Leakey's Second-hand Bookshop
Leakey's Second-hand Bookshop
Leakey's Second-hand Bookshop
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
About
Scotland's largest collection of old, rare and second-hand books and maps.
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See what travellers are saying
- andrewjennyHervey Bay, Australia624 contributionsA must for book worms and fans of something differentYou need to visit this store if you are one of those dinosaurs who still like books. Feels like you have stepped into another world. Even if you aren't a book fan drop in and check it out. You will be impressed by the volume of books and the quirkiness of this place.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 27 October 2023
- michieg121Ayr, United Kingdom1,054 contributionsGreat ExperienceFantastic bookshop with a vast selection of titles and topics to choose from. An old atmospheric church with log burning heating in the Centre makes it a totally unique experience. Well worth a visit!Visited December 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 10 December 2023
- BiryaniworldEdinburgh, United Kingdom2 contributionsMagicalStunning book shop and lovely staff. It seemed like entering a dream world full of any book you could imagine! The prints were a lovely little touch and I can't wait to go back to build my collection. :)Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 23 February 2024
- Davina S3 contributionsMagical bookstore.Lovely store with reasonably priced books and a helpful proprietor. Great store for people who love books and antique art prints. I bought several books from the 1940s in great condition and could have easily bought more if I had a larger backpack to truck them back to the US. One guidebook I bought on the cart & maintenance of “Your Motor-Cycle” had the original typed letter from Shell in 1929. Lovely!Visited May 2024Travelled with familyWritten 7 May 2024
- coteb39Nashua, New Hampshire146 contributionsWorth a stopSuch a cool place if you love books, or old churches. Bought a book to read on vacation. Very organized and fun to browse. Had a snack at The Walrus and Corkscrew before and a walk through the Old High Church graveyard after.Visited May 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 28 May 2024
- Martina K8 contributionsA nice place worth visitI think that this bookshop was the best place in Inverness we visited. A family of bookworms such as ours could have spent hours in such a place with an amazing atmosphere. Only the airline luggage limits prevented us from buying more:) Given the volume of books, they were well organised and the staff helped us in our search. Thanks!Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten 7 July 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.5
391 reviews
Excellent
255
Very good
86
Average
29
Poor
9
Terrible
12
Jo H
Conwy186 contributions
Feb 2022
I have wanted to visit for years after three visits to Inverness and they were closed, I finally got to visit last week. It is amazing, it actually takes your breath away when you walk through the door. It is a book lovers dream to wander around taking it all in. However, the prices are a bit high on some books. I understand the older and rarer books being expensive, but when you pull out a well worn modern paperback that is widely available in other second hand situations and it costs £4.50 I think that is a little excessive. I can understand them wanting to maximise profits due to popularity, but I am sure they would sell much more if they were slightly less in price. As other people have said check online retailers as they are much cheaper than here.
Having said that, there is no pressure to buy anything, you can just visit and take in the wonderful atmosphere of the place, the staff are lovely. Its a very beautiful place indeed and well worth a visit if you are a book lover.
Having said that, there is no pressure to buy anything, you can just visit and take in the wonderful atmosphere of the place, the staff are lovely. Its a very beautiful place indeed and well worth a visit if you are a book lover.
Written 9 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tomalli68
Falkirk, UK1,000 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
Great bookshop with so many books. Definitely a book lovers dream shop. Organised into small sections albeit not in any order. Some books offer great value even though second hand - mainly due to being in great condition whereby they were like new.
Found their general fiction books to be quite expensive, would be half the price in a charity shop. Fiction section very disorganised and difficult to find what you want.
Found their general fiction books to be quite expensive, would be half the price in a charity shop. Fiction section very disorganised and difficult to find what you want.
Written 6 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ian.Manda
Wordsley, UK8 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
Doesn’t match up with the write up online. (Or the images that portray the shop) Never found the cafe section, not a good experience here at all….
Staff were rude. All interactions with staff, they all appeared sharp and rude and were uninterested in any questions (unless you were buying something.)
Very cramped, and overcrowded with people as well as piles of books everywhere, Seems very disorganised, books were placed into random areas on the shelves, piles upon piles of books were left covered up, laying around on the floor which made it hard to navigate around the floor area.
Unable to find the area where I could sit, browse and review the books I was thinking of buying.
Books were organised into very broad genres which make it impossible to find a specific books or authors we were looking for, meaning we couldn’t navigate to find any books which interested me or my family. They may have been in the heaps of books on the floor, that were covered over with blankets, but had signs up saying ‘do not touch…’
Seem less organised than our local charity bookstores.
My daughter had been looking forward to visiting this bookshop since she knew she was coming here, and was deeply disappointed in her experience here.
Not a nice place or good experience..
