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Welcome

 

Award-winning independent and much-loved bookshop, Dulwich Books has been serving the local community for over 40 years.

In these challenging times for retail, we value our loyal customers and hope that the personal aspect of shopping locally will prevail. We can order books into the shop for next-day collection provided it is in stock at our suppliers and ordered by 5pm.

You can place your order over the phone during working hours, by emailing us or by filling out the order form below.

We stock a wide range of titles, as well as a fantastic choice of children’s books. We also stock greetings cards, gift stationery, wrap and jigsaws. In addition we offer a loyalty card scheme – just ask at the till when making your purchases.

Our friendly, knowledgeable and experienced staff are on hand to recommend books and help with any questions.

We hope to see you soon!

 

Hire the bookshop

Explore our children's section

 with

Welcome

  

Award-winning independent and much-loved bookshop, Dulwich Books has been serving the local community for over 40 years.

In these challenging times for retail, we value our loyal customers and hope that the personal aspect of shopping locally will prevail. We can order books into the shop for next-day collection provided it is in stock at our suppliers and ordered by 5pm.

We stock a wide range of titles, as well as a fantastic choice of children’s books. We also stock greetings cards, gift stationery, wrap and jigsaws. In addition we offer a loyalty card scheme – just ask at the till when making your purchases.

Our friendly, knowledgeable and experienced staff are on hand to recommend books and help with any questions.

We hope to see you soon!

Order a Book

We can take orders over the phone on 020 8670 1920 during working hours or by email at [email protected]. We can order books for next-day delivery provided it is in stock at our suppliers and ordered by 5pm.

Alternatively, click the button below and fill out the form on our website with the details of the book you would like to order.

We are on Bookshop.org

We hope our local customers will continue to order books directly from us. For customers in other parts of the UK, we are delighted to be part of Bookshop.org , an on-line sales platform which allows readers to buy books online while supporting local independent booksellers. It has been hailed as a “revolutionary moment in the history of bookselling”: finally a socially conscious alternative to Amazon.

Books of the Month

Non-fiction

Brave and Bold by Nell Frizzell

Mudlark, £16.99

 

Brave and Bold celebrates one hundred years of the beloved Ladies’ Pond on Hampstead Heath through the rhythm of a single swimming year, from frozen Januarys to sun-drenched midsummers; through friendships, feminist activism and the exhilaration of open water.

Created in collaboration with the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond Association and rich with archive material and new interviews – from Dolly Alderton and Amy Liptrot to lifelong swimmers of every era – this is the story of community, women and wild water across a century of social and political change.

Brave and Bold is both a love letter to Hampstead Heath and to every woman who has ever felt most at home bobbing about in open water.

Middle Grade

The Othernauts by Clare Pollard

Bonnier, £7.99

 

Phoebe’s eleven and desperate to escape the boring island where she lives. Enter the Argonauts – a crew of so-called heroes on a quest to grab the golden fleece. Before Phoebe can think better of it, she stows away on the Argo.

From attacking harpies to deadly whirlpools, giant sea monsters to skeleton armies, there is peril at every turn. Fortunately the Othernauts are on hand – though with Phoebe’s unhelpful prophecies, Perry’s unreliable shape-shifting skills and Cora the siren’s headache-inducing singing, it’s not quite clear exactly how much help these kids will be . .

An original retelling of the myth of Jason and the Argonauts with a fresh and funny twist, perfect for fans of Loki and David Solomons.

 

Young Adult

The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Usborne, £9.99

 

Everyone has heard of the Button heirs: the five genius children of infamous billionaire Leontes Button. Adopted and trained under the “Button Method”, they’ve had no choice but to be brilliant. But brilliance comes at a deadly price.

At their father’s tenth annual Prodigy Ball, Leontes Button is murdered. As long-buried secrets come to light, one thing is clear: everyone at the ball had reason to want him dead. After all, their father was especially good at making enemies…

A rollercoaster of twists and turns with secrets, lies, murder and money, The Heirs is The Inheritance Games meets Knives Out.

Fiction

Exhibition by Alex Hyde

Granta, £14.99

 

Amid the heady rebellion of London’s Young British Artists, Rabble Stone, a photographer, meets the artist, a painter, after renting a room in her Brixton home. Soon Rabble is in thrall to this new world: to the run-down glamour of the Victorian house; to the exhilarating and debauched gallery openings, and to those in the artist’s orbit, beautiful and lost.

