Anyone who has got a book collection and a garden wants for nothing.
Marcus Tullius Cicero
(106 AD - 43 AD)
Bookshops Online
Reviews and ratings of quality, hand-picked, UK websites
See Also:
Second Hand and Rare Books
Book Clubs
Abebooks.co.uk
• www.abebooks.co.uk
Headers: New books, Second hand books, Textbooks, Rare and out-of-print books
Abebooks was started in 1995 in Victoria, BC Canada and has grown into one of the best book websites on the internet. Every sort of book is here, used, rare, out-of-print, textbooks, collectibles, bestsellers, and hard-to-find books. In fact over 50 million books offered by more than 12,000 booksellers in 42 countries. It is very easy to search the databse and you can purchase any item with Visa, MasterCard, or by any of a bookseller's other accepted payment methods. The prices are very competitive with find books discounted up to 90%.
• Special Features: BookSleuth. If you are looking for a book but can't remember the author or the title, post a description in BookSleuth and get assistance from visitors worldwide to help you track it down.
Amazon.co.uk
• www.amazon.co.uk
Headers: Books, Electronics & Photo, Music, DVD, Video, Software, PC & Video Games, Home & Garden, Toys & Games
Although associated mostly with books of which they have a huge stock, covering nearly all subjects, Amazon now sells virtually everything. And their prices are surprisingly good. The electrical goods, for example, are very competitively priced. The site is very easy to navigate and there are also a huge selection of useful, and usually well written reviews for products. You can also search for goods available in the auction department plus you can get good deals from the many used items sold at Amazon.
• Special Features: 30 returns policy.
• Free Delivery on most orders >£15
BBC Shop
• www.bbcshop.com
Headers: Audio books (CDs, Cassettes, MP3 CDs), Books, Calendar,
Clothing, DVDs, Mixed Packs, Software, Toys & Games, Videos
The BBC is selling a range of over 4000 BBC related items, including many BBC
television and radio productions as either audio books or DVDs or both. BBC books
that accompany many productions are also available, as is a limited amount of
toys and games. There is also a limited number of software titles, including
some nice ones for younger children plus a few for PS2, GBA and Xbox. (For software,
click software and then BBC Multimedia Website). I couldn't find any clothing,
or calendars!
BFC Direct
• www.bfcdirect.co.uk
Headers: Children's Books,
Books suitable for babies to teenagers, plus books for parenting. BFC is part of Books Direct. There are also a number of children's games, mostly but not exclusively, educational.
The British Museum Store
• The British Museum Online Store
Headers: The Egyptian Shop, The Gift Shop, The Children's Shop, The Exhibition Shop, The Book Shop, Persia, Egypt, Greek & Roman, Britain & Europe, Asia, Africa, Books, Stationery, Kids, Sculpture, Jewellery, Clothing & Accessories
A cornucopia of goodies from the official British Museum shop. Huge selection of books to choose from on a very wide variety of topics plus gifts, games and toys.
• International Deliveries Available
Dorling Kindersley
• www.dk.com/uk
Headers: Books, Children's Books
Featuring books for adults and children on a variety of subjects. From gardening manuals to travel guides, health encyclopaedias to parenting handbooks. Children's gift selector helps choose faster. Large range of categories.
• Free Delivery on orders >£20
History Bookshop
• www.historybookshop.com
Headers: Prehistory/Archaeology, Ancient, Early Medieval, Medieval, 16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, Early 20th Century, Mid 20th Century, Post War, Art History, Biography, Genealogy/Family, Fiction, Local History, Maps/Travel, Military/Maritime
Large range of discounted history covering all eras plus an excellent selection of family history texts. The History Bookshop is based in Stratford Road, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire.
