Armchair Books

What a wonderful bookshop and like Ali Baba’s cave, there are wonderful treasures to be found in its depths. I was impressed by how well everything was categorized on the shelves and also the wonderful service.
Secondly, the bookshop just expands beautifully and there is plenty more to wander thru, towards the back as well. We picked up three sci-​fi books for £10 pounds so felt that was a great bargain. Wish could have spent more time browsing thru the shelves.

Two bookworms.
Fifteen minutes.
Fifteen books.
I brought my mother here on her brief visit to Edinburgh. We’re both bonafide bibliophiles, with a combined collection of over 2000 novels and I dare say we raised a few eyebrows when we got into a physical fight over the last copy of a Marquez novel we’re both missing from our collections. Unfortunately, she’s a good foot taller than me and wins in the «raise it above your head and watch your daughter jump around like a ninny» category.
Thankfully, there were rows upon rows of books to serve as consolation prizes and I happily poked my way through the stacks — leaving with seven of my own, which was ¼ of the books I could have happily trotted away with if it weren’t for the lack of bag space and the fact I was walking.
I’ve dug through many a used bookstore and this little spot is one of the best i’ve ever found. They carry a beautiful selection of leather bound and collectables alongside an overwhelming collection of used paperbacks. Plus, they seem to be a treasure trove for hard to find titles — hence the physical altercations in the aisles. I grabbed (and held on for dear life) three copies of novels i’ve been searching for for the better half of five years.
A quick tip: much of their non-​fiction is tucked away with the fiction, so if it reads like a novel (David Sedaris, Bill Bryson, Eric Lawson, etc), it’s likely on my main shelves.
Anyone who doesn’t believe in love at first sight, is not a bookworm that found themselves at this front door. It’s officially top of the list in my happy Edinburgh places and I look forward to buying many a bookcase to host what will quickly become a book buying addiction.
Love.
Love.
Love.

Hello, my name is Clarissa and Armchair Books is my spirit animal. I know that doesn’t make sense, but just go with it – sometimes people don’t make sense when they’re in love!
Armchair Books is a little gem in the already delightful area of Grassmarket. (Seriously: cute pubs. View of castle. Mary’s Milk Bar. Yeah, it’s safe to say I am quite taken with Grassmarket!) I’ve been ogling the used bookstores in the area for some time now, and as Armchair was the only one open on a lazy Sunday jaunt, I jumped at the chance to finally explore. (Perk number one: open on a Sunday!)
As soon as you walk in you’re lovingly punched in the face with that aroma of books – not the «new» smell, but that old, beloved smell that comes from books that have been owned and loved before. Then you take in the walls stacked floor to ceiling, with hand-​written labeling to mark the different genres (and a cautionary handwritten warning for the use of the step-​ladder), and the enchantment begins!
Usually used bookstores are a messy heaven that you have to trawl your determined bibliophile way through. However, I’m impressed by the level of organization in Armchair. Clearly marked sections, as much alphabetization as possible, and hardly any books found on the floors to be stumbled over. The place is surprisingly big and charmingly lit with wee hanging lightbulbs. But the real finds for the hubs and I were the antique books. Oh, the glory! Hardback copies on all subjects with beautiful bindings and gilded pages. Atlases and dictionaries and quirky bibliographies and more. As the permanent tourists we are, we had our camera on hand and had a delightful time taking shots of some of the more beautiful or silly books we found, and we weren’t the only ones doing the same. It’s understandable really – this place is fancy-​camera heaven!
The only downside to my Armchair experience is that I walked out empty-​handed. Let’s blame it on the stimulus overload, but I won’t be so shell-​shockingly awed next time, mark my words!

A treasure trove of books – both rare and mainstream – that made me feel like Belle in «Beauty and the Beast» when I walked in. Shelves to the ceiling staked with all sorts of books, sci-​fi fantasy to poetry. I was confronted with Tolkien as soon as I came in the door and knew I had found my happy place. They give student discounts, and the books are really cheap. It’s a delight! Go!

