Leakey's Bookshop — Attraction in Great Britain

I went here a few days ago, the shop didn’t really interest me as books aren’t really my thing, however my fiance was so excited to visit the shop as she was looking forward to exploring the shop hoping to come home with lots of new books. Sadly she was left massively disappointed. The books are all second hand & a lot of them are not in the best condition, some being more fit for the bin than the shop shelf. The price of them was atrocious too considering the majority of these books have been donated, you’d be cheaper buying them brand new. As others have said, the shop owner Mr Leakey is very rude and abrupt, we didn’t have the best experience with unpleasant character. First of all when I walked through the door with my assistance dog Leakey looked at me as if I had 3 heads, there is a big sign on the front door saying Guide Dogs Only - this sign needs to be updated as not all assistance dogs are guide dogs, some like mine help with other disabilities. My fiance couldn’t find the books she was looking for, so sent me to the counter to ask Leakey where she could find them. Again , he looked fuming at me and kept staring at my assistance dog making both me and the dog a bit uncomfortable. I asked him if he could tell me what section in the shop I could find books on witchcraft or a witchcraft section , well I wish I hadn’t asked as Leakey shouted at me all angry saying No Witchcraft No!!!! Standing with his hands on his hips & lips pursed all angry. He looked horrified . The whole shop must have heard him, I was very embarrassed . A polite , ‘ no sorry we don’t sell that genre of books’ would have sufficed . As I was browsing the store I saw a family come in with a couple of well behaved children , I heard Leakey shouting to the parents that the play ground was across the road, the children weren’t doing anything wrong at all & the parents looked really confused by his random outburst. So if you have kids I wouldn’t take them here. We’ll no be...

As a family of book lovers we were looking forward to this. We knew from the frosty reception when we entered with our toddler that it wasn't going to be the enjoyable hour followed by an exit with armfuls of books that we were looking for.

Our toddler loves books and we've taught him to treat them well. He was excited, and took two books (A Brief History of Hungary and The Political Economy of Slavery, in case you're interested) off the shelf and looked through them. Within seconds the owner (I presume) had appeared. "If he wants to practice taking books on and off the shelves," he said, "he can do it with HIS books at home, not with MY books."

I was astounded. How unbelievably rude. If the owner (I presume) didn't want our son to look at the books there are polite ways of saying so, this was a shocking example to set and (ironically) a demonstration of childish selfishness.

Now, I know what you're thinking; this parent couldn't possibly think that his little darling was behaving badly when, in fact, he was. I know, I would think the same on reading this review. But our son treats books well; if we had any reason to think he wouldn't, we wouldn't have let him take a book. If he had damaged a book, we would have bought it.

Such behaviour from the owner (I presume) sets a shocking example for a child to follow in terms of treating others with respect. It also puts children off books - surely we should be encouraging our next generation of readers.

We didn't get to look at much of the shop in the three minutes we were permitted to stay, but the books were wildly over-priced. £10 for a second-hand copy of a Harold Wilson biography?!? Good thing we didn't need to purchase A Brief History...

Tucked inside that delightfully quirky old church in Inverness, it has serious storybook charm. The kind of place that feels like it should come with a secret password or a puff of mysterious smoke when you push open the door.

It was recommended by a local, which already sets it apart in my book—always a promising sign when the town’s own point you somewhere. The building itself is atmospheric with its grand windows and towering shelves, and there’s that unmistakable scent of old pages and quiet history. You feel like you’ve walked into another time.

But I get you—despite all that bookish grandeur, it’s missing one important ingredient: a cosy corner to flop down and test drive a few titles before you commit. Most secondhand shops I’ve visited practically beg you to lose track of time with saggy armchairs, crooked lamps, and odd socks tucked down the sides of the cushions. Leakey’s, oddly enough, doesn’t invite that same kind of lingering. Beautiful, yes. Browsable? Absolutely. But not quite the curling-up-with-a-book-and-losing-an-hour kind of vibe.

Still, it’s the kind of place worth experiencing—if only to marvel at the eccentric charm and towering chaos of literature. Just maybe pop by after a coffee, since you’ll be doing your...