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The old black door on Otago Street with a hand-painted bookshop sign.
Glasgow

Thistle Books

A secondhand bookshop on Otago Street by the Kelvin since 1998, strong on Scottish history and culture, with a book-finding service.

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Welcome

Thistle Books is a secondhand bookshop tucked down on Otago Street in the West End, by the Kelvin, behind an old black door with a hand-painted bookshop sign on the wall, and it has been buying and selling books here since 1998.

Its team searches out good and well-loved titles from across the country.

Inside it is an old-fashioned bookshop, a warren of shelves from floor to ceiling, with narrow aisles, piles of books stacked on tables and on the floor, boxes of prints and papers, and runs of old leather-bound volumes alongside modern paperbacks. The collection of Scottish history and culture is especially strong, but there is something on most subjects, Tolkien included, and it rewards a slow browse. If a title is not on the shelves, the Book Finder service will track it down for you. It is round the corner from Roots, Fruits and Flowers and Great Western Road, and a good stop on a walk along the river. Thistle Books opens Monday to Saturday from eleven until five, and is closed on Sunday.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
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Before you go

Thistle Books opens Monday to Saturday from 11am to 5pm.

It is closed on Sunday.

Hours
Mon to Sat 11:00 to 17:00; closed Sun.
Where
55 Otago Street, G12 8PQ.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
11am–5pm
Tuesday
11am–5pm
Wednesday
11am–5pm
Thursday
11am–5pm
Friday
11am–5pm
Saturday
11am–5pm
Sunday
Closed

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Where it is

55 Otago Street, in the West End.

Close byAt Kelvinbridge.
  1. Perch & Rest Coffee on Otago Street at dusk, a white cottage with lit windows, greenery and tables and chairs out front.Perch & RestA coffee shop and shop for beans, brewing kit and gifts, in a white cottage on Otago Street by the River Kelvin, open every day.Under a mile as the crow flies
  2. Diners round a table in a warm, busy room.StravaiginUnder a mile 1 min by road
  3. A salad bowl and a slice of cheesecake on a wooden table.The Left BankUnder a mile 1 min by road
  4. Paesano Pizza West EndPaesano Pizza West EndThe restaurant that first brought Neapolitan pizza to Glasgow, on Great Western Road.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Buckets of flowers along the pavement on a wet day on Great Western Road.Roots, Fruits and FlowersAn independent grocer, deli, florist and café in the Caledonian Mansions at Kelvinbridge.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. A painted cart with a scalloped canopy in the middle of the shop.East End PressPaper garlands, baubles and cards in strong colours, on Great Western Road by Kelvinbridge.Under a mile 1 min by road
Directions
A red bowl of beef noodle soup with wide hand-pulled noodles, spring onion and coriander at Noodles and Dumplings.RestaurantsNoodles and DumplingsA step away
The corner front of Eusebi Deli on Park Road, with red awnings and the deli's red seal in the sun.RestaurantsEusebi DeliA step away
The front of Valhalla's Goat on Great Western Road, its long sign over windows of bottles, with plants by the door and people walking past.ShoppingValhalla's GoatA step away
The green shopfront of Caledonia Books on Great Western Road, its painted sign over a window stacked with books and a green door papered with notices.ShoppingCaledonia BooksA step away
Cottonrake Bakery shopfront with bicycles and people seated at outdoor tablesCafeCottonrake Bakery0.2 miles
The shop inside, with a barrel, shelves and hanging lamps.ShoppingI.J. Mellis, Great Western Road0.2 miles
The counter at Black Pine, a coffee machine and cakes under pendant lamps.CafeBlack Pine Coffee Co0.2 miles
Chefs at work behind the counter of Brett's open kitchen, seen through the window from Great Western Road at dusk.RestaurantsBrett0.2 miles
The River Kelvin through trees, the arches of Inn Deep below the bridge.RestaurantsInn Deep0.3 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the shop, and when each is next free.

A grey sofa with cushions sits before a black and white kitchen, a framed print on the wall to the left.Moment Blythswood Street
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Glasgow
  • A mile from Thistle Books
Check datesA grey corner sofa with cushions and a sheepskin throw sits before a shelf of books and a round mirror, a wood burning stove and log store to the right.Talli House
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Dunlop
  • 12 miles from Thistle Books
Free 11–13 JanPlaces to stayEvery stay in GlasgowAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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