Kernaghan Books

My first visit to Kernaghan Books was only fairly recently. I hadn’t visited the Wayfarer’s arcade for a long time, probably not since I was dragged around Broadbents’ department store as a screaming child. This time I promise I did not scream.
Tucked away on the second floor, Kernaghan’s is easily ignored, however doing so would be a very big mistake on your part.
For any bibliophile or avid reader this is a truly excellent haven of books. You really cannot beat £1 for Bret Easton Ellis’ ‘American Psycho’, which ended up being my purchase. I would recommend Kernaghan’s to anyone who enjoys a particular and maybe obscure reading matter. Divided into many different sections, as well as having a rare books room, it is perfect for someone rooting out a particularly uncommon book. The staff are friendly and extremely helpful and eager to counsel on other books you might enjoy based on your selection.
On a side-​note, my friend discovered and eventually bought a Spam recipe book for her father as a joke present. It was very well received.

Established in 1985, Kernaghan Books is a must for antiquarian book lovers and old fashioned gentlemen.
Located on the balcony floor of Wayfarers Arcade, it’s a spacious, open plan shop that houses over 20,000 new and secondhand books. Like the nearby Parkinsons, the emphasis is on specialist subjects with a strong bias towards local history, geography, travel, architecture, food and drink, Irish history and Irish fiction. The stock is usually in Very Good to Excellent condition and the staff are clearly passionate readers and historians. Naturally, the age and condition of the books is reflected in the price and for genuine collectors, there’s a library of rare leather and dust jacket books in the Book Room. Kitted out like an Edwardian mens room, this has leather reading chairs, an old fireplace and lots of glass book cabinets. If only they allowed pipes and cigars…