About us

We are a small independent bookshop, run by people who read. The shop exists because a good bookshop is not a warehouse with a search box: it is somebody who knows what a book is like, not only that it is in stock.

Paperbark is a tree that sheds its bark in soft layers you can peel back one at a time — which is close enough to what reading a good book is like, and the name stuck.

What we do

We list the books we hold, and we can order in most titles we do not. If you are after something that is not here — out of print, an unusual edition, an academic title with a long name — send us the details and we will tell you honestly whether we can get it, what it would cost, and how long it would take. There is no obligation, and we would rather tell you no than take your money and hope.

How we work

Every order is looked at by a person before it is confirmed. That is slower than a fully automatic checkout and it is deliberate: it means the price you are quoted is a price we can actually honour, and that nothing is charged before you have agreed to the total.

Get in touch if you would like to know more.