Blackwell’s University Bookshop

Blackwell’s situates on University square became a regular haunt for me as a student of English Literature. I had tried many other book stores but always found this one to be my absolute favourite even ahead of the more independent News from Nowhere.
The first great thing about this establishment is its location as it is right in the heart if Liverpool University and if you are a student there then this is convenience that you simply cannot beat.
The staff here are great and their passion is clear for all to see as is their knowledge which comes across strongly. The staff here all love to help and if this place hasn’t got it then I would be very shocked indeed.
The prices here are reasonable and the value is fantastic and they even have a coffee shop situated upstairs so that you can peruse your prospective purchases with a tasty beverage and this is unbeatable.

If knowledge is power as Foucault suggested, the staff at Blackwells should be the wisest folk in Liverpool.
Not only are they surrounded by academic text books noon til night but they have access to a staggering range of subjects from literature, film, theatre and architecture to history, geography, biology, chemistry, physics, nursing, media, business, communication and languages. In fact, next time you go in the shop to pick up a text book you should take a long hard look at who-​ever is serving you. After all, they may turn out to be the next Bill Gates or Stephen Hawkings!

Blackwell’s is the ideal place for students to purchase their books. It is opened especially to meet students’ needs and located in a busy student area (on the University of Liverpool campus). Whether it’s a certain book you require or not, the bookshop makes decent browsing.
With the upper floor also hosting a café, it is an ideal place to share a drink or muffin with colleagues whilst on your lunch break. Since it is a shop dedicated for students, they do student discount offers if you have a valid student ID card. Plus, if you have any unwanted books, you can trade them in for store vouchers provided the book is in good condition and on request by Blackwell’s. In addition to books, you will find other items such as small gifts, stationery and audio CD’s.

If you attend University and want to get your books all shiny and new (this ideal lasts for about 6 months of your first year or until you realise you need new books all the time and it’s cheaper to go to Amazon) this is the bookshop to head to.
As an English and Philosophy student, I quickly found that the excuse «I’ve not done my work because the shop didn’t stock that particular book» fell on deaf ears — my tutors would take their reading lists over to Blackwells at the start of semester and make sure there were enough copies ordered in. Hence everyone began crying poverty and the new excuse was «I couldn’t find it online/​in the library» — much fun ensued.
Anyway, as an educational bookshop Blackwells is pretty damn good, and as it also stocks used books for more affordable prices, it’s hard to find an excuse for why you’ve not got the books these days. There is also a smattering of stationary and cards etc if you want to give your eyes a break from raking the bookshelves, and a lovely little café upstairs. Pretty decent really.

Blackwell’s is a bookshop with a difference! Their main focus is on text books for students and educational support books! They are super helpful and they have quite a huge store, which is walking distance from both of the city’s main universities.
They also have a tiny fiction section, but other than the recent Twilight Sage, I can’t imagine this is very popular! They were doing a deal at one point where they would buy your old text books off you or let you part exchange, although I’m not sure whether this deal is still going on. It is a great place to grab a text book if you need one fast, but if not then there are much better places on the internet where you can purchase used and new textbooks for a fraction of the price that you would pay in any retail outlet! Worth a browse if you’re studying in Liverpool though!