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 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
Everybody: A Book about Freedom by Olivia Laing
Picador, £20
At a moment in which basic rights are once again imperilled, Olivia Laing conducts an ambitious investigation into the body and its discontents.
Drawing on her own experiences in protest and alternative medicine, and travelling from Weimar Berlin to the prisons of McCarthy-era America, she grapples with some of the most significant and complicated figures of the past century, among them Nina Simone, Christopher Isherwood, Andrea Dworkin, Susan Sontag and Malcolm X. We have a limited number of signed copies available.
Middle Grade
By Ash, Oak and Thorn by Melissa Harrison
Chicken House, £7.99
Three tiny, ancient beings, once revered as Guardians of the Wild World, wake from winter hibernation in their beloved ash tree home. When it is destroyed, they set off on an adventure to find more of their kind, a journey which takes them first into the deep countryside and then the heart of a city…
A breathtaking tale of the rich, wild world and all its wonder from acclaimed nature writer and novelist, Melissa Harrison.
Young Adult
The Dark Lady by Akala
Hodder, £12.99
Henry is an orphan, an outsider, a thief. He is also a fifteen-year-old invested with magical powers in Elizabethan London haunted by dreams of the mysterious Dark Lady….
This brilliant, at times brutal, debut novel from Akala, a natural storyteller, will glue you to your seat as you are hurled into a time when London stank and boys like Henry were forced to find their own route through the tangled streets and out the other side.
Fiction
Lean Fall Stand by Jon McGregor
Fourth Estate, £14.99
When an Antarctic research expedition goes wrong, the consequences are far-reaching – for the men involved and for their families back home.
Award-winning novelist Jon McGregor returns with a stunning novel that unpicks the notion of heroism and explores the human impulse to tell our stories – even when words fail us. A meditation on the line between sacrifice and selfishness this is a story of the undervalued, unrecognised courage it can take just to get through the day.
Picture Book
William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Walker Books, £12.99
Retold by Georghia Ellinas for Shakespeare’s Globe, William Shakespeare’s comedy about four lovers’ mishaps in an enchanted forest is unforgettably re-imagined as a picture book for very young readers.
With exquisite and detailed illustrations from the acclaimed artist Jane Ray, this captivating retelling is a magical way to introduce children to one of the Bard’s best-loved works.
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.
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.
We’re on Instagram
Join our mailing list
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 authors
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.