Staff were rude. All interactions with staff, they all appeared sharp and rude and were uninterested in any questions (unless you were buying something.)
Very cramped, and overcrowded with people as well as piles of books everywhere, Seems very disorganised, books were placed into random areas on the shelves, piles upon piles of books were left covered up, laying around on the floor which made it hard to navigate around the floor area.
Unable to find the area where I could sit, browse and review the books I was thinking of buying.
Books were organised into very broad genres which make it impossible to find a specific books or authors we were looking for, meaning we couldn’t navigate to find any books which interested me or my family. They may have been in the heaps of books on the floor, that were covered over with blankets, but had signs up saying ‘do not touch…’
Seem less organised than our local charity bookstores.
My daughter had been looking forward to visiting this bookshop since she knew she was coming here, and was deeply disappointed in her experience here.
Not a nice place or good experience..
Written 29 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
47SLS
Southampton, UK165 contributions
Jun 2021
Lovely book shop in an amazing building with a huge selection. Owner very friendly. Shame they don’t allow dogs in but understandable based on owners experience of a dog peeing on the books. I want to c9e back when the log burner is roaring and I can sit and curl up on a settee without worrying about Covid.
Written 15 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joyce G
Cornhill on Tweed, UK53 contributions
Jul 2020 • Couples
We stumbled on this bookshop when on holiday It is full of fascinating books ranging across all genres. It is also atmospheric with the spiral staircase leading to the gallery. We had to ring to be admitted so numbers were controlled and a one way system was in place with hand sanitizer on hand . Well worth a visit for the sheer range of books
Written 1 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A Midlife Adventure
Dursley, UK2,768 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
An olde worlde haven for book lovers looking for something different. There are shelves upon shelves of books arranged in topical/ alphabetical order. It feels like you have stepped back in time.
The books are moderately priced and no doubt you would find cheaper in a charity shop but part of the fun here is the surroundings and I’m sure there are some unique finds to be had.
The books are moderately priced and no doubt you would find cheaper in a charity shop but part of the fun here is the surroundings and I’m sure there are some unique finds to be had.
Written 30 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephanie O
Tallahassee, FL43 contributions
Jul 2022
My son has a list of classic books that he's determined to purchase in shop. Leakey's had several of his hard to find items at great prices. The owner was on-site and was amazing. He knew all the books my son was looking for (even the most obscure), and he knew off-hand whether or not they were in the shop. I'd highly recommend this shop for true book lovers.
Written 4 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caitlin G
Fairfax County, VA43 contributions
Apr 2023 • Solo
Amazing bookshop with tons of neat finds (both books and prints). Like most secondhand bookstores, they've got a little bit of everything. There's a lot of scaffolding around the outside (as of April 2023) but it's definitely still open. I thought the variety of prints (maps, architecture, botany, artist renderings, and wildlife), many of which were antiques, was great.
Written 1 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AedDubh
Arlington, VA61 contributions
Aug 2022
This is an enormous and spacious used bookshop in the heart of Inverness. It's housed in a repurposed church, which is suitable for a place that is basically a temple to reading. The lovely scent of old books pervades the place. There is something for every taste in here. They ship internationally, so there is no reason to worry about baggage weight, either...
Written 10 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AR P
382 contributions
Oct 2021
This was a book lovers dream. There were so many books, it's hard to figure out where to start so we just started by the front door and worked our way around (that was the mystery section first which is my favorite). The atmostphere was wonderful and I wished there were room for a few chairs so I could rest while taking it all in. I'm sure they don't want to have a cafe in there but I would have stayed longer and purchased many more books if there had been one. This is a must visit while in or around Inverness.
Written 11 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am looking for a book called: A handbook of a sourdough biotechnology. Any chance you might have it?
Written 12 September 2017
I can only suggest you try contact them directly by phone or email. I cannot (living over 8000 miles away) tell you if they have it in stock. I am sure that if they have it or can get it for you they will. I cannot stress how much I value their service. Try +44 1463 239947 to contact them.
Written 17 September 2017
I'm looking for a 1940s edition of Joseph Conrad's Tales of Land and Sea.
Written 23 July 2017
Rhonda, I've personally no idea if Leakey's has it. My best guess is to contact them via e-mail or phone (try +44 1463 239947 on the phone). Given my (rather short) experience I'm sure you'll get a quick answer from them. I found the gentleman in charge (I don't know if it was Charles) extremely helpful and attentive.
Written 23 July 2017
Do u ship overseas? I was at your bookstore in August of 2015. It was amazing!! I'm from the US and would very much like a old Scottish bible. I should have looked for Garlic books and would also be interested. Thank u so much for your time and I hope u can help me.
Written 5 April 2016
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