Lighthouse Bookshop, Edinburgh's queer community bookstore
There're so many incredible bookshops in Edinburgh to choose from – here we pick one of our favourites, the queer community bookshop Lighthouse
There is an embarrassment of bookshops in Edinburgh – appropriately so, given its infamous status as a UNESCO City of Literature. And while it might have been Rabbie Burns and Sir Walter Scott that got it that moniker, it’s the city’s bookshops that carry the torch, offering not just an incredible selection of books but community building and stunning events programmes.
One of the best to do it is Lighthouse Bookshop, the city’s queer community bookshop dedicated to all things radical in fiction and nonfiction. There’s been a bookshop in that space on West Nicolson Street for 30 years; previously called Word Power Books, Lighthouse Bookshop was born when the current owners took over the space in 2017 and has fast become a staple in the Edinburgh book scene. The inside is split across three different spaces that cover all kinds of writing, from indie presses and diverse fiction (their romance section is particularly – excuse the pun – banging) to radical and left-wing politics and even a wee zine section.
Their booksellers are also some of the best in the business, with a staggering amount of knowledge between them – if you have a vague recollection of a book cover you saw once, or want a recommendation for truly niche poetry, they’re your people. And the spirit of fellowship doesn’t stop there; Lighthouse Bookshop is all about building community, whether that’s closing for an hour so its booksellers can attend protests or putting on incredible events that bring writers and readers together. There are book launches throughout the year, monthly book clubs about queer fiction and women in translation, and several festivals that the bookshop runs: First Date, a sexy romance festival in June; Book Fringe, which offers an alternative programme of events during the August festivals; and the Radical Book Fair in November, spotlighting some of the best radical fiction of the year.
Lighthouse Bookshop, 43-45 W Nicolson St, Edinburgh; Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm; Sun, 11.30am-5pm
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