My favourite 2nd hand book shop in the whole of Birmingham.
Oxfam really upped the Charity Shop game when they decided to diversify into dedicated bookshops. It makes perfect sense for a charity to cherry-pick the more valuable, desirable and cool stuff that gets donated to them and for it to be re-packaged within a dedicated space, but only Oxfam - The Coca Cola of Charities - had the muscle and foresight to make it happen.
Of the many dedicated Oxfam bookshops I've visited this is the best. The window display is full of first editions, the fiction section is huge, the various other sections (Crime, etc) are well-stocked, and the specialist sections are all more than just an afterthought. The close proximity of Birmingham University means that this is a good place to find academic books, too.
As a music fan I like their Music & TV section, from which I've pulled many gems, and they also stock a decent selection of vinyl, although this tends to be priced a wee bit high for me. I have found a few bargains, but £10 for Elton John LPs is too much. But, hey, it's all for a good cause.
A great shop! read more