photocopier I can find in Sandymount!!!
They buy in 2^nd hand books as well but its a buyers market so don’t expect to get a whole lot for them!!!

Books on the Green is a curious little bookshop in Sanymount. I don’t know how they are still in business to be honest, as they stock the most random selection of titles.
I admire them though for their support of independent and small publishers, and they also have an interesting range of titles with a local focus.
You won’t find any blockbusters here, or any chart-​topping books for that matter either, which is a pity as I have often popped in looking for a last minute present for someone but failed to find anything.

I thought this was just another bookshop, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that it is not. Instead of churning out the usual literary trash, Books on the Green stocks a healthy (and hilarious) range of books on the Irish character and photo history books of Dublin’s suburbs.
Not being a local I find this stuff fascinating (and may do so even if I were a local?) You can read about the origin of the D4 snob, or the characteristics of the Irish Mam, and why Irish men are such mummy’s boys, or any other horrendous (but, let’s face it — funny) Irish stereotype, or you can check out pictures of Fairview Strand as it was in 1910.
It’s a great place for the non-​Irish to shop for gifts for their non-​Irish friends back home. I found several titles I will be purchsaing before I head back to my home shores. They also stock gift cards on the theme.
Books on the Green has a great childrens section at the back of the store, and, if I’m not mistaken, they also have a second-​hand section (either that or that section is just a little and rough around the edges and cheaper than the rest of the store!)
Definitely worth a gander.

Not another bookshop I hear you say, but this one is a bit special. Not only do they sell books, not too many but enough to keep anyone interested but until recently they also stocked and displayed art by local artists. It’s no Gallery 4 across the road but some interesting stuff none the less
The friendly owner usually greets everyone as they come in, nice touch that and they also, a bit randomly, do VHS/​16mm film to DVD transfer. Theres also a few books on the history of Sandymount in the shop.