Savory Antiques and Books is yet another gem in the Fiveways crown, with a truly extensive stock…read more The pavement outside is a maze of packing cases brimful of paperbacks, and inside the shelves are well organised into sections, with a very good modern fiction section including an array of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, both the brilliant Donna Tartt book and the slight let-down, in several covers, a bit of Amy Tan and a proliferance of Vikram Seth. The classics are well represented also, and the non-fiction section worked out well for me. I'm not certain where the 'antiques' came in, unless it were the antiquarian books, of which there were many. The collector's items obviously go for a bit more, but your average paperback will be about £3, a hardback £4 or £5. It's a surprisingly light, airy bookshop that almost feels like it's not second hand - everything apart from the real antiques is clean and in excellent repair. There are no dogs or cats curled up in dusky corners, and that smell of dusty mildew is significantly absent. This was a disappointment to me, but probably an advantage to those of us without my unusual olfactory tastes. This would definitely be an excellent visit if you were looking for something specific or out of print, as the owners have a nigh-on encyclopaedic stock knowledge, not all of which is available to the browser's eye. A certain good bet for your day of Fiveways browsing.

There are so many second-hand books here that they have them in boxes outside on trestle tables,…read morepiled up on the floor, floor to ceiling inside and pretty much covering the counter. I have found so many brilliant books here- their fiction collection is incredible- the mother and daughter owners have impeccable taste and pick out a great mix of classics, future classics and fun reads. They have a great crime section, cookery section, children's section and, more unusually, they have excellent small drama, history, and political theory sections. The prices are great- paperbacks for a few pounds, hardback art books for five or less, some best-sellers on offer for a pound! Great for you and for gifts. They also buy secondhand books in good condition.

This is a very Lewes Shop, luxurious and rich paint, beautiful, intellectual and interesting…read morecollectors items, and well laid out and tidy. If your looking for a second hand place that is like the 15th century bookshop, ramshackle and ridiculously quaint, this is not the type of place. This is for serious collectors who have nice clean houses with a few choice things (maybe?), not for mad old bag ladies, which you could imagine cram into the 15th century bookstore in droves. I saw some beautiful leatherbound classics, as well as some interesting art books. There was a book here that was going for £600. Now come on!

This is the most classic of bookshops- as the name suggests it has beautiful bow windows- an…read moreelegant dark red frontage, wooden floors, wooden floor to ceiling bookshelves and row after row of leather bound, cloth bound, dust-covered classic books, first editions and rare books. It has a hushed and reverent feel to it when you first walk in, but quickly as you scan through the books you realise that there are all kinds of books here- all second-hand and prime condition- but not all out of reach. You can't go in and find any number of books for a few pounds but you can buy a great hardback first edition of an Anita Loos, Paul Auster, Ian McEwan or an art book for between £10 and £20. Or...you could spend several hundred (even thousands) on a rare and/or old book.

I love Rainbow Books for the simple reason I picked up a copy of one of my favourite books here for…read more60p. Yes, that's 60p not £6.00! As the crazy window displays indicate, Rainbow Books is a second-hand bookshop that's literally packed floor to ceiling with books. New books, old books, dusty books and books that are falling apart. There's fiction, non-fiction, biographies, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, crime, true crime and strangely, quite a large selection of humour books. If you don't mind getting your hands dirty, you could probably spend an hour or two in here and emerge with a bag of books you'd like to read. In keeping with the community feel, there's a coffee machine where you can buy cheap cups of coffee and a table and chairs where you can sit and flick through potential purchases. Oh and did I mention, the books are insanely cheap? The book I bought? Ray Shell's ICED.

When you walk into this shop and see the stacks of books piled everywhere you almost expect the…read morecast of Black Books to appear from amongst the shelves. The room is literally filled with ceiling high bookshelves and books on every surface- I've been in lots of times and have never looked through the books on the floor- does anyone look at those?! There are some good second hand books here if you search through the shelves and the owner/shopkeeper seems to strangely know what stock they have despite it looking like a bookbomb exploded in there. I do wish they would maybe dust or clear some books out of there sometimes- it can be off putting if you're not in the right mood.

This is the rival antiquarian bookshop in Lewes- the rival outfit to Bow Window Bookshop- and to be…read morehonest, it's a little disappointing. It always has fabulous window displays full of refernce books- large size hardback vintage reference books with fantastic colour images. And they often have great children's books in the window. When you actually walk in though it seems very small and out of reach, literally, in glass fronted bookcases. I suppose I always like looking of for novels, and as the windows do suggest, they specialise in reference books here. The prices seem quite high as well- but then I don't know much about vintage nature books, geography books or anthropology books.

