Welcome
Award-winning independent and much-loved bookshop, Dulwich Books has been serving the local community for over 40 years.
In these challenging times for retail, we value our loyal customers and hope that the personal aspect of shopping locally will prevail. We can order books for next-day delivery provided it is in stock and ordered by 5pm.
You can place your order over the phone during working hours, by emailing us or by filling out the order form below.
We stock a wide range of titles, as well as a fantastic choice of children’s books. We also stock greetings cards, gift stationery, wrap and jigsaws. In addition we offer a loyalty card scheme – just ask at the till when making your purchases.
Our friendly, knowledgeable and experienced staff are on hand to recommend books and help with any questions.
We hope to see you soon!
Welcome
Award-winning independent and much-loved bookshop, Dulwich Books has been serving the local community for over 40 years.
In these challenging times for retail, we value our loyal customers and hope that the personal aspect of shopping locally will prevail. We can order books for next-day delivery provided it is in stock and ordered by 5pm.
We stock a wide range of titles, as well as a fantastic choice of children’s books. We also stock greetings cards, gift stationery, wrap and jigsaws. In addition we offer a loyalty card scheme – just ask at the till when making your purchases.
Our friendly, knowledgeable and experienced staff are on hand to recommend books and help with any questions.
We hope to see you soon!
Order a Book
We can take orders over the phone on 020 8670 1920 during working hours or by email at [email protected]. We can order books for next-day delivery provided it is in stock at our suppliers and ordered by 5pm.
Alternatively, click the button below and fill out the form on our website with the details of the book you would like to order.
We are on Bookshop.org
We hope our local customers will continue to order books directly from us. For customers in other parts of the UK, we are delighted to be part of Bookshop.org , an on-line sales platform which allows readers to buy books online while supporting local independent booksellers. It has been hailed as a “revolutionary moment in the history of bookselling”: finally a socially conscious alternative to Amazon.
Books of the Month
Non-fiction
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
Hamish Hamilton, £20
Distraught and even a “little ashamed” at the intensity of her response to the death of the mother she ran from at age eighteen, Arundhati Roy began to write Mother Mary Comes to Me. The result is this astonishing, disconcerting, surprisingly funny chronicle—unique and simultaneously universal, of the author’s life, from childhood to the present, from Kerala to Delhi.
With the scale, sweep, and depth of her novels and the passion, political clarity, and warmth of her essays, Mother Mary Comes to Me is an ode to freedom, a tribute to thorny love and savage grace—a memoir like no other.
Middle Grade
Small Wonder by Ross Montgomery
Walker Books, £7.99
‘Small Wonder’: that’s what Tick’s grandfather always called him. He taught Tick a lot of things: how to take care of himself; how to take care of his little brother, Leaf; how to take care of their horse, Pebble. But Grandfather is no longer around. So when their home is suddenly under threat, it’s on Tick to put everything he’s learned into practice and protect his family, by taking them on a quest filled with danger.
Filled with family secrets, a kingdom in danger and the adventure of a lifetime for two brothers and their horse, this adventure story is perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, Michael Morpurgo and The Wild Robot.
Young Adult
Oxford Blood by Akwaeke Emezi
Walker, £8.99
Eva has set her sights on reading English at Oxford. Atmospheric old libraries; secret societies; eccentric professors – it’s the stuff of her dreams. So when she and her best friend, George, are invited to interview for a place there, it seems like those dreams are coming true. But only a day in, George is found dead on the steps of a university statue. And it is Eva who finds him…
All eyes are now on her as she races to clear her name, uncover the truth and take back her future. A twisty murder mystery about ambition, privilege and deadly secrets, this is the next gripping read for fans of Holly Jackson, Karen McManus and The Secret History.
Fiction
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
Bloomsbury, £16.99
May, 1945. As news of the Allied victory in Europe reaches the small town of Bonhomie, Ohio, Margaret Salt walks into a hardware store and asks the man behind the counter, Cal Jenkins, for a radio. What happens next will change both of their lives forever. While the country reconstructs in the post-war boom, a secret grows in Bonhomie – and nothing can remain hidden in a small town.
Full of compassion, humour and charm, Buckeye is a dazzling portrait of the human spirit by way of one unforgettable community; the twisted roads we take to achieve forgiveness and redemption; and above all a universal longing for love and connection.
Picture Book
Bear’s Nap by Emily Gravett
Pan Books, £12.99
All Bear wants is a quiet nap but he can’t work out who is keeping him awake with their cheep cheeping. An increasingly frustrated Bear leaves his cosy cave to ask the other animals, but they none of them cheep. Maybe the culprit is closer to home?
From the reliably brilliant creator of Tidy and Monkey and Me, Bear’s Nap is a fantastically funny story about an adorable bear trying to get to sleep, full of animal noises that children will love to join in with.
