Blackwell's Edinburgh: Europe Trip Bookstore Reviews
That being said, I wanted the bookstores to find us and not the other way around, so checking off a bookstore in every country is down to fate. I'd been surprised that there wasn't a single bookshop on the Royal Mile or Victoria Street (mostly, it's just shops for cashmere, cashmere, and even more cashmere), but turning down a random side street in search of food put us in the way, finally, of an Edinburgh bookshop, Blackwell's, on our last day in the city. 
I also noticed that while Ireland had even brand new books out in paperback and a nice, higher-quality feel to these paperbacks than in the US, the books at Blackwell's were much more like those in the US and followed the same hardcover convention. For instance, Intermezzo was only being sold in hardcover, whereas in every Dublin bookshop I visited, it was offered in both hard and soft cover simultaneously. I've heard that the UK market is much more accepting of paperback first, and I also just wonder if this is the difference between indies and chain stores here. Or maybe there's different conventions for EU vs UK, but many of the books in Ireland primarily had the price in pounds printed on them. I'd love to do more research on these international divides in publishing when I get the chance.
Now, I've done a little googling since visiting because a poster hanging on the second floor had me confused. It declared that Blackwell's was Edinburgh's oldest bookstore. And maybe it was the expansive space or the fact that I'd heard the name before tickling in the back of my mind or maybe the lack of the use of the word "independent" on the poster, but the store felt like a chain. Google confirmed this hunch as I scrolled through a lengthy list of UK locations, so I went back to read the fine print on the paper. Technically, books have been sold in that location since 1848, just not by Blackwell's. It was James Thin's, originally, which was bought out by Blackwell's in 2002. All of this makes Blackwell's as a store make a bit more sense to me.
This bookstore is massive. Probably the biggest one I've ever been in. The Last Bookstore in LA has higher ceilings and a grander feel, but in terms of usable shelf space, the three story sprawl of Blackwell's Edinburgh might have it beat. Downstairs offered a confusing mix of nonfiction, a tiny sliver of hardcover fiction, and a stationary and games area. Past the stationary, I caught a quick glance of a full art store. There was also a Cafe Nero tucked away in the back, which only helped drive home the Barnes and Noble vibes. While there are plenty of Starbucks in Edinburgh, the bookstore hosts a more European coffee chain that I'd also noticed in Ireland.
We found our way up the stairs in the back to the rest of the fiction and nonfiction on another massive floor. There was a whole room devoted to crime novels then a twisting display of fiction and rooms and rooms of hyper-specfically organized nonfiction. We spent multiple hours looking around, sitting in the window seat, and ultimately going to the cafe. If you're looking for sheer volume of books, this is definitely your place. I'm consistently surprised in Edinburgh how storefronts that look relatively modest from the street turn out to be exceptionally deep and roomy on the inside.
My disconnect with Blackwell's, though, is the same empty feeling I get visiting Barnes and Noble. There's all the books one could possibly want, but there's no eye for curation. You can't feel the human touch, the editorial eye. They offer everything, whereas indies that are confined to small spaces and limited budgets put deep attention and care into the selection. My heart just doesn't do the same happy dance in stores that don't offer that personal touch when it comes to what's included on the shelves. But it was fun to see some UK authors' novels like Emma Gannon, whose newsletter I love, on the shelf that I don't typically see in the US.
Since the selection is so massive, there were plenty of books that caught my eye. I first picked up None of This Is Serious since it had been on my TBR but only available in the UK for so long. I was going to take it home, but I Goodreads searched it just to make sure I'd like it. I'm living out of a backpack for two weeks, so space is extremely precious. The book has been eviscerated on the platform, and while I might like it, I wasn't willing to take the chance in this situation. I was fascinated to learn, though, that the book was written by none other than Sally Rooney's sister-in-law. Maybe I'll read it on Kindle (I believe it's now available in the US) since I've realized I can convert my credit card points to Amazon gift cards to get Kindle books for free (that's how I stocked my Kindle ahead of this trip). I also wrote down The Mess We're In by Annie Macmanus since I was drawn in by its cover and then found out it was a novel about music and friendship. 
Instead, I purchased a different paperback by an Irish author that I'd never heard of before, Service by Sarah Gilmartin. The writing on the first page immediately grabbed me, and Goodreads gave it an extremely favorable (for Goodreads) 4.2 stars. I'm super excited to dive into it one of these days. It seems like my backpack will come home stuffed full of Irish literature before I get back to the States.
While Blackwell's isn't making my list of all-time favorite bookstores, I never turn down the chance to see what's on offer in various cities and try to glean more about the nuance of publishing and book sales in new places. Honestly, on a horribly windy day, there's no better place to spend time than a bookstore, and I'm super excited to dive into Service.
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