When you meander minimally, as we do, you have to think a lot about weight. Not our own weight, of course (we gave up on that long ago), but the weight of the possessions we carry with us. Some are easy enough; others not so much. In the latter category, alas, are books. We read a lot of electronic books but we do find ourselves regularly wanting an actual physical book, usually one we’ll leave with us when we go. And, of the many things we like about Dublin, the availability of reasonably priced English books is near the top. But there’s more to it than that. Dublin doesn’t just have the books, it has the bookstores. And we like nothing better than spending time in a bookstore, even if we’re not going to buy (too many) books. So here are some of our favourite bookstores in Dublin.
Hodges Figgis
The quintessential Dublin bookstore. How do we know? Easy: it appears in Joyce’s Ulysses. This is a grand bookstore, impressive on the outside and inside. The facade has two large windows, with lots of space for promotion of events and of books of all sorts. Both change on a regular basis. And the interior is spacious and boasts several floors of books. Some bookstores have all that, but when you go to look at the books themselves, they often fall short. Not Hodges Figgis: they really have a lot of books, and a lot of good books. (Disclaimer: we might be a bit biased because we found John’s most recent book for sale there.) On the upper floors there are a few places for sitting, though not many. We’ve sometimes just hunkered down on the floor, and nobody bothers us. And this has the biggest stock of the bookstores in Dublin we love But perhaps what makes this bookstore really old-fashioned is that it doesn’t have a cafe – it is all about the books!
Dubray Books
Dubray Books have three locations but it does not have a whiff of chain-store about it. Our particular favourite location is the one on Grafton Street, smack in the heart of the shopping (and tourist) district. This is one of those bookstores where you can tell that the staff have really contributed to what’s on sale. There are a number of staff recommendations throughout the three stories of books, and we found them to be really interesting, comprising some of our old favourites and introducing us to some new authors (not just Irish ones). The Grafton Street location does have a cafe on the top floor, but it’s small and well integrated into the rest of the store. And it has nice tables right by the window with a view of Grafton Street.
Chapters
You can tell (well, we can tell) if a bookstore is good when you’ve only visited it once but remember it well and with pleasure. That was our experience with Chapters. John remembered it from a single visit a few years ago, and when we checked it out again during this visit, it was just as we recalled. There’s been a slight re-arrangement of stock and the first floor now sells plants and flowers (!), but the stock is still excellent. In the front of the ground floor as you enter, there are new books with a lot of staff recommendations. What we really like, however, is the excellent second-hand section at the back, a huge collection of books on all subjects in good condition and reasonably priced. We could spend hours here. Sometimes we do!
Books Upstairs
Like Chapters, Books Upstairs offers both new and second-hand books. The new books are on the ground floor, and they are appealingly laid out. It’s clear that they have a select group of books, and that the owners have really tried to highlight certain genres. We especially liked the poetry section. Upstairs you will find the used books, and they are piled everywhere! The ceilings are very high (around 11 or 12 feet) and on the top shelves we saw a tempting array of books, including lots in Greek and Latin. But alas, they could not find their ladder the day we were there! So we’ll check back again if we have time before we leave.
The Secret Book and Record Shop
John was introduced to this shop a few years ago by a friend. It doesn’t have a very wide selection, but it does have lots of books (and records) at good prices. It’s not all that secret, by the way, as they do have a sign outside. But you do have to go through a hallway and the bookstore is at the back. We also like this bookstore because they buy books as well, so we got a bunch of things there, read them, and then sold them back! (Not for a lot, mind you, but it’s the principle of the thing.)
Ulysses Rare Books
We end with Ulysses not because they are in any way inferior. On the contrary, they have beautiful books and lots of first editions. In other words, they have books that we don’t buy, given our current life-style. But what a treat just to look in and examine the books. They are particularly strong on Irish literature (with a number of signed editions) and Irish history and culture. There is also a nice children’s section. It’s a small shop, so the stock is not large, but what they have is very good and very interesting. Well worth a visit.
We could name a couple more, but you get the idea. There are mighty good bookstores in Dublin. Our future travels include a number of great places, but we doubt we’ll be in a city any time soon that can rival Dublin.
