The Book Annex
18 Church Street
HARWICH  Essex  C012 3DS
tel: 01255 551667  e-mail  website  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00 & Sunday 2.00 - 5.00.
Academic stock with particularly strong areas in the visual arts, science, history, film and media. Over 18000 books, principally published in the last five years. Stock can be viewed on our website. We welcome visitors but if coming a distance please phone first.

Bookworm
100 Kings Avenue
HOLLAND-ON-SEA  Essex CO15 5EP
tel: 01255 815984  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 4.00
Particularly crime and general fiction and about 1,000 military history titles.

The Castle Book Shop
40 Osborne Street
COLCHESTER  Essex  CO2 1QR
tel: 01206 577520  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.00 - 5.00.
Large general secondhand stock and particularly archaeology, transport, military and modern first editions.
    Good on topography and classic fiction. Well organised once you get the hang of their system. Reasonable prices. - Herne.
    Confusingly, nowhere near the Castle, this used to be on North Hill but is now in better premises, As Driff would have it VETGOW (Very Easy To Get On With - Ed). Excellent stock and very reasonable prices. Almost a dream of a second hand bookshop. Just up the road (out of the shop turn left and 100 yards is a well stocked Oxfam shop). NB there is a sister Bookshop in Felixstowe - Treasure Chest, 61 Cobbold Road. - Jon Morgan 05.02.08.
    A good example of what a bookshop should be, whether selling new or second hand books. Good stock, all in excellent condition. Prices fair but not rock-bottom. Large broad-based stock. No rubbish, no damp smells. If you park in the Osborne Street car park, you may have difficulty finding it -- but Osborne street continues beyond the traffic lights. - Roger Pearse 27.06.08
    Although I would not disagree with the other postings about the holdings over two floors I did find the brusque attitude a little hard to take. However, the regional titles were superb with many shelves of county material. - Chris Harte 21.08.09.

Friends of Hylands House
Stable Centre  Hylands House  Hylands Park CHELMSFORD  Essex  CM2 8WQ
tel: 01245 284236
Open: Every Day 10.00 - 5.00.  e-mail  map
Mixture of good quality paperback fiction and non-fiction, including collectables and first editions. Well worth a visit combined with a tour of the house and a nice meal in the courtyard cafe.
    One room of mainly fiction but with a useful local history section plus a few collectables. - Herne 10.07.10.

GfB: the Colchester Bookshop
92 East Hill Town
COLCHESTER  Essex  CO1 2QN
tel: 01206 563138  e-mail  website  map
Open: Tuesday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.30.
Very large stock, specialising in academic and out-of-print books on literature, art, philosophy, and history, as well as the sciences and local interest. Free customer parking.
    Welcomed with a request to sign an anti-supermarket petition ! Varied stock on two floors - - topography strong as well as art and fiction. - Herne
    Just down from the Castle. Seems a little dry and academic on first inspection. The upstairs is new since I last visited but some good stock. The rear is an excellent place. Good Military section and excellent stock of reasonably priced paperbacks. - Jon Morgan 05.02.08.
    Not easy to find as entrance on lower ground floor, hence the damp smell. Stock reasonable but nothing really old. Shop assistant (owner being away) had virtually no knowledge of the business. - Chris Harte 21.08.09.

Harwich Old Books
21 Market Street Town
HARWICH  Essex  CO12 3DX
tel: 01255 551667 fax: 01255 551667  e-mail  website  map
Open: Friday & Saturday 10.00 - 5.00, Sunday 1.00 - 5.00, extra days throughout the Summer.
Traditional Secondhand Bookshop in the centre of Old Harwich. Booksearch service.
    A well stocked shop in a rather bleak area of Harwich. Not all prices on display. "Back room" of Architecture books probably of specialised interest only. Opening times unclear - best to call ahead. Another nearby shop ,The Book Annex is seemingly all unpriced remainders and appears to be run by the same people. - Herne.
    To Quote their website: "The back rooms retain the late-medieval flavour of the original timber-framed building (ask us to show you the surviving carvings!), while the atmosphere in the Victorian front of the shop is quite different" Yes there is certainly an atmosphere here - when I asked politely if it was possible to have a look at the books in the backroom - the owner - without lifting his head from his computer screen growled in a voice which imparted menace and sarcasm in equal measure 'no - not really' - the shop was completely empty and the books in the back did look more interesting than the main stock. It was all a bit disappointing and insulting. Won't be back. - D. McFarland 13.10.09.

Lankester Antiques and Books
The Old Sun Inn  Church Street
SAFFRON WALDEN  Essex  CB10 1HQ
tel: 01799 522685  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 5.30.
A large stock of general secondhand books.
    This shop is a wonderful oasis in the wilderness. There are numerous rooms full to the brim with books including runs of titles of which I have only seen for sale as individual copies. Everything is in marked, designated areas with subjects too many to give in detail. Prices were very generous. I stayed for two hours and hardly skimmed the surface. This shop is well worth a visit although it is necessary to park some distance away. - Chris Harte 20.04.10.

Leigh Gallery Books
137 Leigh Road
LEIGH-ON-SEA  Essex  SS9 1JQ
tel: 01702 715477  map
Open: Thursday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00
Large general stock and particularly art, illustrated, literature and local topography. Also maps and prints.
    The biggest and best of several secondhand shops in Leigh. Antiquarian and secondhand books, well-displayed and organised with quality books at reasonable prices. Recommended to browsers. - Bridget the Browser.
'This is the sort of bookshop I love.
     Excellent stock with loads of 19th century items. Lots of quality mid-wars fiction and some stunning rarities in between other stock. Owner knew his subject and answered my queries with ease. Visit highly recommended. - Chris Harte 29.06.09.

Othellos
1376 London Road
LEIGH-ON-SEA  Essex  SS9 2UH
tel: 01702 473334  map
Open: Thursday - Saturday 9.30 -4.30
General secondhand stock and particularly maritime books.
   "Large, organised shop and worth a visit." - Bridget the Browser.

Oxfam Bookshop
94 High Street
CHELMSFORD  Essex  CM1 1DX
tel: 01245 345028  map
    A reasonably good book selection downstairs and a huge vinyl collection upstairs - Herne 10.07.10.

The St. Helena Hospice Bookshop
92 Connaught Avenue
FRINTON-ON-SEA  Essex  CO13 9PT
tel: 01255 851755  map
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 4.00.
Donated books, records and CDs.