Guides

Book hunting guides

Field notes for charity shop and thrift store regulars — how to read a shelf fast, what to look for, and which books are worth the space on yours.

How to find good books in charity shops

Where the good shelves hide, when stock turns over, and how to read a chaotic shelf without losing an afternoon.

Prize winners hiding in plain sight, first editions, and the quiet backlist gems most people walk straight past.

Tracking your gaps, matching editions, and why five visits to one good shop beat one visit to five.

What a pound a book does to your reading, how to curate as you go, and the shelf-care basics.

Price stickers without the scar, the musty-smell fix that actually works, and which books to leave in the shop.

What to expect from Sunday hours, why the shelves are worth reading that day, and how to check before you set out.

Find a shop that takes books, town by town, plus what volunteers actually want and the Gift Aid trick that raises 25% more.

Spreadsheets, barcode apps, and shelf scanning compared — and the two-second habit that keeps a catalogue alive.

Number lines, publisher quirks, and the book club editions that only look like the real thing.