Thornfield Books | Independent Bookshop Edinburgh

EST. 1987Edinburgh, Scotland55.9533° N · 3.1883° W

Filed under Independent Booksellers

Edinburgh’s mostcarefully curatedbookshop.

Three floors on Candlemaker Row, chosen by hand since 1987 — literary fiction, Scottish history, and a rare-editions room worth the trip alone.

Browse literary fiction & Scottish history Commission a book list

37years independent

12ktitles in stock

08reading groups

Interior of Thornfield Books independent bookshop, Candlemaker Row Edinburgh — shelves of literary fiction

The fiction room, looking west

14 Candlemaker Row · EH1 2QE

Plate Nº 01 — Interior, ground floorPhotographed in natural light

I.The shop & its keepers001 / 007

Edinburgh’s independent bookshop since 1987.

Margaret Fyffe opened Thornfield in the spring of 1987, in a narrow three-storey building on Candlemaker Row that had been a printer’s, a draper’s, and — briefly, unforgettably — a fortune-teller’s. She wanted a shop where the staff had read the books, where you could sit for an hour without being asked to buy, and where the right title could find the right reader.

Thirty-seven years on, little of that has changed. The shelves are still organised by mood as much as genre. The rare-editions room upstairs holds signed Sparks and Grays alongside eighteenth-century Highland histories. And the booksellers — Margaret, Alasdair, and Saoirse — still read three novels a week between them, and still remember what you loved last time.

Established

Spring 1987

Where

14 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh

Specialisms

Literary fiction · Scottish history · rare editions

Recognition

Edinburgh Independent of the Year, 2023

II.From the shelves002 / 007

This month’s chosen titles.

Literary fiction · Scottish history · rare & first editions

Six books we have read, argued over, and pressed into the hands of strangers. Filter by room, or open a plate for the full note.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

Staff Pick

Plate Nº 012014

The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Richard Flanagan

£9.99

Literary Fiction

Heritage

Plate Nº 021821

Annals of the Parish

John Galt

£14.50

Scottish History

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

First Edition

Plate Nº 031961

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Muriel Spark

£8.99

Rare & First Editions

New Arrival

Plate Nº 041986

Arctic Dreams

Barry Lopez

£12.99

Natural History

Lanark: A Life in Four Books by Alasdair Gray

Signed Copy

Plate Nº 051981

Lanark: A Life in Four Books

Alasdair Gray

£16.00

Rare & First Editions

Staff Pick

Plate Nº 061995

The Rings of Saturn

W. G. Sebald

£10.99

Travel Writing

III.The shop, in plates003 / 007

Three floors on Candlemaker Row.

Ground-floor literary fiction room at Thornfield Books, independent bookshop Edinburgh Old TownPlate Nº 01

Rare and first editions room at Thornfield Books, Edinburgh — first editions and signed copiesPlate Nº 02

Reading room at Thornfield Books Edinburgh — available for private book launches and reading groupsPlate Nº 03

Candlemaker Row at dusk, Edinburgh Old Town — Thornfield Books is at number 14Plate Nº 04

Poetry and Scottish history first floor at Thornfield Books, independent Edinburgh booksellerPlate Nº 05

Bespoke book lists, reading groups & rare-edition sourcing in Edinburgh

Four ways in · no appointment needed

Browse the shelves

Three floors of carefully chosen titles, organised by mood as much as genre. Open seven days.

II.

Commission a book list

Tell us who you're buying for, what they've loved, and how much to spend. We'll have a list ready in 48 hours.

III.

Join a reading group

Eight groups meeting monthly across fiction, crime, poetry, and history. New members always welcome.

IV.

Rare editions sourcing

Alasdair specialises in first editions, signed copies, and out-of-print titles from private collections and estate sales.

IV.In the readers’ words004 / 007

Thornfield is the reason I still believe in bookshops. Margaret has a gift for putting the exact right book in your hands without you quite knowing how she knew.Dr Ruth Mackenzie — Reader since 1994

The right book, in the right hands.

Every recommendation at Thornfield comes from someone who has read it. No algorithms, no bestseller tables by the door — just thirty-seven years of booksellers who remember what you loved last time.

4.9 / 5 · 480+ reviews · Edinburgh independent of the year, 2023

years independent

reading groups

rare editions

author events / yr

The booksellers.

Three keepers · 60+ years between them

Margaret Fyffe

Founder & Head Bookseller

Margaret opened Thornfield in 1987 after fifteen years at the Edinburgh University Press. She reads three novels a week and has never stopped.