Above all, she is drawn to her new friend’s work; raw, unfiltered self-portraits of startling intimacy, which Rabble captures in her uncompromising photographs. But as Rabble’s longing tips into obsession, her pursuit of the artist – her fame, her wealth, her life – threatens to consume her…

Travelling from London to Algiers, to Berlin and New York, Exhibition is a story of love, ego and destruction, and the dark relationship between authenticity and celebrity, artist and muse.

Picture Book

A Great Day at the Beach by Rose Grover

Magic Cat, £12.99

 

It’s ALWAYS a great day at the beach…. Or is it? One little girl and her family are going to the beach and they can’t wait. But as is often the case, things don’t quite go according to plan.

Whatever happens, they will be together. And together always means a great day at the beach. A heartwarming and relatable story about the ups and downs of a family day out from debut author-illustrator Rose Grover.

 

Upcoming Events

Storytime on Saturdays, 11am

 

 

Join us in the children’s corner every Saturday at 11am for storytime when we’ll read from our favourite picture books, old and new.

No need to book, just turn up and enjoy!

Meet the Team

Cathy Slater

Owner

Cathy has enjoyed a career in publishing spanning over 3 decades, in International Sales and Foreign Rights. She joined Dulwich Books in January 2017, keen to learn about the bookselling side of the industry and purchased the shop from Susie Nicklin in November 2019. She is very happy and excited to have an opportunity to run this much-loved bookshop, and continue to serve the local community.

When not reading, she loves gardening, walking, nature and wildlife. She sings in two local choirs and is part of a shanty group called Shotley Crue. She speaks Italian and French and a little Spanish.

Cathy recommends

The Bell in The Lake by Lars Mytting

MacLehose Press, £9.99

The first in a rich historical trilogy set in Norway, a lyrical mix of legend and craftsmanship, and a compelling love story. By the author of The Sixteen Trees of the Somme.

 Kitty Spence

Manager

Kitty read Modern and Medieval History at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Since then, she has worked in retail, as well as volunteering at various theatre and new playwrighting festivals. She joined the Dulwich Books team in 2018 and was appointed as manager in 2022.

She enjoys reading all sorts of books, but has a particular fondness for novels set in London and literary biographies. She also loves going to the theatre, live comedy, football, culture podcasts as well as taking long walks and swimming at lidos and ponds around London.

 

Kitty recommends

The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard

Picador, £9.99

The first volume of the wonderful Cazalet Chronicles. Set during the summers of 1937 and 1938, it follows three generations of the Cazalet family as they spend their holidays together at Home Place in sunlit Sussex. Howard expertly explores the tensions and tangles of family life and she writes with a generosity towards each of her many characters. This captivating novel unfolds at a delightfully unhurried pace, making it a perfect book to get lost in. It’s always a pleasure to revisit the Cazalets and the later volumes follow the family through the Second World War and beyond.

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Location

6 Croxted Road
West Dulwich
London
SE21 8SW

[email protected]
020 8670 1920

Opening Hours

Mon – Thurs 10am – 5.30pm

Fri – Sat 9.30am – 5.30pm

Sun 11am – 4pm

Nearest overground stations:
West Dulwich & West Norwood

Number 3 bus:
Stops just outside the shop

Place an order

Please fill out the form below with the details of the book you would like to purchase and we will send a confirmation email that the order has been processed.

 

For Schools

 We have a lot of experience working with local schools and can arrange free delivery of books to your school. We can often offer free author visits to schools and organise book sales at events.

Our expert staff can share their knowledge and offer guidance on all book related enquiries to teachers and librarians, and we are happy to offer competitive discounts, so please contact us with your requirements.

Bookshop Hire

We  hire out the shop for private events, such as book launches, in the evening. We charge for this service, as we will provide staff, utilities, and assistance.

If you are interested do email [email protected] with details of your event, and we will be happy to help.

 

 

For Publicists & independent authors

We have a busy events programme, and are delighted to have recommendations from publicists about possible author visits, window displays, book signings, readings and story telling sessions. Please email [email protected] in the first instance.

If you are an independent author, please visit the shop to see what kind of books we have in stock and  email [email protected] with info about your work. We have had plenty of success with local and independent authors and will consider each book on its merits.

Off Site Sales

We work with lots of venues to sell books for their events, festivals, book signings and launches. All books can be put through Book Scan, and we can take credit card sales via our GPS-enabled machine as well as cash and cheques.

Don’t hesitate to call us on 020 8670 1920 or to email [email protected] if you need an expert bookseller for your event.