Lighthouse - Edinburgh's Radical Bookshop

A friend who is a Edinburgh local brought us here while showing us around the city, and we probably could have spent hours in this bookshop. Extremely friendly staff, welcoming atmosphere, cozy places to sit, and a great range of books covering all manner of topics. Buying books while travelling is one of my biggest downfalls and I didn’t leave empty handed.

A lovely little church filled with lots of books! Idea for any book lover and anyone looking to learn a few things. The staff are lovely :)

A real treasure of a place. Welcoming and inclusive.
Amazing collection of books spanning all genres and topics.
LGBTQ+ friendly.

This is the former "Wordpower" bookshop on Nicholson Street, and since Talorchan and Elaine handed it over some years ago, the range and the quality of content has gone down. It has moved towards a much more bourgeois/middle class model, with everything but working class issues. There is very little in there about the Scottish question either. I guess that's how the WEF, 2030 folk etc want things these days and that's what they've got here.

Walked in on a whim and an incredible selection of books - ones I've genuinely never heard of before or seen physically.
Highly recommended.

Great bookshop with lots of books to choose from. The walls are literally covered in books and it's great. Very LGBT friendly as well, which is awesome ❤️

Welcoming, helpful and well stocked bookshop, something for everyone. Tea, coffee and a corner to sit and browse!

I wish all bookshops could be like this. Staff really love books and know their stock and the authors. During the Literary Festival, the Lighthouse is frequently visited by their authors, not just to market their books but because they like it there. Not surprising. Everyone is friendly; you are encouraged to browse and there are loads of seats; no-one hurries or hassles you. It has only been under the present management since May but this is already one of the 'must visits' of Edinburgh, if you have a brain in your head!

Found this bookshop by watching some recommendation videos on YouTube. Searched it out during a 5 day visit to the Fringe Festival. Recently renovated so the interior was bright, fresh and welcoming. Staff were knowledgeable and friendly. This shop concentrates on books which explore thinking and ideas. Unlike a famous high street chain which lumps lots of these types of books under the one heading of 'Smart Thinking' this one separates them out into topics such as: feminism, race, religion, political thought, LGBT, revolution, activism, philosophy. Mainly non-fiction but with some fiction including Young Adult and Children's. I saw lots of titles that I hadn't discovered during my extensive online book searches. Wonderful atmosphere where the act of free thinking and free speech is celebrated and valued. I came away with 3 books - limited by my budget and hand luggage but will definitely be back.