An Appeal: Local History Bookshops.

If you're like me you're always on the lookout for local history books, whatever your geographical area of interest. This was never much of a problem a couple of decades or so ago when there seemed to be loads of second-hand bookshops around. Now there are virtually none, with charity-based concerns filling the ever-widening gap in the market. And these are usually poor affairs, with fiction books dominating the sparsely-populated shelves of disorganised outlets. Oxfam and Amnesty International have shops dedicated to books, of course, but, oh, how we all miss the old-fashioned book dealers of yesteryear!

Obviously, the internet - eBay and Amazon, primarily - is now the main option when it comes to sourcing old tomes, and a few second-hand bookshops have there own websites, too. But things are pretty desperate for us bookworms, so I thought I'd dedicate a section of my blog to trying to compile a list of all our options - both online and offline! 

So can you help?

What we're looking for is websites and shops who stock local history books pertaining to the North-East of England. I am really only especially knowledgeable about Newcastle and immediate area, but would love to learn of more options from anywhere in the region. I will include shops, large and small, who sell new books (Waterstones, etc.), as well as the second-hand dealers - so get thinking and contact me either via the comments below or at micksouthwick @ blueyonder.co.uk (without the gaps!).

And a little description of the shops would be nice, too! (including those below, actually, as I haven't been to most of them).

Here's what I have so far...

Keel Row Books, North Shields

Barter Books, Alnwick

The Next Chapter, Bellingham

Books for Amnesty, Newcastle

Cogito Books, Hexham

Bookwyrm, Durham City

Forum Books, Corbridge

Accidental Bookshop, Alnwick

The Bound, Whitley Bay

Blackwell's, Newcastle

Berrydin Books, Berwick

Humford Mill Books, Morpeth

Head Bookshop, Darlington

BDC Antiquarian Booksellers, Darlington

Jeremiah Vokes, Darlington

Needful Things, Hartlepool

Book Corner, Saltburn

Oliver's Bookshop, Whitley Bay

St. Oswald's Hospice Bookshop, Gosforth

Tyne Bridge Publishing, Newcastle City Library

The Drake Bookshop, Stockton

The Guisborough Bookshop

Darlington Lions Club Bookshop

Tynedale Hospice at Home Bookshop, Hexham

Oxfam Bookshops at:

Darlington

Durham City

Hexham

Jesmond

Newcastle

Waterstones branches at:

Darlington

Durham City

Hexham

MetroCentre

Middlesbrough

Morpeth

Newcastle

Sunderland

Yarm

WHSmith branches at:

Alnwick

Berwick

Darlington

Durham City

Hartlepool

MetroCentre

Middlesbrough

Morpeth

Newcastle

Stockton

Online:

eBay

Amazon

Abe Books

Oxfam Online

World of Books

When I've got together what I think is a pretty comprehensive list I shall dedicate a tab of my blog to the cause. Thanks for any help you can offer!