SignedSigned hardback of the month
A new hardback signed for the shop and picked by our booksellers
$32
Stay for one more chapter
Inkwell Lane is an independent bookshop with new books on every shelf, signed copies when authors visit, and gifts for the readers in your life. Shop online, ask us to order any book in print, or reserve a seat at an author evening in the back room.
- Every table chosen by our booksellers
- Signed copies from author visits
- Gift wrapping in paper and string
- Any book in print ordered in
From the counter
The things we post most often. Every book order is wrapped by hand, and anything not on the shelves can be ordered in.
Signed
Blind date with a book
Wrapped in brown paper with three clues written on the front
$18
Reading subscription
A paperback chosen for you each month for three months
$66
Gift card
Spend it in the shop, online or on event seats
from $20
Canvas book bag
Heavy cotton with long handles, holds six hardbacks
$22
By enquirySpecial order, any book in print
Tell us the title and we order it in, usually within a week
Price on enquiry
EnquireDelivery is added at checkout from your address. Books in stock are posted within two working days, and unread books can come back within 30 days.
Chosen by people who read them
Every book on our front tables has been read by at least one of our four booksellers, and the small handwritten card tucked under it says why in a few honest lines. A book that disappoints us does not get a card.
Ask at the counter for something like the last book you loved, and we will walk you to three shelves you might never have tried. Recommendations by email work the same way: tell us what you have been reading and we reply with a short list.
- Handwritten cards on every front table
- Reading suggestions by email within two days
- Small presses and translated fiction given real space
Author evenings and reading groups
The back room seats forty, so every event is reserved by enquiry. Tell us which one and how many seats, and we confirm by email within a day.
Author evening
a seat$10
A visiting author reads, talks and takes questions, then signs copies at the counter.
- Seat price taken off the book on the night
- Signed and dedicated copies on sale
Book club
a seat$6
One book a month, picked by the group and talked over in the back room.
- Ten percent off the month's book
- New members welcome any month
Saturday story time
a child$4
Picture books read aloud, with a little drawing afterwards. A grown up stays with each child throughout.
- Thirty minutes, then time to browse
- No charge for the grown ups
Authors and publishers who would like to hold a launch or a signing can propose one through the same form.
How signed copies are described
Signed books are listed with exactly what the author wrote, because collectors care about the difference.
| Listing | What the author added | Returns |
|---|---|---|
| Signed | A signature on the title page | Within 30 days, unread |
| Signed and dated | A signature with the date, usually written at an event | Within 30 days, unread |
| Signed and lined | A signature with a short line or quote from the book | Within 30 days, unread |
| Dedicated | A message to a person you name, written at an event | Final sale |
Signed copies are sent wrapped in card and tracked, so corners and jackets arrive as they left the shop.
What is on the shelves
New books across the whole shop, with deeper sections where our booksellers read most.
- Literary fiction
- Translated fiction
- Crime and thrillers
- Science fiction and fantasy
- Historical fiction
- Poetry
- History
- Nature writing
- Food and cookery
- Travel
- Art and design
- Graphic novels
- Picture books
- Young readers
- Teen fiction
- Local history
Not seeing your kind of book? We order any title in print, and most arrive within a week.
Inside the shop
Two rooms of shelves, a window seat for slow afternoons and the back room where events are held.
What readers tell us (example reviews)
Asked for something like a favourite novel and left with three books from shelves never visited before. Two of them are now favourites too.
The blind date book came wrapped beautifully, with clues that were spot on. A genre never picked on purpose, finished in one weekend.
A warm, funny author evening with good questions from the room, and the dedicated copy became a birthday present nobody else could have bought.
Questions for the booksellers
Can you order a book that is not on the shelves?
Yes. Any book in print can be ordered through the form or at the counter. Most arrive within a week, and we keep them aside for you for two weeks.
How do event seats work?
Send an enquiry with the event and the number of seats, and we confirm by email. Seats are paid for at the counter on the night, and the seat price comes off the book if you buy a copy.
Do you post signed copies?
Yes, wrapped in card and tracked. Dedicated copies are written at events and are a final sale, so please spell the name clearly in your enquiry.
Can books be returned?
Unread books in the condition they arrived can come back within 30 days for a refund or an exchange. Dedicated copies are personal, and they are the one exception.
Can an author or publisher hold an event here?
Yes. Use the form to propose a launch, a reading or a signing, with a rough date and the book. The back room seats forty, and we sell copies on the night.
Do you post books abroad?
Yes, to most countries. Postage is shown at checkout, and import taxes, where a country charges them, are paid on arrival.
Reserve seats or ask the shop
Use this form to reserve seats at an event, order a book we do not stock, or propose an author evening. We answer within one working day, and seats are paid for at the counter when you arrive.
- Seats confirmed by email within a day
- Seat price taken off the book on the night
- Special orders kept aside for two weeks
Find the bookshop
There is one low step at the door, and a portable ramp is kept behind the counter.
Opening hours
| Monday to Saturday | 09:30 to 18:00 |
| Event Thursdays | Until 21:00 |
| Sunday | 11:00 to 16:00 |
Event nights
On the first Thursday of the month the shop stays open until nine. The front room stays open for browsing while the back room fills up.