A Guide To Brighton And Hove’s Best Second-Hand Bookstores
Photography by Chris J Golt
Located on the South-East coast of England, Brighton is a vibrant and colourful city that could make anyone fall in love with it. Whether you’re into sports, spirituality, arts, or music, there is a piece of this town that will feel like home to you.
If you love literature and books, you will discover Brighton is a treasure chest waiting to be opened. It is the home to hundreds of bookshops, libraries, and literary events happening all year round. However, what’s bound to make your head spin is the dozens of vintage bookstores that you can find all around the city.
Every bookwork knows that buying second-hand books is an experience all on its own. Not only is cheaper and more environmentally friendly to purchase new reading materials, but it is also a great chance to discover new titles or get your hands on that one sold-out edition you thought you’d never find. The only secret is knowing where to look!
In this article, I will walk you through some of the best vintage and second-hand bookstores in Brighton and Hove.
Oxfam Bookshop
Oxfam is the largest second-hand bookseller in the UK with many stores around the Brighton area. Their Hove store is a small, cozy bookshop that never disappoints. You will find it amidst the plenitude of charity shops and independent cafes in Hove’s city centre. Probably the smallest store on this list, this place surely is full of treasure. Their fiction collection is varied, often filled with special or vintage editions. Oxfam is also perfect for lovers of poetry, autobiographies, or horror. Moreover, you will be able to browse their collection of vintage magazines and CDs.
Oxfam, Hove has got something special about it. As soon as you step in, you are surrounded by books on all fronts; all you can do is immerse yourself in this room secluded from everything else. You could hunt books for hours if you wanted to; just be weary, if you find something that catches your eye, I’d think twice about leaving it behind. Books do not remain on these shelves for too long.
Photography by Chris J Golt
Books For Amnesty
While strolling down the beautiful and chaotic Brighton North Laines, you can’t fail but notice Amnesty’s bookshop. Its bright pink walls and adorned windows are sure to draw you inside.
Run by the Amnesty International human rights organisation, this place is a true goldmine. As you walk in, you’ll first see their extensive collection of classics, dramas, and fiction. As you get further and further into the store, you will reach the back room. This is where the magic happens. Books on economics, history, philosophy, and art. Special edition classics, even sheet music. Whatever your most niche and weirdest interest is, Amnesty will have something for you to read.
Snooper’s Paradise
Snooper’s Paradise is a place like no other. It’s a home for the most eccentric, eclectic, bizarre people in Brighton. Located in the North Laines, it stands out from everything near it. Its vintage signs, colourful clothes hung outside, and the constant flux of people coming in and out, will certainly make your head turn as you walk by. Not only a bookshop, Snooper’s Paradise also sells all kinds of old things: from cameras and clothes to old cookbooks or postcards from the early 1900s.
Their book collection is extensive. The biggest bookshelves are right at the entrance, where you’ll find a great assortment of classics and contemporary fiction alike. Haven’t found a book that stands out? Don’t you worry, just keep wandering around the ground floor and you’ll find stacks of books everywhere, among the vintage China or maybe next to the 80s-style sunglasses. The only thing you need is a little bit of patience and you’ll be guaranteed a great find.
Snooper’s Paradise is a favourite of both locals and tourists. It is captivating to the extreme so that you might find yourselves wandering for hours between their shelves of trinkets. So why not pop in for a quick look and discover the heart of Brighton’s vintage scenery?
Photography by Chris J Golt
The Open Market’s bookshop is located just off London Road, surrounded by charity shops and family restaurants. Started as a way to fund his PhD, the book stand's owner Mark has now been dealing books for over 25 years. He and his business partner John have been running the Open Market’s book stand for a decade.
Their collection is mind-blowing: contemporary fiction, classics, poetry, autobiographies, even textbooks. This place doesn’t feel like a shop, and you won’t feel like just any customer. It feels more like someone’s personal collection, accumulated after years of commitment and research.
Every morning, Mark will put up his stand and lay out the books. No two days are the same and the books will be in a different order: one day he might prefer to showcase non-fiction, the next day it’s poetry or classics. You can sense the passion and dedication put into this project. It’s a unique place, with a true book lover at heart. There’s simply nowhere else like this in Brighton.
Brighton’s best quality is making everyone, and anyone feel welcome. It doesn’t matter if you have lived here for 10 years, or if you visited for a day. A piece of your heart will always belong here.
No matter what kind of books you like, or how unique your literature taste is, you will find a bookstore here that you will love. So, let’s not waste any time, and get exploring Brighton and Hove’s best second-hand bookshops to find your next favourite read.
Written by Roberta Guarini, Photography by Chris J Golt