I have to say I disagree with Emma's assessment of A & Y Cumming as I think it is just as good as…read moreBow Window Books, but in a different way. A & Y Cumming, unlike the pristine and tasteful shopfront and interior design of Bow Window, is a little more ramshackle (not much but a little more) and the books on display are of a more weird and wonderful mix. There was an old penguin copy of Conrad's seafaring novel Suspense, as well as an old leather bound copy of the darlky named The Lust of Hate, by Guy Boothby, as well as a large selection of other leather bound reference books. Very interesting I must say.

This is an amazing second-hand bookshop, which takes its name from the wonderful 15th-century…read morebuilding in which it is housed. They have an enormous stock, specialising in children's books (although they still have thousands of books on other subjects). The owners are friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable, and also handle enquiries over the web.

I can't help but take reference with Lois' complaint regarding the condition of the books within…read morethe Fifteenth Century Bookshop; while I do agree, I feel it is necessary to point out that not many 50 year old books can be found in perfect condition. I personally love this shop, I'm not a hugely avid reader, but this shop has so much character and purpose, that I much prefer it to the uniform Waterstones that sits in every UK High Street. As already mentioned, the shop specialises in older books, normally of a rare breed. If you are a reading enthusiast, or book collector, this shop will be your haven.

I walk into Two-Way Book Exchange and am greeted by the musty smell of cheap books. Mmmm. The…read morefirst section I notice is the entire wall filled with romance novels...These are really cheap - between 50p - 75p (Although, I do notice the Christmas-themed romances have been placed near the front and are closer to £2.) Non-fiction and classics are around £3 each, and range from Dickens' David Copperfield to Grisham novels to out-of-date textbooks. There's a large collection of used magazines near the back, along with a box filled with the ever-popular used car manuals. Children's books are also well-stocked, and these are back to the 50p - 75p price range. I don't find any gems today (not a romance fan) but I'll try back again...and may bring in some books to exchange.

The largest collection of Mills and Boon- possibly in the entire U.K....need I say more! Some…read moresecond-hand book shops stock whatever comes in as long as they are in good condition, Two Way books does things a little differently- they specialise in seventies paperbacks, science fiction, book series of all kinds including mildly erotic novels. It's excellent! This place finally gives due attention to the trashy novel, no one properly acknowledges the role and pleasure given by these paperbacks, and now you finally have a place to source them, buy them in bulk (they are only about 50p!) and read without guilt.

What a gem! This place will have the rare secondhand book that is elusive elsewhere. The shop has…read moretwo floors with helpfull staff. It even smells like a big friendly bookshop. Its a cosy little venue to mill about for hours. Its not as cheap as some places but it gives value by having That book!

If you like books you will love this bookshop - although you may find yourself spending more time…read morein there than you'd bargain for. As soon as you step in through the door it's just books upon books upon books. The outside world disappears and time goes with it. If you know what book you want then the helpful and friendly staff should be able to find it for you and you may escape while there is still daylight, but if not you can happily trawl through more books than you could read in a lifetime to find that perfect match and after paying what others may think is too much, you exit the shop clutching your book in two hands and squint at everything around you as your eyes reaccustom themselves to the daylight.

I really like Waterstones as a whole but this particular one needs to work on their customer…read moreservice. It was pouring rain outside and incredibly windy so we stopped in to catch a break from the weather. We knew they had a Cafe so we picked a table and sat down for about two minutes before a woman came up and told us tables are only for Cafe customers only. Under normal circumstances I could totally understand but to be so incredibly not understanding about the weather and to assume we weren't going to buy anything was not okay.

Forget the battle between Digital Vs Print it's impossible to visit this newly extended branch of…read moreWaterstones without wanting to leave with at least a handful of books. As regular visitors will note, the ground floor used to be devoted to new releases and 2 for 3 novels whilst the fiction section was squashed into the small first floor. Not anymore, book lovers! The ground floor is now a temple to the art of storytelling with lots of spanking new tables, book shelves and display areas filled with all kinds of novels and anthologies. There's currently a whole section devoted to the Booker Prize nominees but if you explore further, you'll also find lots of fantastic books from independent British publishers like Granta, Portabello, Comma, Serpent's Tail, Myriad and Two Rivers Press. Go visit. Even better, go buy as many books as you can carry home!