In this bookshop guide, Elinor Potts takes us on a tour of some of the best spots for book lovers in Devon, United Kingdom (UK). If you have bookshops you’d like to recommend in a particular city, further information about contributing follows this article.
Person 1: “I wonder how many people live in the countryside, and nobody knows they’re there?”
Person 2: “It’s difficult to know, because nobody knows they’re there.”
Where is heaven? A documentary (2023)
Visiting Devon leaves little to be desired – at least from a superficial and aesthetic vantage point amplified by long periods of absence. A county on England’s southwest coast renowned for its beautiful national parks and the harbour towns comprising the English Riviera, it has much to offer the new or returning visitor. There is stillness; the familiarly dank-damp smell of charity shops; the quiet cliffs; the ice creams; the clotted cream; the long walks and open fields; the clotted cream – deservedly mentioned twice – and the peace.
There is something jointly comforting and chaotic about the Devonian command of the English language and the charming logic of words like:
Backalong – a byword for “previously”.
Dreckly – a nondescript reference to a length of time, though generally quite soon.
Chiggypigs – naturally, woodlice.
Dimpsy – a descriptor for dwindling light prior to twilight.
Another Devonian word I think about more than I would care to admit is a venerable Barnstaplian delicacy. The “Jemmy Twitcher” is a mixed grill wrap named after the Fourth Earl of Sandwich on the menu of the popular Turkish eatery Ali’s Alcove. Like this soggy sandwich, the Devonian dialect twitches and pulses with life.
View at Breakwater beach in Brixham, Devon © Max_555 on Shutterstock
For many, Devon is synonymous with summer holidays, sandy beaches and sprawling campsites. Though the bookshops of Devon may be more sparsely scattered than in more metropolitan counties, they are worthy of time spent scanning, scouring and gathering books for replenishing bedside “To Be Read” stacks. After all, what’s better than a proper job bookshop?
Book Relief, Bideford
This charity bookshop on Bideford’s Mill Street is a hidden gem for clothbound first editions and well-leafed paperbacks. The shop is overseen by the literary charity Book Relief UK who donate funds to adult and prison literacy organisations in the UK as well as promoting children’s literacy through local libraries and schools.
Book Relief © Elinor Potts
The bookshop has a wealth of donations which are expertly arranged into sections, with an impressive range of cheaply priced art books, classics, and literary volumes. A trip to Book Relief is best spent slowly rummaging through the piles to see what surprising finds fall into your basket.
Book-Cycle, Exeter
A stone’s throw from Exeter city’s “The House That Moved” – a historic mediaeval building relocated in 1961 because of its original street being entirely demolished – this second charity bookshop is a picturesque building at the foot of Stepwell Street.
Established in 2007, Book-cycle is run entirely by volunteers on a pay-what-you-like honesty principle, supporting a number of worthy causes including providing free books to children and reforestation projects. And the charity have since opened three branches in Wigan, Rome, and Wellington, Somerset, respectively, as well as mini-branches in Newcastle, Warwick. They have also partnered with various independent businesses in Exeter, Totnes and East Cornwall.
Book-Cycle © Elinor Potts
The shelves of Book-Cycle are stacked full of generous donations spanning a wide range of genres. On the wall, a polite notice is fixed to one of the shop’s exposed wooden beams reminding customers that they are limited to ”3 items per person per day” which they can decide the price of at the till. Bibliophiles beware – this bookshop is dangerously good for the purse and the communities supported by the charity.
Bookbag, Exeter
Nestled in Exeter’s McCoys arcade between vintage shops and vegan eateries, Bookbag is a charming independent bookshop which has quickly established itself as a literary destination in partnership with Exeter City of Literature. Their branding is modern with a nod to retro fonts and their shop brings together thoughtfully selected children’s books with eye-catching prints, posters, badges, pamphlets, art books.
In their window, a poem by the Palestinian Poet Mohammed Moussa is pinned as part of the bookshop’s “‘Poems for hope and the city” project aiming to combat anxiety and grief with sentiments of love and solidarity. Featuring submissions from Roots Resistance, “The Bard of Exeter” Ceri Baker, Salena Godden, Louisa Adjoa-Parker, and John Wedgewood-Clarke, their submissions were originally displayed on the shopfronts of Exeter businesses and can still be viewed online.
Bookbag © Elinor Potts
Be sure to follow a trip to Bookbag with a subscription to their social media channels and keep an eye on their excellent schedule of events, including book launches, conversations and book clubs. On the first Sunday of every month, the bookshop hosts a regular “Bookbag Unplugged” tech-free social session for sketching, writing, reading and meeting new people.
Honourable mentions to:
Liznojan, Tiverton. Opened in 2017, this bookshop was recently shortlisted as Best Bookshop in the UK regional and national finals.
In 2023, Exeter was named the UK’s City of Literature, and the organising collective behind the bid put together a literary map (revised in 2024) showcasing the county’s literary highlights, including bookshops of note. I advise you to check out this excellent resource.
Note: This bookshop guide gives the views of the author, and not the position of the LSE Review of Books blog, or of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Banner Image: Philip Bird LRPS CPAGB on Shutterstock.
Do you know a place with great bookshops? If there’s a city or town with bookshops that you think other students and academics should visit, then this is your chance to tell us all about it.
As part of a regular feature on LSE Review of Books, we’re asking academics and students to recommend their favourite three or four bookshops in a particular city, with the aim of building an exciting online series for our book-loving community of readers the world over.
Bookshops could be academic, alternative, multilingual, hobby-based, secret or underground institutions, second-hand outlets or connected to a university. We’d like to cover all world regions too and are particularly keen to feature cities outside of Europe and North America.
If something comes to mind, we’re looking for a brief introduction about the city and around 150 words per bookshop, detailing why each one is a must-see. Our editorial team can then find suitable photos and links to accompany the piece, though you’re welcome to supply these too. We only ask that you focus on just one city or region, and three or four bookshops within it.
Email us if you’d like to contribute: lsereviewofbooks@lse.ac.uk
