Addyman Books

Addyman Books… I didn’t even have to enter the bookstore to fall in love with it: the blue windows (I love blue) and the hilarious signs “No parking, Reading only zone” in front of the shop were enough to convince me that I had to go inside. And never decision was wiser!

This is undoubtedly the most Instagrammable of all the Hay-on-Wye bookshops: vintage shelves, books arranged by colour, illustrated editions, hidden corners where you can admire your favourite volumes… I would probably start taking pictures first, if you are a wannabe influencer, and going through your to-buy list straight after.

Now, just a little bit of history: Addyman Books first opened in 1987, in a teeny-tiny room. The success of the shop soon allowed the owners to move in a bigger space nearby Lion Street, exactly where they can still be found today. And, if this was not enough, they managed to open another bookshop just across the road specialising in detective fiction, Murder and Mayhem, (my favourite one). And – yes, there is more – five years later The Addyman Annexe was opened as well, specialised in beat, sex, drugs, art, modern firsts, poetry, philosophy… anything you can dream of!