As a student of history I find their section on history and politics to be not the most up-to-date. However, this can hardly be expected of a second-hand bookshop. However, as a reader of SF, crime and classic literature I very rarely find that this shop doesn’t have what I am after. Friendly, helpful and extraordinarily knowledgeable staff always seem to be at hand to point customers in the right direction. An excellent bookshop, especially if you enjoy rummaging through a huge amount of stock in search of that one particular book, or great for an extended browse and discovering new favourites.
Maddie Y.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Bristol, United Kingdom
This is my number 1 second hand bookshop in Bristol. Split into two sections, occupying two shops within the covered markets, it holds thousands of books, and is comfortable and easy to browse. I love its bright yellow exterior and quirky name, and it offers the most classic of bookshop experiences you could possibly want. I came here a lot when I was a student to find books of poetry, classics, and plays; this section is very well stocked. Now that I’m not a student, I like to come here just to browse, particularly in the huge autobiography section, and it’s the kind of shop I can happily lose an hour in, without having the slightest feeling of that time passing.
Kathryn C.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Bristol, United Kingdom
A great secondhand bookshop this. Its got a collection of weird and wonderful. I’ve found children’s annuals I used to read as a kid from here which was a complete blast from the past. They stock interesting books as well as tat, coming here really requires time to sift through everything. It feels a bit like searching for treasure, often you may find nothing and other times you may strike gold. My big score was finding childrens annuals from here. I ended up buying as a christening present for my niece, the comic annual that my sister used to read from the year she was born and the annual I used to read in the year I was born. When she’s old enough, she can have a giggle at the exploits which already seem incredibly outdated.
Craig H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Bristol, United Kingdom
This is one of the best places in St Nick’s market by my reckoning. I’m a fan of the travel section and can spend a good half hour or so, simply dreaming of escaping to far-off lands. There’s lots to be found in here and not everything is always in the right place, I once found a copy of Gray’s Anatomy(that’s the medical journal, not the TV show) in the transport section, so it’s worth having a dig around if you can’t initially find what you’re looking for. My dad is an avid railway enthusiast(okay, trainspotter) and this place has got a big section on trains, so he’s always getting me to check in here for any books that are missing from his ever-expanding First Great Western collection. Sad, but true.
Jenni D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
Whenever I go to a second hand book shop, I am reminded of Helen Hanff’s philosophy in 84 Charing Cross Road. She believed it was selfish to keep hold of books that you’d read and were unlikely to read again. You were better to pass them on to friends or give them to shops like Beware of the Leopard. So whenever I look through the crates and crates of books I think how fantastic it is people have paid their books forward. It’s worth taking your time to search every nook and cranny of this shop to find the hidden gems. Because there’s a complete mix of genres in Beware of the Leopard, I love going iin with an open mind and coming out with something completely unexpected. Beware of the Leopard is spread over two sheltered units so don’t miss out by forgetting to pop across the walkway.
Janine K.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Bristol, United Kingdom
Firstly what a fantastic name! For those who don’t know what it refers to go and a) read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or b) Google it and then read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In fact, you can probably find a copy of it here. This is a secondhand bookshop which is useful to find your trashy holiday reading but, I guess because of the many colleges in Bristol, is particularly good for finding reference books — great for skint students. For presents I like to find old books on friend’s hobbies here as they are always funny to look back on. The shop is split either side of the market corridor and will take you a minimum of 30 minutes to skim through the shelves. They will also buy books but check first as they don’t want everything you throw at them… think of it as recycling with monetary benefits!