Edinburgh = UNESCO City of Literature = Second hand bookstores EVERYWHERE. Seriously, throw a stone and you’ll hit ten irritable booksellers with crumbling shelves and tweed elbow patches. I do absolutely plan on reviewing them all, starting with my favs.
Armchair books is the best bookstore in this fine city. I have pumped some crazy hours into this place, mostly browsing as it took me a while to build up the courage to buy from the shopkeep. My first few visits we both ignored each other, me slowly searching for my usual Bukowski-​esque team of favourite authors and him playing jangly folk song after jangly folk song on his laptop. Once he began to recognise me, it became almost like a standoff, with him waiting to see the cut of my jib and me not wanting to disappoint. And disappointment was not felt! We have some similar tastes in fiction and like some of the same writers. I have second-​hand bookstore-​cred! Woo!
Did you enjoy ‘The Help’? Do you LOVE Alexander McCall Smith? Have you ever read a Katie Price book?
This might not be the shop for you.

Really fantastic bookshop. I always make sure to check this store when I want a book, as multiple times I’ve stumbled across a used version of a book that I wanted and thought I would have to buy new. I have also discovered wonderful new things by just browsing. Extensive art and lit and play section. The drawback to this store is two fold. One, it’s strangely split between two stores side by side where you may have to walk out of the store with books you want in order to browse another section you are interested in. The shopkeepers don’t seem to mind this. Two, it’s a bit dank and crampt. I know this sometimes adds to the charm of used bookstores, but I really think this subtracts in this case. Anyway, I highly recommend it for the quality of books but purely as a browsing store and not as somewhere to sit and enjoy.

Another excellent second hand book shop within such a small area! Opposite the perhaps better known «Edinburgh Books», Armchair offers just as valuable a service.
Whilst perhaps not as big (though spread across two shops), Armchair Books has its shelves, from floor to ceiling, filled to the brim. As others have mentioned the collection is particularly good when it comes to classic fiction and does tend to not cover the cheap, pop, chick-​lit genres quite so well.
However I was impressed that beside works by Tolstoy and Chekhov, Byron and Shelley, there was also a range of really great graphic novels on offer. I managed to pick up the first four volumes of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy for a bargain!
I didn’t have the same problem with the proprietor when I was in as others seem to have, perhaps I got him on a good day.

This is a very well supplied bookshop and unlike many it still manages to be helpful when it comes to finding things. Everything is in its correct place, and whilst this seems a slight detail its absence can really be felt elsewhere.
My favoured section here is the fiction section and this section is impressively stocked with a variety of good books that guarantee being a pleasure to read.
The books are also physically of good condition and after the generous student discount very good value for money, plus you don’t have to request this discount like you do elsewhere. I got my very favourite book, David Copperfield from here for £3 in immaculate old hardback so as far as I’m concerned it’s a great shop.

If only all bookshops were like Armchair…
An independent, secondhand bookshop on West Port, it’s spread across two shops and has a ramshackle charm that’s hard to resist. There’s bookshelves from floor to ceiling and although most of them are arranged in alphabetical order, it feels a world apart from the neatly arranged displays of Waterstones and Blackwell. Subject wise, Armchair is more rewarding too with a distinct absence of chick-​lit, cheap thrillers and celebrity biographies.
Instead you’ll find rows of contemporary, classic and prize-​winning fiction, poetry, plays and science fiction alongside factual books, encylcopedias and antequarian books. Prices are reasonable and the long summer opening hours mean I usually leave with at least one or two novels.

I’ve given Armchair Books four stars, but it’s mainly for the sheer range of books which they have on offer. The guy who owns this place really isn’t the most friendly. He has a sign up on his front door telling people not to urinate in the dorrway — fair enough. However, he also has another snide, obnoxious litte note trying to belittle people who are too ‘afraid’ to ask for help or something along those lines! It’s a bit pointless and gives people a flavour of what sort of a guy they are going to be greeted with once inside. He keeps a beady little eye on you at all times and tries to give the impression that he’s some sort of intellectual fiend.
Anyway, the books are all in relatively good condition for a second hand shop. He stocks an excellent range of fiction as well as non-​fiction. You can find some really specific material in here, from 1950s sci-​fi to critical responses to Nixon’s presidency. In this sense it really isn’t your average second hand bookshop as there’s shelf after shelf of material on subjects you may never even have heard.
It’s a pretty enlightening experience to have a short look around, but the owner’s attitude kind of spoils it a bit.

