David Maybury | Blog

The Winding Stair bookshop used to be the home for all things bohemian - with a bookshop that seemed to stretch right up into the clouds (at the top was a sticky-tabled literary restaurant that made the whole trip worthwhile). Now it’s back and packing a punch.

The creaky stairs and multiple floors are gone, replaced by a Michelin rated gastro-restaurant. But the ground floor has been kept on as an independent and eclectic bookstore. The most appealing feature about the store is the unexpected - you are never quite sure what you will find on the next shelf. (The children’s books shelves are stuffed with some good titles but there is limited space and as a result, limited stock.)

The Winding Stair has kept it’s old-worldy, bohemian atmosphere - something that is lost in the new Chapters store - and it is hard to resist the urge not to just spend hours idly sifting through the hundreds of books. The appeal of the store is bolstered by its staff - who are not only friendly but know more than just a thing or two about books and writers. (Just don’t drop in at half 7 in the evening and keep Regan waiting for his tea. You won’t like him when he’s hungry.)

The shop is closed on Mondays but is open Tuesday - Sunday from 12pm till 5.

Previous posts:

obsessive blogger | Chapters
obsessive blogger | Books Upstairs, College Green
obsessive blogger | Hodges Figgis, Dawson St.
obsessive blogger | Reads of Nassau Street
obsessive blogger | Bookshop Map

About obsessive blogger | Tuppenceworth.ie

Who didn’t know and love Chapters on Abbey Street? It was a powerhouse of knowledge and dust and more than the occasional spider. A children’s section at the very back of the shop that was removed from everything from the main store. A decent, archaic/chaotic secondhand basement. Cheap books and movies and music.

And on top of all this. It had an amazing building:

But the times, they are a-changin’. And Chapters has evolved alongside Dublin. It has taken up residence on Parnell Street and become an impressive book-seller while maintaining some of it’s previous charm. The building is new (and huge) and forms part of the regeneration project around Parnell/Moore/Jervis Street.

The prices are still kept considerably low in comparison to other stores and the massive floor space means that they are very likely to already have what you’re looking for. Much of the chaos is lost in the new shop - bright lighting and considerably more organised shelving makes the experience more shopper friendly. The children’s section is still at the back of the shop, more as a result of neglect than a thought-out feature though.

Chapters’ true saving grace is in it’s second floor. Nearly equaling the size of the ground floor, upstairs is dedicated to secondhand books and you can nearly always get what you’re looking for there at half the price.

Previous posts:
obsessive blogger | Books Upstairs, College Green
obsessive blogger | Hodges Figgis, Dawson St.
obsessive blogger | Reads of Nassau Street
obsessive blogger | Bookshop Map

About obsessive bloggers | Tuppenceworth.ie

Badges have hit the blogosphere - first came the Mulley Man’s most sought after Fluffy badge (and Sabrina’s Fluffer badge for himself). Elly created the WWMD (What Would Mulley Do?) stickers for the blog awards and then Tuppenceworth’s Fergal announced the Obbsessive Blogger badges - for blogging with passion, or obsession.

But wait! There’s more - Midget Wrangler has brought us the Filthy badge - awarded to the dirtiest (naughty not muddy) post of the week. And Dr. Fústar-stein has created the Dreadful Thoughts badges (or are they spirits cleverly made to look like badges in a bid to get close your organs?)

Go earn your blogging stripes…

Books Upstairs is celebrating it’s thirtieth year this year. Still housed on College Green in Dublin the shop has become synonymous with the humanities. Owned and run by Maurice Earls (of DRB fame) Books Upstairs holds a long running tradition of knowledgeable, loyal and long-serving (suffering?) staff.

The shop itself is a favourite to most of Dublin’s writers - poets, novelists and playwrights alike all grace the creaky boards regularly. Though not top of my list, Books Upstairs is often best for poetry and literary fiction - both Irish and international - and it remains true to it’s aim of selling good books at good prices.

If anything, I would like to see the shop invigorated with new, younger customers. Located directly opposite the front entrance to Trinity College I always expect it to be laden with undergraduates cradling copies of Milton - an expectation I have never witnessed…

Previous posts:
obsessive blogger | Hodges Figgis, Dawson St.
obsessive blogger | Reads of Nassau Street
obsessive blogger | Bookshop Map

About obsessive bloggers | Tuppenceworth.ie
Thanks Fergal for sending me a badge - one designed by himself, the other by Green Ink. Wearing both with pride.

Continuing the Obsessive Blogger book rant: Dawson Street has been the mecca for Dublin book buyers for as long as I can remember. It once housed Forbidden Planet, Eason-Hanna as well as Waterstones and Hodges Figgis (both owned by HMV).

Hodges Figgis, famously mentioned in Ulysses, is reportedly the largest bookstore in Ireland and stocks 60,000 titles (approx). Specialising in Irish related books, you can spend some comfortable hours between the bargain books basement and the three floors above. It is not always the most cost effective store but it is competitively priced for larger releases and bestsellers. The staff seem to stick to their own areas of interest and each have more than a working knowledge of what books are coming out, been discussed and what is on the shelf (and where).

My favourite service in Hodges Figgis is their dedication to finding a book if it’s not shelved - doesn’t sound like much, but it is surprising how few stores are really interested in getting a book for one customer. The shop is vast and it is easy to get overwhelmed on your first visit but if you have a few hours to spare Hodges Figgis is one place to watch time pass by.

Previous posts:
obsessive blogger | Reads of Nassau Street
obsessive blogger | Bookshop Map

There has been a small reshuffle in bookshops around Dublin lately. Chapters has moved from Abbey Street to their huge new premises on Parnell Street. Easons have finally, after plenty of rumours, closed their Eason-Hanna store on the corner of Dawson Street and just around the corner, Reads (bought by Easons in 2006) has opened a new, larger, dedicated bookstore.

Apart from the abysmal branding of the new Reads store - garishly red facade and chicken scrawl logo - the internal layout of the shop is horrible. With Waterstones and Hodges Figgis within a 2 minute walk, both with four stories of selling space, the new Reads needs to innovate if it is to go up against these two juggernauts. With most of my time spent in the children’s books section of any store I enjoyed the removed room that Easons-Hannas had reserved for young readers. In comparison, Reads has children’s books shelved alongside science fiction, fantasy and adult graphic novels.

Not everything about the new store is negative. Reads look to be trying maintain their edge on selling books at the best price that they can - with a large selection of bestselling and highly acclaimed books available at great prices. But at the cost of the aesthetic pleasure of feeling comfortable in the store, is it worth the saving?