Armchair Books

We happened to walk past this little shop and thought we'd pop in. My partner and I are both avid readers so second-hand bookshops are right up our street. There was a queue system as per COVID rules which was fine, but I couldn't help to notice how rude the sign was. I can't remember precisely what it said but it was something along the lines of 'You MUST have a mask on, NO EXCEPTIONS!'. Also, the window had a fine selection of books in it, but Jesus, it was just about the dirtiest window I'd ever seen, definitely could do with a scrub. Anyway, once inside it was atmospheric and good fun flicking through the selection of books but one look at the price confirmed I wasn't going to buy anything. We found a collection of short horror stories priced at £9 and the book was definitely in used condition, I think about £3-5 would have been fair, but £9? No chance.

Glad we stopped by but could certainly be improved.

While I'm sure this shop has a lovely collection, and lots of treasure finds, it's so small that it's hard to browse without feeling like you're in the way. If I was alone in this book shop, I think it would be a dream, but it was so busy and there's only one in and one out, which is through a maze. Overall it felt really claustrophobic and I couldn't take a moment to browse.

This is a charming second-hand book shop which goes on and on - little rooms with books filling every shelf and wall space. Cute rugs on the floor and a cool place just to nosey round and take pictures of. Also easy to find a book you're looking for, with reasonable prices. Good (slightly lengthier than normal) opening times, too.

A great browsing experience, in this reasonably priced bookshop. A charming and comprehensive selection of titles.

If you are into the feeling of being around hundreds and hundreds of second hand books and enjoy browsing floor to ceiling shelves for hidden treasures then this is the place for you.

It was nice to hide away from the busy streets for a while and have some down time exploring the shelves.

Lovely little book shop! Gave me Harry Potter vibes! Speaking of it.. they had loads of copies of the books. They have lots of books all in different sections as in any book shop. Nice and quiet.. way form the bustle of the rest of Edinburgh. Could have spent hours in there. Anyway walked out with 3 books for my Irish history and politics studies, which is great because they’re so expensive to buy new and difficult to borrow from libraries. Nice staff, despite what other comments say. Would recommend for any other book lovers out there!! 📚

The books are too expensive for what they are. Even battered copies cost nearly a fiver. And on the occasions I've visited this shop, the staff have invariably been unhelpful and terse when called upon to do what they are paid to do which is to serve the customer.

Had some free time recently while in Edinburgh and, being a book collector, decided to check this place out to see if I could add anything to my collection. Store was small, and packed with books (old and newer), but nothing that I was looking for and prices were a bit steep compared to what I would pay for the same book in the States.

You must visit this library. All the books are used from what I have understood, and you can find a lot of rare, precious, old edition. A great selection of Shakespeare from the 1800 was my favorite section.

It's a proper gem, I have really enjoyed it.

I saw Armchair Books on Instagram and had to come see it for myself. The maze of books and collection of classic antique books is incredible. The prices are very reasonable. It is a tight space, but a wonderful stop while in Haymarket.