Your bookshops #29, Oliver’s Bookshop

Thank you to Twitter friend, cat friend and crisp appreciator Pootle, for sharing another bookshop visit with us. This sounds like a great bookshop for shelf raiding.

Oliver's Bookshop
48A Whitley Road, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, NE26 2NF
Tel: 0191 251 3552
Posted: 28th June 2017

Oliver’s Bookshop is located in the Whitley Bay area of Newcastle. It’s nestled in a row of terrace houses, a small distance from the main shops and it looks like one of Pratchett’s magic shops. With it being in a residential area, parking is sparse in the immediate vicinity of the shop.

The bookshop sells secondhand and rare books and is reminiscent of the bookshops of my youth. On entering, you are confronted by bookcases dividing the single room into narrow walkways, with the proprietor huddled in the back. The bookcases each cater for different genres, with the books laid double depth on the shelves, and then stacked beside and in front of the shelves making negotiating your way round a precarious business.

A lot of the books are in remarkably good condition, looking brand new and unread, with only a little pencil notation on the title page indicating the price and whether it’s a first edition. There’s a good selection of Folio Society editions, which always catch my eye, with the more impressive proudly standing atop the bookshelves. There were also collections of comic annuals, local history and guide books.

A little different from the books, were two small boxes of postcards and advertising cards which were unpriced.

The proprietor kept to himself while I browsed the store, only entering into conversation when I approached with questions about the books.

Although sorely tempted by the omnibuses of Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew that were on display, I settled for the following two books:
Air and Angels by Susan Hill
Looking for Calvin and Hobbes by Nevin Martell

This isn't the first bookshop recommendation from this bookshopper. See where else he's been here.