Barter Books

Barter Books is inside what used to be Alnwick railway station

Barter Books is a second-hand bookshop located in the historic English market town of Alnwick, Northumberland owned and run by Stuart and Mary Manley. It has over 200,000 visitors a year, 40% of whom are from outside the area, and is one of the largest second-hand bookstores in Europe.[1] It is considered a local tourist attraction[2][3] and has been described as "the British Library of second-hand bookshops."[4]

The bookshop is located within the Victorian Alnwick railway station, designed by William Bell and opened in 1887.[5] It was in use until the closure of the Alnwick branch line in 1968.[6] Barter Books was opened in 1991.

The shop is notable for its use of a barter system, whereby customers can exchange their books for credit against future purchases. Standard cash purchases are also available.

Original copy of the 1939 Keep Calm And Carry On poster, in Barter Books, Alnwick, Northumberland.

Barter Books has also been subject to crime on occasions. On the May 3, 2007, a local newspaper, the Northumberland Gazette, reported that a book worth over £2,000 was returned to the book shop 5 years after it was stolen.[7] It has also been subject to a scam which allowed thieves to take £200 in cash. However, the crime was dealt with later in court.[8]

Barter Books hit the headlines in 2000 when the owner discovered, in a box of old books bought at an auction,[9] an old World War II poster from 1939. The slogan, "Keep Calm and Carry On", and the simple design has turned it into an international phenomenon, and has been on the walls of places as diverse as Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street and the US Embassy in Belgium.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Town map leaves tourists in the dark - Northumberland Today
  2. ↑ Accommodation in Britain, hotels, hostel, campus, self-catering, apartments : VisitBritain
  3. ↑ "Alnwick - Tourism - England - Discover UK - About The UK - China". Britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  4. ↑ Benton, A M: England by the Book: A Guide to the Best Bookstores and Libraries
  5. ↑ "Aln Valley Railway and Society @". Railways-of-britain.com. Archived from the original on 2016-01-18. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  6. ↑ Alnwick Branch Archived August 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ "Happy ending for stolen rare book - Northumberland Today". Northumberlandgazette.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  8. ↑ "Cash scam warning to traders - Northumberland Today". Northumberlandgazette.co.uk. 2007-05-25. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  9. ↑ "About". Keepcalmhome.com. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  10. ↑ What Crisis? Keep Calm and Carry On: The Poster we Can't Stop Buying - The Guardian

External links

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Coordinates: 55°24′37″N 1°41′58″W / 55.41028°N 1.69944°W / 55.41028; -1.69944

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