Barter Books

{{Short description|Second-hand bookshop in Alnwick, Northumberland, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

File:Barter Books three.jpg ]]

Barter Books is a second-hand bookshop in the historic English market town of Alnwick, Northumberland, owned and run by Stuart and Mary Manley. It has over 350,000 visitors a year, 40% of whom are from outside the area, and is one of the largest second-hand bookshops in Europe.{{Cite web|date=2019-05-10|title=A Novel Experience - A Visit to Barter Books Alnwick|url=https://tracystravelsintime.com/2019/05/10/barter-books-alnwick/|access-date=2020-09-28|website=Tracy's Travels in Time|language=en-US|archive-date=27 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927075636/https://tracystravelsintime.com/2019/05/10/barter-books-alnwick/|url-status=live}} It is considered a local tourist attraction{{Cite web|title=Visit Barter Books {{!}} Stay With Us|url=https://www.yha.org.uk/experience/barter-books|access-date=2020-09-28|website=YHA|language=en|archive-date=7 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107094626/https://www.yha.org.uk/experience/barter-books|url-status=live}} and has been described as "the British Library of second-hand bookshops."{{Cite web|title=Mr Smith goes to . . . the second-hand bookshop|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/node/156411|access-date=2020-09-28|website=www.newstatesman.com|language=en|archive-date=2 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302023234/https://www.newstatesman.com/node/156411|url-status=live}}

The bookshop is in the Victorian Alnwick railway station, designed by William Bell and opened in 1887.{{cite web|url=http://railways-of-britain.com/Alnvalley.html |title=Aln Valley Railway and Society @ |publisher=Railways-of-britain.com |accessdate=2014-04-21 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118173332/http://railways-of-britain.com/Alnvalley.html |archivedate=2016-01-18 }} The station was in use until the closure of the Alnwick branch line in 1968;[http://www.northumbrian-railways.co.uk/alnwick.html Alnwick Branch] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070808153700/http://www.northumbrian-railways.co.uk/alnwick.html |date=August 8, 2007 }} Barter Books was opened in 1991. It is open every day including bank holidays except for Christmas Day.

The shop also houses a cafe called The Station Buffet which serves hot food all day to customers at tables in the original tiled waiting rooms of the railway station. {{Cite web |last=Barter Books |first=System Administrator |date=2011-11-14 |title=Barter Books |url=https://www.barterbooks.co.uk/html/buffet.php |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=www.barterbooks.co.uk}}

The shop is notable for its use of a barter system, whereby customers can exchange their books for credit against future purchases; standard cash purchases are also available.