Upcoming Events
Craftland: James Fox
September 18, 2025 - 19.00
Travelling the length of Britain, from the Scilly Isles to the Scottish Highlands, art historian and broadcaster James Fox seeks out the country’s last remaining master craftspeople. Stepping inside the workshops of blacksmiths and wheelwrights, cutlers and coopers, bell-founders and watchmakers, we glimpse not only our past but another way of life — one that is not yet lost and whose wisdom could shape our future.
And in this increasingly digital age, it is perhaps more valuable than ever. Craftland is a celebration of that deeply necessary connection between our creative instincts and the material world we inhabit, revealing a richer and more connected way of living.
Indignity: Lea Ypi
October 1, 2025 - 19.00
When a photograph of her grandmother resurfaces online, Lea Ypi sets out to uncover the truth behind Leman’s life – a quest to fill in the blanks of a fractured past. In a journey that takes her from Salonica to the Albanian Secret Police Archives via Italy, Lea ultimately finds refuge in the power of storytelling, piecing together snippets of her grandmother’s life in a Europe in the midst of great political upheaval.
Indignity is an imaginative investigation into dignity and historical injustice through the story of a family from the fall of the Ottoman Empire to the dawn of Communism in the Balkans from the author of the prizewinning Free: Coming of Age at the End of History.
Storytime on Saturdays, 11am
Join us in the children’s corner every Saturday at 11am for storytime when we’ll read from our favourite picture books, old and new.
No need to book, just turn up and enjoy!
Meet the Team
Cathy Slater
Owner
Cathy has enjoyed a career in publishing spanning over 3 decades, in International Sales and Foreign Rights. She joined Dulwich Books in January 2017, keen to learn about the bookselling side of the industry and purchased the shop from Susie Nicklin in November 2019. She is very happy and excited to have an opportunity to run this much-loved bookshop, and continue to serve the local community.
When not reading, she loves gardening, walking, nature and wildlife. She sings in two local choirs and is part of a shanty group called Shotley Crue. She speaks Italian and French and a little Spanish.
Cathy recommends
The Bell in The Lake by Lars Mytting
MacLehose Press, £9.99
The first in a rich historical trilogy set in Norway, a lyrical mix of legend and craftsmanship, and a compelling love story. By the author of The Sixteen Trees of the Somme.
Kitty Spence
Manager
Kitty read Modern and Medieval History at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Since then, she has worked in retail, as well as volunteering at various theatre and new playwrighting festivals. She joined the Dulwich Books team at the start of 2018 as a Saturday bookseller, has been a full-time member of staff since 2019 and has recently been appointed as manager.
She enjoys reading all sorts of books, but has a particular fondness for novels set in London and literary biographies. She also loves going to the theatre, live comedy, football, culture podcasts as well as taking long walks and swimming at lidos and ponds around London.
Kitty recommends
The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Picador, £9.99
The first volume of the wonderful Cazalet Chronicles. Set during the summers of 1937 and 1938, it follows three generations of the Cazalet family as they spend their holidays together at Home Place in sunlit Sussex. Howard expertly explores the tensions and tangles of family life and she writes with a generosity towards each of her many characters. This captivating novel unfolds at a delightfully unhurried pace, making it a perfect book to get lost in. It’s always a pleasure to revisit the Cazalets and the later volumes follow the family through the Second World War and beyond.
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Location
6 Croxted Road
West Dulwich
London
SE21 8SW
[email protected]
020 8670 1920
Opening Hours
Mon & Tues 10am – 6pm
Wed to Sat 9.30am – 5.30pm
Sun 11am – 4pm
Nearest overground stations:
West Dulwich & West Norwood
Number 3 bus:
Stops just outside the shop
Place an order
Please fill out the form below with the details of the book you would like to purchase and we will send a confirmation email that the order has been processed.
For Schools
We have a lot of experience working with local schools and can arrange free delivery of books to your school. We can often offer free author visits to schools and organise book sales at events.
Our expert staff can share their knowledge and offer guidance on all book related enquiries to teachers and librarians, and we are happy to offer competitive discounts, so please contact us with your requirements.
Bookshop Hire
We hire out the shop for private events, such as book launches, in the evening. We charge for this service, as we will provide staff, utilities, and assistance.
If you are interested do email [email protected] with details of your event, and we will be happy to help.
For Publicists & independent authors
If you are an independent author, please visit the shop to see what kind of books we have in stock and email [email protected] with info about your work. We have had plenty of success with local and independent authors and will consider each book on its merits.
Off Site Sales
We work with lots of venues to sell books for their events, festivals, book signings and launches. All books can be put through Book Scan, and we can take credit card sales via our GPS-enabled machine as well as cash and cheques.
Don’t hesitate to call us on 020 8670 1920 or to email [email protected] if you need an expert bookseller for your event.
