Voltaire & Rousseau

Voltaire & Rosseau? More like, Voltaire & RoussOH My! Am I right?
Ok, calming down. The bookshop is less like a bookshop that you might expect to find in real life and more like the kind of bookshop you might expect to read about, described in an obscure work of fiction, and then to wish you could visit in real life.
It’s hidden away down Otago Lane which is, in itself, not an obvious place to visit. The first room you enter is a kind of porch area, with books that are always £1 or less. It’s worth a rummage but don’t let that distract you from moving into the main room. Here the shopkeeper sits behind a desk stacked high with books. Across from him is a small heater (honestly I have no idea how this place passes fire safety inspections and I’m completely beyond caring). Watch out for the book shop cat, or possibly cats, she or they like the heater.
The walls are lines with bookshelves and there’s a central stack separating the wall-​lining stacks. The shelves are packed several layers deep and there will be stacks on the floor to navigate around as well. Here’s a fun game: Search for a book that looks interesting, pick it off the shelf, now, is the book behind it more interesting, or less? Most of the books I’ve bought here I only found because they were hiding behind something interesting.
The vast majority of what’s available here is second hand paperbacks (unless you count «the cure for aching souls» in which case, it’s abundant, but not technically for sale). However, there are also interesting items here for collectors. I’m no collector, but I’ve picked up a few Folio Society editions here and the old, leather bound books on the cases closest to the shop keeper can be eye-​wateringly expensive, especially given how inexpensive almost everything else is.
My advice: Go in, but go without a particular book in mind. Go with an open mind, ready to pick up something you didn’t expect to. Enjoy.

Happy happy times, a heaven for book lovers.
I would be unlikely to arrive at Voltaire & Rousseau with a shopping list, the joy is that you walk in and immerse yourself in the crazy delight of being utterly surrounded with books of all genres and all ages.
First stop is the porch, where everything is priced at £1. Roughly in the far corner (nearest to door into the main shop) is art and architecture, ‘hobbies’, cookery, wartime/​military books, travel books, religion, then classics. At the main entrance you have childrens books and all things fiction.
In the main shop my favourite places to linger are the cookbooks and maps, which often tend to be opposite each other. The wall next to the til has some amazing Scottish history books and all the classic ‘must read’ Scots novels.
Voltaire & Rousseau is a delight, go and lose yourself there!

I think I only go out with my boyfriend due to where he actually lives. He’s within walking distance of pretty much everything, so I saw him off today and went off to Voltaire and Rosseau because as a booklover, I’ve always wanted to go to Voltaire and Rosseau.
It was still emblazoned with «Yes» posters which was endearing. And then I walked in and there were piles of books that were nearly the height of me! I’d love to have the energy to look through them, but I was carrying a really heavy bag, there were hunners of folk in about all the books which made it fairly impossible to move and I got frustrated pretty easily which made me feel a bit rubbish, because I love second hand bookshops.
I know I should have asked the man who runs the place, because he clearly has an encyclopedic knowledge of the books he has, but I wasn’t really looking for anything in particular.
It would be a great wee shop if I had the time and energy to through it!

V & R is exactly what a second-​hand bookshop should be — it’s a decaying old building with books stacked from floor to ceiling so that you feel it can only be the books that are stopping the place from collapsing. The shelves have long ago been filled and are now half-​concealed behind the piles of books on the floor.
Don’t expect an organised filing system here — I’m sure there is one but it’s pretty impenetrable. Fortunately the chaps who run it have a positively encyclopaedic knowledge of what they have and can usually point you in the right direction. There are some great finds to be had if you’re willing to spend the time looking; in the past I have found some rare esoteric books in here.
They’re not so good at buying books from you as I discovered recently when I was offered a pittance for 5 boxes of quite unusual books from my library, all in good or better condition. I appreciate they have to make a living and it can’t be easy in this age of e-​books and Amazon; anyway I declined the offer and I still have the books for the moment.
In winter it’s a bit chilly and the sole heating appliance appears to be a portable Calor gas fire — not the safest thing to have in room full of nice flammable paper you would think and I’m sure it’s an accident waiting to happen.
Definitely not the place to visit if you’re in a rush; expect to lose an hour or two browsing around in here. It has to be my favourite second hand bookshop in Glasgow and long may it continue to be so.

Voltaire & Rousseau is one of my favourite bookshops ever. This is NOT a place to go in if you’re looking for something particular and you don’t want to spend some time digging for whatever it is you want. This is a place you go in when you want to rummage around, spend some time and probably find more books than you wished for. It’s very cheap and extremely unorganized, but there’s not a bookshop quite like this – it’s an experience!
If you like to read, like to take your time selecting books, and you’re looking for nothing in particular, this is one of the best places you can find.