• International Delivery Available
Listen2
• www.listen2online.co.uk
Headers: Audio Books, DVD & Video, Music, Hobbies
Very large range of audiobooks, including fiction, radio and non fiction titles. Also a smallish selection of videos/DVDs that includes nostaglic film, TV dramas, crime, comedy and general interests. Very competitive pricing. Buy online or request a catalogue. Listen2 is based in St. Lawrence, Jersey, and is a division of Flying Flowers.
• Free Delivery
Mills & Boon
• www.millsandboon.co.uk
Headers: Romantic Fiction
If you like romantic fiction, then you will be spoilt for choice at Mills and Boon which lists a huge amount of romances from medical romances to intrigue. Membership to Mills and Boon online entitles you to 25% off the cover price of all Special releases and all MIRA books.
• International Deliveries Available
Museum Selection
• www.museumselection.com
Headers: Books, Clothes & Accessories, Entertainment, Food, 
Garden, Home, Greetings Cards, Jewellery, Stationery
Museum Selection began life as a mail order historical gift retailer, and now you can also purchase their products online. Museum Selection works with some of the leading museums & galleries in the UK and worldwide (inlcuding The British Library, the V&A, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the National Portrait Gallery) to source and create their products. In fact, you can search either by product or by museum. Museum Selection is based in Cleator Moor, Cumbria.
• Gift Service: Will send your order to an address other than your own, with a personal message.
• International Delivery Available ery Available
Penguin UK
• www.penguin.co.uk
Headers: Find a Book, Free Stuff, For Children, Authors, Events Diary, Extracts, Gift Selector, Interviews, Readers' Groups, Audiobooks
Huge variety of books for all age-groups and all tastes, including the famous Penguin Classics, plus audiobooks and eBooks for Microsoft, Adobe and Palm Readers. You can also find the Rough Guides, Which? and Time Out series'. In addition to books there are loads of extra features. For example you can read extracts of the latest releases on the website. And each month there are new author interviews, competitions, quizzes, reading groups, events, promotions and tips on how to get published.
International Delivery Available
Pickabook
• www.pickabook.co.uk
Headers: The Arts, Literature, ELT, Fiction, Reference, Humanities, Social Sciences, Business, Law, Medicine, Science, Earth, Technology, Computing, Family, Sport, Childrens.
This has also been rated a 5-star online bookshop by eShops. It offers over 4 million books from stock, large discounts, same-day despatch, low-price postage and delivery to addresses worldwide. Ordering is quick and easy and Pickabook's website includes lots of interesting information for book lovers.
StudentBookWorld
• www.studentbookworld.com
Headers: Arts, Biography, Business books, Children's books, Computer and IT books, Cookery, Dictionaries, English Language, Teaching, Fantasy, Fiction, Genre Fiction, Languages and linguistics, Fiction anthologies and collections, Films and cinema, Gardening, Geology, History, Home and House maintenance, Humour, Law, Mathematics, Medicine, Mind Body and Spirit, Philosophy, Photography, Poetry, Psychology, Reference, Science, Science Fiction, Self help and hobbies, Social Sciences, Sport, Teenage fiction, Travel guides, Travel writing books.
250,000 book titles in an exhaustive variety of subjects, fiction and non fiction at discount prices. Easy search facilities. Also, if you are interested in playing games, click into their games lounge.
Tesco.com Entertainment
• www.tescoentertainment.com
Headers: Books, CDs, DVDs, Videos, Games, Consoles, Games Accessories
Tesco have a huge number of entertainment products online, covering all genres from classical music to rap and reggae, and from feature films to documentaries. They also have an extensive range of music DVDs. Games are for Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, DS, PC, PSP and PS2 and, again, appear to cover most genres. Clubcard points on all purchases.
• Free Delivery
Vegetarian Guides
• www.vegetarianguides.co.uk
A site where you can buy various Vegetarian Guide Books on where to eat and shop anywhere in the world. The site is run by Alex Bourke the author of the bestselling books Vegetarian London which has just reached its 5th edition, and Vegetarian Britain on its 3rd, so you are cutting out the middleman! Special bargain deals available.