Reads & recommends — Scottish literature, literary biography

Alasdair Muir

Rare Books Specialist

Alasdair joined in 2003 to build the rare and first-edition collection. He trained at Sotheby's book department and sources from private estates across the Highlands.

Reads & recommends — First editions, 18th-century prints, Highlands history

Saoirse Callahan

Events & Reading Groups

Saoirse curates all author events and runs four active reading groups from crime fiction to postcolonial literature. She holds an MLitt in Creative Writing from St Andrews.

Reads & recommends — Contemporary fiction, Irish literature, events programming

V.Belong to the shop005 / 007

Three ways to make Thornfield yours.

From a single afternoon’s browse to a reader’s subscription — no contracts, cancel any month, all of it run by the people who choose the books.

Single Visit

No commitment

Freewalk in any day

Browse all three floors
Staff recommendations on request
Order any in-print title to collect
Sit & read in the back room

Find us

Open seven days a week

Reading groups now taking members

Eight groups · monthly & bi-monthly

The Canongate Circle

Monthly · First Thursday, 18:30 – 20:00 · curated by Saoirse Callahan

2 spaces left

Crime on the Close

Bi-monthly · Second Tuesday, 19:00 – 20:30 · curated by Alasdair Muir

4 spaces left

New Voices

Monthly · Last Saturday, 11:00 – 12:30 · curated by Saoirse Callahan

Waiting list

Author events & reading groups in Edinburgh.

Reserve a seat

14 Jun 2025

In Conversation: Writing the North

Kathleen Jamie

Author Event

21 Jun 2025

The Canongate Circle — June

Han Kang · The Vegetarian

Reading Group

05 Jul 2025

Scottish History Summer Reads

Margaret Fyffe selects

Curated Display

17 Jul 2025

Late Night at Thornfield: Poetry & Wine

Open mic · hosted by Saoirse Callahan

Late Opening

VI.Commission & enquire006 / 007

Commission a bespoke book gift, Edinburgh

Commission a book list or enquire about rare editions.

Send us a reader and an occasion, and we’ll have a hand-written list of six titles ready within 48 hours — to collect on Candlemaker Row or posted anywhere in the UK. Searching for a specific first edition? Alasdair sources from private estates across Scotland.

14 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh EH1 2QE

+44 131 220 4817

hello@thornfieldbooks.co.uk

Monday – Friday, 09:00 – 19:00

Serving readers across Edinburgh.

Eight neighbourhoods · bespoke lists posted UK-wide

Edinburgh Old Town

Grassmarket

Stockbridge

Bruntsfield

Morningside

Leith

Canongate

Tollcross

From the Grassmarket and Old Town to Stockbridge, Bruntsfield, Morningside and Leith — Thornfield Books has been Edinburgh’s independent bookseller since 1987. Visit us on Candlemaker Row, or commission a hand-picked book list posted anywhere in the UK.

VII.Before you visit007 / 007

Questions, answered

The things readers ask.

Still unsure? Call the shop on +44 131 220 4817 or simply walk in — the kettle is always on.

I.Do you buy second-hand and rare books?

Yes. Alasdair appraises first editions, signed copies, and antiquarian books by appointment on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Bring the book in or email photographs of the title page, copyright page, and binding to begin a valuation.

II.How does the bespoke book list service work?

Tell us who the reader is, three or four titles they have loved, the occasion, and a budget. Within 48 hours we send a curated list of six titles with a short hand-written note on each. You can order any or all of them to collect or be posted, gift-wrapped, anywhere in the UK.

III.Can I join a reading group partway through the year?

Almost always. Most of our eight groups welcome new members at any point — you do not need to have read the back catalogue. The Canongate Circle and New Voices fill quickly, so check current spaces on the membership panel above or ask Saoirse in store.

IV.Do you ship internationally?

We ship in-print titles worldwide via Royal Mail tracked and rare editions by insured courier. UK postage is free over £40. Email hello@thornfieldbooks.co.uk for a quote on overseas shipping of fragile or valuable items.

V.Is the shop accessible?

The ground floor and back reading room are fully step-free with accessible facilities. The first-floor poetry and history rooms are reached by a staircase; a member of staff is always happy to bring titles down or arrange a ground-floor browse of any collection.

VI.Can I host a private event or book launch?

The back room seats up to forty and is available for launches, society meetings, and private readings on weekday evenings. We can arrange a bar and signed-stock table. Email Saoirse with your date and numbers to check availability.

Independent Bookshop Edinburgh — Thornfield Books