A life-​defining place. I recall wandering in as a young fresher at Glasgow University and being blown away. A book lover’s dream — and a valuable bit of history given the domination of amazon. The ramshackle lack of order is exactly the point: it is educative to browse shelves, making discoveries, learning of things you never thought might interest you. And, certainly in the humanities, you can find up-​to-​date editions alongside obscure Edwardian tomes or kitschy 70s paperbacks. Out of print treasures are hidden in precarious piles — and the pricing reflects wanting to make sales for the love of books rather than pure profiteering. Eddie and the cat are always friendly. Having travelled far, I’ve found nowhere quite like this place. When I scan my shelves, memories abound — my collected editions of Ben Jonson, Milton, Freud; my odd 1980s Middlemarch — everything from Marx’s historical writings to Old Testament Theology and Neo-​Latin love poetry and all from here — my shelves and life have been enriched by this bibliophilic Valhalla.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Voltaire and Rousseau house every book under the sun!
It’s a real book store — not glossy (mostly second hand), not overpriced, not organised at all, although the guy who owns it seems to be like a homing pigeon when it comes to locating his stock. Books act as walls in here — they are spilling out the doors even as you walk in. You could build a house (or a FORTRESS!) out of how many books are in this place.
So we’ve covered the fact there’s a lot of books in here; and I may be exaggerating (only slightly) about the chaotic nature of Voltaire. Books are separated into sections but are stacked high so you can’t get to the ones you want! But that’s part of the fun — finding a book you need from here becomes a quest and an adventure rather than a bland purchase.
It’s bursting with character, the guy who works in here keeps track (somehow) of every book he has (usually by ticking it off in a massive binder he has) and there’s an added cat for your enjoyment. Said cat is really cute, although can get grumpy if pestered so give him peace sometimes! He is usually to be found lounging on top of a comfy paperback, living the high life.
Voltaire has tons of personality and is two minutes away from the main campus of Glasgow uni, not to mention Kelvinbridge subway if you’re travelling from further afield. With books at 2 pounds and rarities, what’s stopping you? Go fetch! (And good luck on your mission!) Be like Mario, smash through the books like bricks to get what you want — even if it is a fiction frenzy I promise you’ll be 1 UP at the end of the experience.

I love used bookstores. There’s something about the smell of them that I like.
Voltaire and Rousseau is the type of place where it looks like old books go to die. There are PILES of them everywhere. It’s not so bad if you’re not looking for anything in particular; you could easily scootch around in there for hours just digging under stacks and piles and behind other books on the shelf. I love it.
I wondered, when I walked in, how the owner managed to get himself to the desk in the corner. It looked like he was completely blocked in by books. And how, I wondered, do I get to that book up there? Just ask, really.
The owner is a really lovely man, and it’s clear he takes great pride in his shop. I don’t think he’d be quite as happy if all the books where layed out alphabetically and easy to reach. I think it would lose most of its charm that way.
One great thing about this place is that it’s relatively cheap, and was a favourite haunt for my Uni days when I was searching for a cheap copy of a book for literature class. Dig? Yes, to save that extra £1.50, dig.
In the front room as you enter, you’ll find the first really crammed room full of books, however, they are all £1 or less. I found a few in there that I wouldn’t mind taking home with me, including a full-​sheet atlas. I wouldn’t even guess what it goes for new, but for £1, I can totally get on board!
It’s a great way to spend your free Saturday afternoon, rain or shine. And if you like the idea of finding a treasure amongst an archeological dig, then this is your place.
Plus, you never know. You might find something rare, maybe a first edition or something signed by the author in there.
You never know.

It’s hard not to reserve a soft spot for this place really.
While generally speaking I’m not a fan of orderless set-​ups, the kind of shops whereby you feel you’re due a medal should your incessant rummaging finally uncover something worth buying, there’s no doubting this second hand book mecca is a mess done with care.
Not only are the owners knowledgeable, they also have a scarily accurate memory for finding titles you may require and are willing to hike over piles of tattered books to help you get them. Indeed the closest this place comes to order is the inclusion of a separate room which has books stacked up from floor to ceiling. «Everything in this room a pound,» reads the sign.
In many ways, this place should be a parody of itself, particularly as it includes an obligatory cat which wanders in and out at its pleasure, but it’s just so welcoming and likeable. Although be warned — it definitely helps if you’re a mean Jenga player when selecting books from one of the precarious balanced piles.

The wonderful Voltaire and Rousseau Bookshop is one of the independent businesses that makes up the community on Otago Lane. It’s run by two brothers, and is always filled with a beautifully eclectic selection of second hand and rare books. You’ll also usually find a couple of cats around the place — probably attracted more by the warm friendly atmosphere that the literature.
Whether you’re looking for novels, philosophy, poetry, economics or science, you’ll find it all here. You do need to be prepared to do a lot of rummaging though, as there is often no rhyme or reason to the placement of the books! The owners are generally very clued up to what they have though, making me think that the place is probably more organised chaos than anything else.
The Voltaire and Rousseau bookshop is the kind of place that makes you feel better about the state of the world. Why? Because as long as wonderful places such as this one still exist — society can’t be all bad.

A treasure trove of randomness and wonderful literature located on the delightfully boho Otago Street. If you want to get lost in a sea of old books then this is the place for you. If you are looking for the Borders/​Waterstones experience then maybe don’t bother…
I went there when I was at university and I was able to get a host of great books at a great price. My pride and joy was a like-​new copy of the 100 top philosophers which was full of annotated notes. I still use it.
The staff are friendly enough and seem to have some idea of the organised chaos that defines this little odd ball of a shop.
It is like being in an episode of Black Books minus the disgruntled Irish man.