Books For Amnesty

One of the best charity bookshops I have been in anywhere, not just Brighton. They cram a lot of stock into a small space and whatever subject you are looking for, you will likely be able to find a selection of books on it. The shop focuses on books but there are a few DVDs and magazines on sale people appear to donate entire collections of magazines to the store, so if there is a title you like in stock, you may be able to find numerous editions. Price-​wise this is at the cheaper end of the scale, even for a charity shop, which is very good. Even weighty hardback titles, in pretty-​much mint condition, can be found for under a fiver (one such book I bought there was a fiver for delivery alone when previously I had searched online). Highly recommended.

This is a corker of a bookshop, not so dark that you can’t see the spines and not so waterlogged with titles that you feel overwhelmed. A mix of new and secondhand, whoever their buyer is has great taste; a cursory glance across the shelves takes you on a journey from Nabokov to Kerouac. There’s a good war section at the back, as well as history and mainstream lit; Mailer, Fleming, Chandler. You won’t be in a Big sleep here.

Without a doubt, this is my favourite book shop in Brighton. While you tend to find that most second-​hand book shops are a bit of an disorganised mess, this place is easy to find your way around, always looks neat (like a proper bookshop) and is categorised not entirely in alphabetical order (fiction mixed with autobiographies mixed with textbooks) but divided into categories.
It also just attracts some really interesting and useful books on literary criticism, Law, psychology and gender studies as well as your modern and classical fiction (probably because most of its stock comes from ex-​Sussex Uni students?)
Every time I go in here I have to leave with something. Prices range from about £1-£3 which, considering that for a full-​price book you pay anything from £6.99 upwards is incredible value for money. They also stock their Protect the Human t-​shirts and promote new, original books that have some kind of relevance to Amnesty’s work. Whatever you buy from here it’s completely guilt-​free shopping, as you know you’re helping a fantastic cause.

Declaration of interest: I work as a part-​time volunteer in this bookshop. The books on sale are all second-​hand but the majority are in good condition and just about every conceivable category is covered.
The back room has a small selection of CDs, vinyl, videos and DVDs.
The shop is in the North Laine area and well worth a browse in between shopping for funky threads and cool sounds. You can part with your cash safe in the knowledge your helping to make the world a better place.

Books for Amnesty is the kind of secondhand bookshop that sends a shiver of excitement down my spine. I love everything about it. The rabbit warren layout, the bright pink exterior and most of all, the endless books crammed into every available space. I also happen to think it is a charity well worth supporting, which makes buying books here even more of a pleasure! Downstairs, they have a great selection of Classics and other fiction, and at the moment they also have Christmas cards and other Christmassy bits and bobs at the till. But the real fun (as far as I’m concerned) starts on the first floor. I am a sucker for travel writing and travel guides… even if I’m not going anywhere I love to read guides and plan fictional adventures in my head. As it so happens though, I am currently planning a trip to Central America and today I popped in to Amnesty, in the hope that they might have a Spanish phrase book. And what did I spy as soon as I had mounted the stairs? A mini Latin American Spanish phrasebook, staring at me from the shelf! Amnesty books is great, they always have what I need as well as sorts of unusual and interesting books that I don’t need but will happily buy!

Really well organized and user friendly for a second hand book shop, Books for Amnesty is a relaxing and informative bookstore. Whether your looking for obscure books in the LGBT or the ‘Old and Interesting’ section, or you want to talk about Amnesties work, and get yourself involved, it’s all here, and all with an inviting and inclusive vibe.
The main ground floor rooms has a large selection of fiction and non-​fiction books arranged A-​Z by author, and unlike a classically chaotic and ramshackle second hand bookstore, there is a good and up to date selection, which is accessible as well as in good condition. The two rooms adjoining this contain, in one, an interesting selection of vinyl (The Who, Queen) and CD’s, which of course contains your untouched classics (Cliff Richard) and some modern hits such as Franz Ferdinand. There is also a chance for local talent to sell their music here, and I saw a CD made by a student at Sussex called Dan Sartain, which is nice to see. In the other room, the books are split into genres such as Gender, History, Psychology, and include some interesting reads for the the hobbyist and if your lucky some invaluable literature for students and academics.
Upstairs provides a more old fashioned and eclectic/​crazy mix of old sporting biographies and the vague but enticingly named ‘Old and Interesting’, which houses books that look like they might contain some sort of medieval potion by the looks of it’s cover and binding. Though as they say ‘you cant judge a book… blah blah’, which is so very true. The best way to judge a book is to come to this store, and whilst your at it, maybe find out about Amnesty.

I’m giving quite a few five star reviews and perhaps I should calm down but I really can’t think what could be improved when it comes to Books for Amnesty– or Amnesty Books as I usually call it. The shop’s façade is a soft bright pink lifting the serious cause that this bookshop supports. The interior has low ceilings and a series of little rooms downstairs as well as upstairs. The first room you walk into is lined with white wooden bookshelves all given over to fiction; a middle island bookshelf of children’s books in excellent condition; and a display area of selected books echoing Amnesty’s interest in slavery and politics. There are some brilliant shelves by the till where the staff display unusual hardbacks and classic fiction. The back rooms hold philosophy, music, history, theology– everything except cookery which is upstairs with reference books. Of course, the big chains have as good a range but Amnesty trumps them with its second-​hand prices, it’s enthusiasm for unusual and beautiful editions, its eye for books in good condition and, least but not last, its charity status. I like the pink too.

One of the best shops for secondhand books in the city, Books for Amnesty is housed in an eye-​catching, bright pink building at the heart of the North Laines.
Spread over two floors and three rooms, it offers a brilliant selection of contemporary fiction, classic books, biographies, academic textbooks and a smaller selection of art, film, music, travel, food and history books. All of them are reasonably priced — I picked up two books by fiction writers I’d wanted to read for the bargain price of £4 — and there’s also a small selection of old records and CDs.
The icing on the cake is the friendliness of the staff. Everytime I’ve been in they have been helpful and welcoming and seem genuinely enthusiastic about both books and the causes Amnesty International draw attention to. I haven’t been to any but apparently, they run occasional poetry slams and readings in the shop. They also encourage local artists to exhibit installations in the main window.
My only problem is if I keep shopping there, I’ll end up needing another bookshelf!