OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!
An independent book shop driven by a passion for reading, with beautiful books, cards and gifts curated for you from a cobbled market place in the heart of Yorkshire
Books curated for YOU
Nestled in the bustling market town of Otley in the beautiful Wharfe Valley, our bookshop is a haven for readers. Books from local authors, best-sellers, classic fiction, nature, poetry and a large selection of books for kids and teens are here for you to escape into.
As well as books we have a wide selection of carefully selected design-led gifts, cards and gift wrap.
We regularly have author events, book clubs and social gatherings, held in our beautiful upstairs space, where we celebrate all things literature.
Special Edition Books
Hardback
From the creators of the internationally bestselling, award-winning, multi-adapted phenomenon The Lost Words: a dazzling celebration of birdlife in Britain, re-imagining the classic field guide for a new generation of nature loversA great thinning of the skies is underway. Around 50% of bird species are in decline worldwide. Our dawns and springs are quieter each year than the last.
An almost unimaginable abundance has been lost. It does not have to be this way –– but we will not save what we do not love. The Book of Birds is a compendium of forty-nine bird species, from Avocet to Yellowhammer, all of which are declining or endangered in Britain.
Inspired by the classic bird-books with which the authors grew up, this is a field guide with a difference. It asks not ‘What is that bird?’, but ‘Who is that bird?’ It shows its readers how to identify birds, but also how to identify with them. With lyrical precision and playfulness, Robert Macfarlane evokes each bird’s habits and habitats –– their patterns of flight and of song, how they hunt and gather, how they nest and raise their young, the stories and myths which attend them, the threats which shadow them, and how their wild lives intersect with our own.
And on every page we encounter Jackie Morris’s exhilarating artwork, painted in watercolour and gold and animated by an extraordinary attention to detail and sense of life. Set among this dazzling flock of species are seven sections celebrating the 'Seven Wonders' that together make up the everyday miracle of 'Bird': Nest, Egg, Beak, Song, Feather, Flight and Migration. Seven years in the making, The Book of Birds is a love letter to the splendours and mysteries of birdlife, and a clarion call to halt the loss of birds from land, sea and sky.
From Dipper to Dunnock and Kestrel to Kingfisher, from mountain to ocean and city to river, Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane conjure the unique spirit and lifeway of each species. This is a book to be treasured by bird-lovers of all ages, and a future classic work of reference.
Hardback
'This book is a complete delight, not only a fairytale for adults that transports you on a magical journey of childlike wonder, but also a parable that helps you lead a better life' - JAMES NORTON'Magically hopeful. This story will speak to your soul and your monkey mind and bring them back into harmony. Beautiful and uplifting, charming and soul-nurturing, this is another glorious triumph from the beloved Matt Haig' - DONNA ASHWORTH 'If you enjoyed The Midnight Library, you'll love this.
The Midnight Train is exquisite storytelling and utterly brilliant. One of the most beautiful stories you'll ever experience' - JOANNA CANNONWhen your life flashes before your eyes, what will matter most?For Wilbur it was his time with Maggie, the love of his life. Their honeymoon in Venice.
Before he threw it all away. Years later, on the brink of his own death, a train arrives. It can take Wilbur back in time.
To relive his most important moments. Soon he realises just how much he would have changed. An adventure through time, The Midnight Train is a story of love and second chances, from the world of The Midnight Library.
The sixth book in the multi-million-copy bestselling series about a cosy Japanese cafe that offers its visitors the chance to travel back in time. In a special seat in a fabled Tokyo cafe, you’re offered something irresistible – not just a warm, comforting coffee, but the chance to go back in time to revisit the ones you love . .
. In Before I knew I loved you, Toshikazu Kawaguchi takes us back to the warm heart of the mysterious Funiculi Funicula Cafe, with another four guests whose luminous stories of love, lost and won again, will reaffirm your belief in its eternal potential. In this book, we meet:- The girl who wishes to make amends with the mother she never accepted- The man who waited for a reply from his girlfriend, and never heard from her- The woman anxious to travel ahead to know what her future holds- The student who travels back to meet his father again, who passed away many years before.
Yet the same rules always apply – you must return before the coffee gets cold. And while it does, memories are revisited, people are changed forever, and the enduring power of love transcends the boundaries of time. The sixth book in the phenomenal, bestselling series, translated from Japanese, Before I knew I loved you asks the irresistible question: what would you do if you were offered the chance to go back in time?
Local Interest Books
Otley Chevin: A Landscape History is a 61-page local history book written by Alastair Laurence, featuring illustrations by Roger Watkins and originally published in 2006. It explores the rich human and geological heritage of the 700-acre Chevin Forest Park, which overlooks the market town of Otley.
The book details thousands of years of human activity on the Chevin and examines local myths, legends, and mysteries. Key eras and subjects covered include:
Prehistoric Roots: Traces the discovery of ancient flint knives, scrapers, and arrowheads indicating early human presence on the ridge.
Iron Age & Roman: Discusses the settlement of early tribes on the wooded slopes and the proximity of Roman roads and camps in the Wharfe Valley.
Quarrying & Industry: Highlights how the Chevin was shaped by centuries of stone quarrying, which provided gritstone for local buildings and infrastructure.
Folklore & Vistas: Explores the local folklore attached to its rugged crags and the famous panoramic views across Wharfedale from spots like the Surprise View.
This book by Graham Shutt – ex-teacher at Prince Henry’s Grammar School – lists, describes and tells the story of Otley’s Military Memorials.
In addition to the 95 graves and memorials in Otley Cemetery, there are 31 other memorials. It is surprising that there are not more. In both World Wars many men who worked in the printing engineering factories the leather industry, the paper mill and the textiles industries joined the forces and were killed, but the only ‘industrial’ memorial is in Grove Hill Park, donated by the Otley Mills companies of Ackroyd’s and Duncan-Barraclough. The only ‘educational’ memorial is the 1939-1945 plaque at Prince Henry’s Grammar School. Thirty-five ex-pupils of the Otley National School were killed in the First World War, but there is no known memorial.
The Memorial Garden War Memorial was dedicated in 1956 in tribute to the fallen in the Second World War. In August 1966 the Memorial Cross, sited originally in the Parish Churchyard was moved to the Memorial Garden. The Cross was dedicated to the fallen in the First World War. There was no Civic First World War Memorial in Otley, making it one of the few towns without one.
Marjorie England grew up in Crow Lane and when she found her dad’s old photos of the streets she called home, along with his newspaper cuttings about local events, the memories came flooding back. What started as a chance discovery turned into a passionate hunt to find out more secrets of those streets and endless hours of research revealed some fascinating stories. This led to a new book about this part of Otley which is available from The Bookshop on the Square