The best independent bookshops in Manchester

This time capsule of a bookshop has been in business for over 40 years, and the heaving shelves and towering piles of hardbacks are testament to decades of love for bookselling. They specialise in out of print and hard to find titles, especially on art and local history. We’d definitely recommend a mooch around if you get taken in by niche literary curiosities, just to soak in the atmosphere if nothing else.

A bookshop on wheels, Catalog Books is the brainchild of self-confessed bookworm Peter Tzouanos, a man who came back from a trip to Copenhagen and set about designing and making his mobile bookstore a reality. He stocks a diverse range of curated books and zines, and you can find him on Oxford Road, next to All Saints Park, just a little bit down from the fruit and veg fella.

Describing themselves as a purpose-led independent bookshop, cafe and events space, House of Books & Friends are all about community. Housed within an impressive Victorian Gothic Grade II-listed building and with a comprehensive range of new and second hand titles, and a focus on indie publishers, this is a bookshop designed for browsing on a lazy Sunday morning. The building itself is part of the appeal, originally opening as a members club back in 1871. You have to check out their spectacular event space if you can – it’s all marble, columns and arched windows.

The Modernist on Port Street in the Northern Quarter is the public face of The Modernist Society, which was founded over a decade ago by Eddy Rhead and Jack Hale. It was created as a focus for post-war modernist architecture in Manchester, and The Modernist is the ‘public face and space’ for celebrating good design, holding talks, hosting exhibitions and selling some pretty weighty books, homeware and generally arty objects too.

A Mancunian institution, Paramount Books on Shudehill is legendary, if not for its immense book selection, then for its erratic opening times, blaring music and the fact that they make you turn your phone off when you’re in there. It’s been around since the 60s this place, and there’s an amazingly odd selection of books in there. A must-visit for any culture-loving Manc.

Opening up on Tib Street during Pride Weekend in 2021, Queer Lit is the city’s first dedicated gay bookshop and it’s absolutely fantastic. The journey to opening up the bookstore was a rollercoaster for owner Matthew Cornford, after he successfully ran an online queer bookshop during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now home to over 1700 LGBTQ+ titles, you’ll find famous authors alongside hard-to-find and rare books, as well as children’s books – with everything handily categories and arranged for ultimate ease.

A fantastic, quaint little bookshop right on the high street in Chorlton, that’s been family owned and run since 1983. There’s always an impressive offering of fiction, non-fiction and children’s, plus regular events including signings and evenings with some of the world’s greatest authors.

A second-hand vintage bookshop now, tucked away behind The Art of Tea on Barlow Moor Road. It’s a proper little hidden gem this one, with thousands of second-hand books on offer – including loads of classic Penguin titles. You could spend hours in here looking through everything – and a lot of people actually do.

Now open on Stevenson Square, UNITOM is a “visual arts-orientated bookshop and print gallery” featuring a hand-picked selection of cultural and artistic inspiration. In other words, you’ll find an impressive choice of publications on contemporary art, design, fashion, photography and counterculture, alongside independent magazines and small press titles.

Right in the heart of Stockport’s burgeoning independent scene, Greenhouse Books is family-run and vegan, with an impressive selection of books, magazines, comics and graphic novels, plus a cafe serving up artisanal coffee and homemade soups and cakes

A lovely shop in Urmston that caters for everyone, from adult and child readers to those looking for gifts, stationery and games. They also have a great second-hand book offering, and host regular events with authors.

Up an unassuming staircase next to Beermoth on Tib Street, Anywhere Out of The World is only open Wednesday – Sunday and stocks only second-hand titles. It’s a haven for fans of poetry and literature, and provides a nice, quiet oasis from the hubbub of Northern Quarter life outside.

A Didsbury institution since 1959, E.J. Morten is a fantastic little bookshop on Warburton Street, that specialises in new, second-hand and rare antiquarian books with an emphasis on history, military history, travel and literature.

This little market stall on Church Street might not be here much longer, so if you want to have a root around their wares you should probably do it sooner rather than later. This market bit has always been threatening to be knocked down and/or replaced but it’s not happened yet, so hopefully it won’t do at all. The big building behind is getting knocked down soon though so time will tell.

Usually with a couple of speakers blasting out some Manchester bangers, Empire Exchange also sell a LOT of second-hand and vintage books – and is well worth a little trip down their trinket-laden stairs once in a while. There’s a lot of United & City stuff down here, but you can find anything, from 70s Bunty Annuals to the autobiography of Bruno Brookes – there’s a lot of rubbish in here – but also a lot of proper gems.

Exactly what it says on the tin: this shop sells magazines that, happen to be, rare. The couple behind Rare Mags (again, lovely and great for a chat – something Stopfordians are natural experts in) have a strong presence in the community and support independent and local artists. Their Instagram is a great one to watch if you want a general ear to the ground about Stockport’s going-ons.

An award-winning bookshop and cafe in the centre of Bramhall, owners Andrew & Sue have always had a dream of running a bookshop, and have finally made it a reality. Simply Books isn’t just a bookshop, it’s also a community hub, and they host regular events in here too including book clubs and signings, plus the pair run the Simply Cinema screenings in the village too.

The super cool bibliophiles behind Village opened their first bookshop gallery in Leeds, with a second in the Northern Quarter being the next logical move. If you’re into art-forward zines and lush print editions about interests from skating to urban ruins. With a considered selection of independently published books, you’re sure to find something as beautiful as it is intriguing. Creative people with an eye for detail should pay this place a visit, and don’t skip the gallery space downstairs.