Thurs Wed 
Welcome
Easter Opening Hours
Friday 3rd: 9.30 – 5.30
Saturday 4th: 9.30 – 5.30
Sunday 5th: CLOSED
Monday 6th: CLOSED
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 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
Easter Opening Hours
Friday 3rd: 9.30 – 5.30
Saturday 4th: 9.30 – 5.30
Sunday 5th: CLOSED
Monday 6th: CLOSED
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 for next-day delivery provided it is in stock 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
London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
Picador, £22
In 2019, a London teenager, Zac Brettler, fell to his death from a luxury apartment building on the banks of the Thames. On a desperate quest to understand how their son had died, his grieving parents made a terrible discovery: Zac had been leading a fantasy life, posing as the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.
Patrick Radden Keefe follows Zac’s parents on a dark journey to find out what brought him to the balcony that night – and how a teenager’s life of make-believe drew him into the city’s terrifying underworld. London Falling is a riveting story of wealth, violence and deceit at the heart of a glittering city.
Middle Grade
The Adventures of Portly the Otter by M.G. Leonard and Polly Dunbar
Farshore, £14.99
There is a time in a young otter’s life when they must be introduced to their river. For Portly, today was that day … Told across four seasons in one year, little Portly has the greatest of adventures. Among other fur-raising encounters, he learns to swim, battles a large trout, rescues a human girl, outwits the weasels and stoats of the Wild Wood and sleeps in the care of the god Pan.
Full of all the charm, nostalgia and sounds of splashing in the river that fans of The Wind in the Willows love, M.G.Leonard’s faithful spin-off will enchant an entirely new generation, with utterly gorgeous illustrations by Polly Dunbar throughout.
Young Adult
Piper at the Gates of Dusk by Patrick Ness
Walker, £16.99
Brothers Ben and Max have never really got on, each being more like one of their parents – Todd and Viola. But when something is spotted in the night sky – something that’s bringing back dreams of Noise, dreams of terror – the brothers will have to come together. Danger is coming and the family will be tested like never before.
A sci-fi, dystopian, heart-pounding adventure like no other, by one of the world’s most beloved young-adult writers and author of A Monster Calls. This is a brand-new story set in the world of the multi-award-winning, globally bestselling Chaos Walking series – a compelling read for new and existing fans.
Fiction
Son of Nobody by Yann Martel
Canongate, £20
In the depths of the Bodleian Library, Harlow Donne discovers a lost account of the Trojan War. He names the epic poem The Psoad, after its protagonist, a Greek commoner identified as Psoas of Midea but known to all as ‘son of nobody’. As sole translator and interpreter of the Psoad, Harlow dedicates the poem and its modern footnotes to his daughter, Helen.
Under his gaze, the text unlocks echoes of Ancient Greece into the present day, and a personal message to his beloved child appears. Despite the three-thousand-year gap between the two, a thread hasn’t frayed: the universal song of homesickness and regret, of ambition and grief. In this masterpiece of myth and history, Son of Nobody explores how stories become facts, the price we pay to share them and how we live – then, now and always.
Picture Book
A Poem in the Sky by Benjamin Zephaniah and Nila Aye
Orchard Books, £12.99
There’s a poem on your face. There’s a poem in the sky. There’s a poem in outta space. There are poems passing by. Poems are EVERYWHERE – in your dreams, on your fingers and in your teeth! There’s even a poem in you. Can’t you see it? It’s right there.
Get ready to see poems wherever you are in this toe-tapping celebration of rhythm and rhyme from award-winning poet Benjamin Zephaniah, beautifully illustrated by Nila Aye. A joyful picture book that celebrates the magic of poetry, from the award-winning makers of Nature Trail and People Need People.
Upcoming Events
Dominic Gregory – Lifeboat at the End of the World : A Volunteer’s Story
April 23, 2026 - 19.00
For two hundred years, the Dungeness lifeboat has launched in storms and heavy seas to frigates and barques, trawlers and dinghies. Like all lifeboat stations in the British Isles, it is led by a coxswain and staffed by volunteers. Dominic Gregory volunteers as part of her crew.
Dominic Gregory’s writing offers extraordinary power and immediacy. Join Dominic as he talks about his brilliant book which explores what it is really like to volunteer for the RNLI and celebrates the remarkable but ordinary men and women he volunteers alongside.
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 at the start of 2018 as a Saturday bookseller, has been a full-time member of staff since 2019 and has recently been appointed as manager.
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 & Tues 10am – 6pm
Wed 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 [email protected] with details of your event, and we will be happy to help.
For Publicists & independent authors
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.