Burke's Peerage & Gentry
• www.burkes-peerage.net
Headers: Search Records, Subscribe, Books
You can now buy a selection of Burke's publications, including the 107th edition which includes family histories of certain titled families, an index of 120,000 living people, articles on the Royal family, listings of over 3000 Kinghts and their families plus Scottish and Irish Chiefs and Feudal Barons. You can also buy "Burke's Landed Gentry The Kingdom in Scotland", which has over 850 biographies, online for a reduced price of £99. If the high cost of these books puts you off - the 107th ed comes in at around £415 - you can always buy a subscription which allows you to search their records online. 1 year's subscription is £64.95, or you can get the 24hr subscription for £15.95. The site also contains a free browsable A-Z guide containing information about genealogy, heraldry, history, places plus more and including such nuggets as the words to Auld Lang Syne, a brief potted history of the Boer War, and an explanation of british titles.
• Free Delivery
Oxbow Books
• www.oxbowbooks.com
Headers: Trade Sales, Sale Bargains & Special Offers, Distributed Titles, OXeN Newsletter, Secondhand Books, Features Index, Conference Timetable, Request Catalogues, Vacancies at Oxbow.
Publish and distribute archaeology, classics and medieval titles. This is an interesting site bristling with unusual and interesting books on everything from War Grain and Olives in Ancient Greece to New evidence on Prehistoric Britain to Ancient Board Games in Perspective (The latter book is reviewed on our Webzine). There are always plenty of sale offers and secondhand books to be had. You can find these by browsing the site and they also have a newletter with Features, and News etc. Many of the titles are also available to booksellers on a trade basis. The bookshop is based at Oxbow Books Ltd, 10 Hythe Bridge Street , Oxford, OX1 2EW. 01865 241249
Selections
• www.selections.com
Headers: Music, Film & TV, Books, Garden
As you can see from the headers, Selections offers a rather eclectic mix of products. Large selection of CDs, classical and modern, but specialising in classical, often at very competitive prices but also stock a good range of jazz, nostalgia, soundtracks and popular titles. Large selection of DVDs, videos and tapes. The book department stocks a wide range of deleted and remainder books covering most subject areas, so plenty of bargains to be had. Good range of classical sheet music. If jigsaws are your thing, then there is plenty of choice here. The garden department offers a good range of gardening accessories, from lawnmowers to bird boxes.
• Special Features: 60 day returns policy. Selections is based in Dorchester.
• International Delivery Available
Sell Student Books
• www.sellstudentbooks.com
Headers: Second Hand Textbooks
Buy and sell secondhand textbooks. There are literally millions of books available covering all university subjects.
• Special Features: Live online chat support
W H Smith
• www.whsmith.co.uk
Headers: Books, DVD & Video, Music, Games, Stationery & Cards, Magazines & Gifts
WHSmith.co.uk is one of the most trusted sites on the Internet, offering you access to over 2.1 million products, including 1.5 million books and thousands of CDs, DVDs, videos, computer games and stationery products. They are pretty good for book prices and have some good 2 for 1 deals but if you are just looking for, say, 1 CD you would probably advised to check out other more specialised sites first.
Lightwedge - This is the perfect portable companion for every reader.
Simply rest the Lightwedge on your book - it beams 
a pane of crisp white light onto the page you are reading - without any glare or stray light disturbing others.
It’s perfect for when you want to read in the dark or when there isn’t much light - in bed, on a plane, in your car, when camping, even in the bath. It also doubles as a bookmark.
The Lightwedge uses cool LED lights which are guaranteed to last the life of your Lightwedge. It has two brightness levels and takes four AAA batteries (not supplied)
It measures around 7 x 9 inches so is suitable for paperback and hardback books.
• www.needapresent.com £29.99 + £3.99 P&P = £33.98
Can't find it?
Try our search engines, price comparison and online auction pages.
