Stirling Books

Now, the Kindle is a marvelous invention, there’s no denying that. How else could you carry all those books around with such ease! But, of course, nothing can take away from the warm feeling of a crisp, worn, second-​hand book. In this sense, Stirling Books is the anti-​Kindle. Not in a pretentious way, not in the least. More in a ‘Hey, I’ll still be here if you need me,’ tipping its cap at you as you go by, kind of way.
Second-​hand books are thrilling. — Reading the heartfelt messages inscribed in the books given as gifts, imagining why they were given up or even just picturing the previous owner. It’s all exciting stuff and in here, you never know what you might find! — There’s literally book after book after book. My favourites are the old lived-​in books and there’s lots of those to be found here. There’s also a large academic section in the back which is great if you’re working your way through your reading list, thrifty students! It’s also worth mentioning that there’s a very enviable Shakespeare collection. Shakespeare fans rejoice!
I love the arrangement of the shop. It’s very relaxed and just a little bit hectic without being messy and unorganised. It just feels like you’ve wandered into someone’s very large book collection with shelf after shelf to explore and the addition of helpfully divided sections. Staff are really friendly and I’m sure you can even even grab a coffee or tea whilst you browse. If you were looking for something in particular, I’ve no doubt that there would be someone more than happy to help! There’s also some other crafty bits and bobs and ornaments to have a look at whilst you’re in.
So, whilst I don’t urge you to drop the Kindle forever, I urge you to drop it only momentarily to make your way down this set of stairs on Maxwell Place. — A proper independent bookstore like this is, not only a rarity today, but a pleasure to browse!