It's impossible to wander around Parkinsons without remembering the old Yellow Pages advert where…read moreJ.R. Hartley tries to track down a copy of his Fly Fishing book. A characterful, old building that occupies three floors, it's packed floor to ceiling with all kinds of secondhand books from new and old to Victorian and antiquarian. What makes browsing here more fun is the fact Parkinsons also stocks antique coins, shells, badges and memorabilia - which are housed in wooden cabinets or stacked haphazardly between shelves and piles of books. As for the books themselves, there's a real mish-mash of material from old issues of National Geographic to weighty tomes on archaeology, astronomy, physics, nature, travel, religion, theology and philosophy. I'm sure there's also at least one copy of Fly Fishing too...

This is a great used book shop in Southport--one of those places where you never know what you're…read moregoing to find, and where you almost always find a bargain. There are several floors, and a great selection of genres, paperbacks and hardcovers, old and new. Prices range from high to bargain. You could easily spend a couple of hours in here and still not browse through everything. Definitely an afternoon well spent for book lovers of all kinds.

Publishers Book Clearance is a discount book shop loacted along Southport Boulevard…read more As I entered this shop, I began to feel much younger again since I came across so many children's books from nursery rhymes to Roald Dahl. In addition to young people's books, they offer a terrific variety of fiction and factual books for teens and adults. Most of the books are really cheap and you can definitely find yourself a bargain or more. The shelves are packed full of colourful and interesting reads, that you could easily spend a while browsing around. There are also a collection of cute little toys for infants, so kids aren't going to get bored in here!

The Works is a pleasant enough discount book store on Southport's busy Lord Street…read more As you may have guessed from its description as a 'discount' book store, the stock it sells there are rarely of the expensive variety but then again they're rarely of a particularly high standard quality-wise either. That's not to say they're cheap looking, you're just getting what you pay for with them. The shop itself is rather large in size, enabling them to fill the space with shelves full of various titles and genres. As well as books, they also sell other bits and bobs at the front of the store such as skipping ropes, flip flops and pet beds, all for less than a pound. Their choice to sell such stock as this in a discount book store is somewhat odd but, even though you don't need them, you will feel yourself drawn to them on their price alone. If you're looking for a rare book or the latest graphic novel then I wouldn't recommend looking here, but if you're after an inexpensive present for a young one then it's worth checking The Works out.

thought the store was disgusting to be honest…read more if your in a wheelchair or a mobility scooter or have a pram - forget trying to get around the store - it is absolutely jam packed with tables which means there is very little room to get around they have there shelves on such a strange angle that if you require something off the top shelf you have to be really tall the whole shop could do with a total refurb and the staff were misable and not very helpful at all i wont be shopping in here again - southport has a great choice of book shops and this one - even though they brand themselves as britains leading bookstore - definetely comes bottom of all the book stores in southport

This is one of those bookshops that makes you love literature again, not that you'd ever fall out…read morewith it. A labyrinthine warren of wonderment at every turn, I came here on the offchance when I started my Postmodernism module at university. I was seeking out a book by Jane Rogers called Mr Wroe's Virgins, and I was quite excited to be studying a writer that I'd actually been compared to in my creative writing class the former semester. Oh yes, my head was feeling pretty huge. Anyway I hadn't found the thing anywhere, and my father suggested we pop in here and have a looksee. Well, they had the book, of course. There's nothing this place can't do. They had the book in hardback. Have you realised what a great condition hardbacks actually stay in? Mr Wroe's Virgins has been thumbed, pencilled, dragged with me back and forth to the lectures of a certain Dr Rowland (the only reason I did so well in my final semester was because of my all-consuming crush on that man), I've fallen asleep on it in the wee small hours while writing essays and drooled on its pages and the book still looks fresh as the driven snow. Gotta hand it to the hardbacks. You could literally spend hours here. Not only is there a 'new' bookshop for the non-second-hand stuff, but there are no less than eight second-hand book rooms, two rare book rooms, a book-binding and restoration service and school supply as well as there being an open fire in the middle of all this. The only thing it's missing is a cafe - get some hot drinks and brownies on the go and I'll actually move in. No joke. The place is incredibly atmospheric and beautiful. Your head swims with the scent of well-thumbed, well-loved tomes that carry the echo of the laughter, tears or comfort they might have caused. This is my favourite bookshop in the world. The staff are experts and you can tell they adore books, which is always reassuring to anyone browsing or seeking out something specific. It's been going since 1926 and long may it continue.

This is a great shop, and cafe, would recommend everyone to visit, food is lovely as well as the…read moreservice..

I ordered 2 books from this company over 2 weeks ago. One of them didn't arrive. The other, they…read moredecided to send me the audio book on cassette even though I ordered the paperback. (I don't even own a cassette player). I attempted to contact them using their contact form on the website, but I have been ignored for over a week now. They have given a really poor service and I have raised a dispute through my card provider. I WOULD ADVISE YOU TO AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS! Sadly I couldn't select a 0 stars review which they rightly deserve.

Before its demise, Brow's Lane newsagents was the place to go for all your confectionary and…read moreperiodical needs but now that it's gone there is only one newsagents left in the village, the cunningly named Village News. Being that they are the only proper newsagents in the village and they have a good selection of sweets and canned goods, there's not much wrong with the Village News. Their collections of magazines is especially impressive, with a range so extensive it nearly puts WH Smiths to shame. One thing that is a bit annoying though is that all the sweets are just in front of the desk where you pay for everything, so choosing which sweets you want becomes somewhat of a palaver. There's nothing worse than having someone watch as you umm and ah over whether you should buy a Boost even though it's 57p or just play it safe and go with the tried and trusted Mars Bar at 40p. Aside from that though, this newsagents ticks all the boxes. They also have a container sat outside with different sized balls in, come rain or shine, which can be especially handy on nice days when the kids are outside. Not so much when it's pissing it down though.

Since the closing of the once mighty Brows Lane News (where once I scratched a living as a…read morepaperboy, eating wildlife bars and delivering copies of the Daily Express to the wrong houses) this is the only independent newspaper and magazine retailer in Formby Village. It's important to support the shop for that reason alone - although you can buy newspapers and magazines at Waitrose, Marks and Spencer and even Caffe Nero it's important to keep these places going. After all where else in the local area are you going to be able to get hold of a copy of Angling World or Tattoos Today? Nowhere, that's where. They do sell beach goods - inflatable balls, buckets and spades, that sort of thing - which are always indispensible should you find yourself heading down to Formby beach with youngsters in tow. They are also the only place for miles around that does loose Lions Sports Mixtures and Midget Gems which are like my very own version of crack cocaine.