Welcome
Award-winning independent and much-loved bookshop, Dulwich Books has been serving the local community for over 30 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 for next-day delivery provided it is in stock 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!
Welcome
Award-winning independent and much-loved bookshop, Dulwich Books has been serving the local community for over 30 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 for next-day delivery provided it is in stock and ordered by 5pm.
We are open, but monitoring the situation daily. If you are unable to come to the shop, we are able to offer free local delivery. 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!
Order a Book
We can take orders over the phone on 020 8670 1920 during working hours or by email at hello@dulwichbooks.co.uk. 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 directly from us. As before we are offering free local delivery as well as collection from the shop.
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 their local independent bookseller. It is being hailed as a “revolutionary moment in the history of bookselling”: finally a socially conscious alternative to Amazon, just in time, as bookshops are facing a second lockdown.
After a hugely successful launch in the US, it is open in the UK from November 2nd.
Books of the Month
Non-fiction
Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes
Picador, £20
Taking Pandora and her jar as the starting point, Natalie Haynes puts the women of the Greek myths on equal footing with the menfolk. After millennia of stories telling of gods and men, be they Zeus or Agamemnon, Paris or Odysseus, the voices that sing from these pages are those of Hera, Athena and Artemis, and of Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Eurydice and Penelope.
Middle Grade
When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kareen Getten
Pushkin Children's, £7.99
Clara loves eating ripe mangoes fallen from trees, running outside in the rainy season and escaping to her secret hideout with her best friend Gaynah. There’s only one problem – she can’t remember anything that happened last summer. When a quirky girl called Rudy arrives from England, everything starts to change….
This heartwarming debut, set in Jamaica, is a wonderful exploration of friendship, family, memory, and forgiveness.
Young Adult
A Secret of Birds & Bone by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Chicken House Ltd, £12.99
Sofia’s mother carves beautiful mementoes from the bones of loved ones. But one day, she doesn’t return home. In a Siena ravaged by plague, Sofia and her little brother Ermin search for their missing mother, crossing the city underground and following clues in bones up to the city towers.
We have a limited number of signed copies of this darkly beautiful historical novel available to reserve.
Fiction
Reality and Other Stories by John Lanchester
Faber & Faber, £12.99
Household gizmos with a mind of their own. Constant cold calls from unknown numbers. And the creeping suspicion that none of this is real….
Reality and Other Stories is a gathering of deliciously chilling entertainments by Dulwich Books favourite, John Lanchester – stories to be read as the evenings draw in and the days are haunted by uncanny technologies and all the absurd horrors of modern life.
Picture Book
The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
Penguin, £14.99
The Lost Spells introduces a beautiful new set of natural spell-poems and artwork by beloved creative duo Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. Each ‘spell’ conjures an animal, bird, tree or flower – from Barn Owl to Red Fox, Grey Seal to Silver Birch – with which we share our lives and landscapes.
Moving, joyful and funny, The Lost Spells celebrates a sense of wonder, bearing witness to nature’s power to amaze, console and bring joy. We have a limited number of signed copies available to reserve.
Upcoming Events
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. 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, £16.99
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.
Philip Maltman
Senior Bookseller
Do any of you really need introducing to Philip? Probably not, because he’s been here forever. But let’s spend a moment anyway, contemplating the Godfather of Dulwich Bookselling. He went to art school, which we won’t dwell on, and these days only stops reading long enough to paint.
And when he paints? It’s about books. It is always worth stopping him in the shop to ask what he’s reading, he is constantly searching out the unique, surprising and wonderful.
Philip recommends
Light Years by James Salter
Penguin, £9.99
“James Salter wrote American sentences better than anyone”, according to novelist Richard Ford. Whilst I would put a strong recommendation on everything he has written, Light Years as a novel is a masterpiece where Salter wields, no, not wields, crafts, his elegant prose. Fine cracks begin to spread through the shimmering life of a near-perfect married couple.
‘We dash the black river, its flats smooth as stone.’ (Light Years) First sentences are important to me. James Salter is a master of prose. This is one of the best.
Kitty Spence
Bookseller
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 at the start of 2018 as a Saturday bookseller and is now a full-time member of staff.
She enjoys reading all sorts of books, but has a particular fondness for novels set in London, literary biographies and anything published by Virago. As well as reading, she loves going to the theatre, live comedy, culture podcasts and long walks in London.
Kitty recommends
The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Picador, £8.99
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.
Rachelle Keyes
Bookseller
Passionate about books, my first ever job was as an editorial assistant at Bloomsbury Books. The BBC followed, creating content for various web sites – at the time a job that was thought to be a complete waste of time as people weren’t quite sure the internet was going to be a thing of the future. I believed them and left to join Channel Four and the world of interactive television – possibly not my best move!
Three children and a dog later, I am now delighted to be surrounded by books again. I have long been a fan of this bookshop and it is a complete privilege to be working here. Aside from books, I love being outside as often as possible, getting lost in the countryside, heading to the theatre, playing board games, trying every now and again to ride horses and failing miserably to grow anything on my allotment.
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Location
6 Croxted Road
West Dulwich
London
SE21 8SW
hello@dulwichbooks.co.uk
020 8670 1920
Opening Hours
Mon to 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 hello@dulwichbooks.co.uk with details of your event, and we will be happy to help.
For Publicists & independent authours
If you are an independent author, please visit the shop to see what kind of books we have in stock and email hello@dulwichbooks.co.uk 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 hello@dulwichbooks.co.uk if you need an expert bookseller for your event.