I had only ever been on this street at nighttime, to get from one bar to another and had never really noticed this small and dusty looking bookshop. However, when the sun was out I decided to venture along here. It’s a bit like the series of Black Books although minus Bernard Black.
It’s a sweet place, worthy if you like looking at bargain second hand books. I quite have a romantic ideal for places such as this one as opposed to new overpriced flashy bookshops which also serve lattes and comfy couches. I prefer my bookshops to be from top to bottom with books, tumbling at the corners and the people running them not really sure what’s in them or not. Add to this a sales box with tatty looking books and I can spend an age in here.

Ah, my favourite kind of secondhand book store — a cheap one!
With an array of boxes piled high with £1 paperbacks lying outside, I was immediately enticed in. Like the other reviewers have said, there is an overwhelming amount of books in here, packed tightly into strained bookshelves. It may make it difficult retrieving such items, but you could never accuse Armchair Books of lacking in quantity.
The age and condition of the books vary but I quite like getting tucked into a tatty old paperback. If a novel isn’t creased at its binding, then it hasn’t been loved. With the cheap prices, impressive assembly of books and the sheer variety of the stock, it’s a winner as far as I’m concerned. Great for students who need a classic for a flea market price, and considering the amount of literature in here the store is kept considerably tidy. If it exists, they’ve probably got it.

A shop spread over two doors on the Grassmarket, and a really refreshing change from commercialised fodder.
I love Grassmarket because of the wee gems you find here and there, and I think that Armchair books could be one of them. If you have a spare hour to browse then perfect. If not, you could be forgiven for dismissing this as a jumble sale of tatty books in boxes. Inside, the place is super tiny and literally packed to the rafters with literature. I was scared to move in case I caused some sort of book avalanche.
Books are also placed outside in boxes, all of which are £1, which I was bemused to see was literally scribbled in the door way on the pane with permanent marker. Hmm. Very bohemian though. The assistant wasn’t in your face and acknowledged me with a nod and then got back to the books. Typical really, but just what is needed.
A great wee shop where you are sure to find something special. Just be warned, serious rummaging will be required!

This is a classic, incredibly well stocked, and very pleasant bookshop. These charming shops are becoming fewer and farther between, what with the competition from the big stores. Its the kind of place you’ll pick up something you hadn’t necessarily planned on reading. Some great bargains and approachable staff — I once, stupidly, spilled some yoghurt on the floor and they just dealt with it, no fuss!

This little shop seems to cram quite a few books into its space without seeming cluttered. It is simply wall-​to-​wall books packed tightly into the shelves. They also put out a sale box on the stoop without too much fanfare, and are open a bit later than I would expect (it was early evening but I don’t remember the exact time). The proprietor was painfully indifferent on the day that I was there but that’s par for the course with bookstore owners. Lots of fiction here.

This second-​hand bookshop is packed full ceiling to floor with all kinds of books. It is like a little world all on its own and a great haven on a rainy day. There are bargain books outside in boxes, or inside when the weather’s bad. If you can’t find a book, someone will most likely look it up for you.

This has got to be one of the best places to get an obscure or old book, if you are looking for a book that you cant find anywhere else this is the place where you will find it and if they dont have it just ask the staff as they are brilliant and will go out of their way to help you

This is where books would choose to live out their old age if they had a choice and a voice. The bookshelves are filled to the ceiling with endless books, and this is the best shop for fiction and novels, a reader’s delight. It is fairly well organised by subject and in alphabetical order, so although you can spend hours poring over the titles you will also find what you need quickly if you need to. There is no point in buying new books when a shop like Armchair exists– it gets recently published semi-​new books as fast as you could expect for a second-​hand shop, at cut price. Keep it in business by making an effort to get your books from here instead of the big chains; the books are cheaper, the staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and the city centre location makes it accessible to all. Perfect.