Today Norwich’s official city slogan is “The City of Stories” and the city has certainly done its part to live up to this moniker. Not only are there a myriad of bookish things to do in Norwich that celebrate the city’s rich literary history, but people from all over the world come to Norwich to study Creative Writing at UEA, a program considered to be one of the best in the world.

And naturally, all these book lovers need somewhere to actually buy some books. Luckily, the bookshops in Norwich offer a wide range of diversity, and, despite its somewhat compact size, is something that Norwich has in spades!

The Book Hive

53 London St, Norwich NR2 1HL

Nestled amongst the historic Norwich Lanes in the city centre is a little slice of heaven for book lovers, and arguably one of the biggest bookshops in Norwich, independent or otherwise! The Book Hive, one of the most beloved independent bookshops in Norwich, houses an impressive selection of books across various genres, with a focus on political commentary, children’s books and translated literature.

The Book Hive also makes sure to feature and support local and UEA authors as mush as possible. Not only do they promote these authors in store, but The Book Hive has its own independent publishing company, Propolis.

One of Propolis’ first books was Eimear McBride’s award-winning debut A Girl is a Half-formed Thing, which was initially rejected by several other publishing houses before finding its way to Propolis. They continue to publish fresh and innovative works.

Another wonderful aspect of this Norwich bookshop is that they offer a diverse range of book subscriptions. Options include fiction in translation, women writers, LGBT authors and more.

And, if it weren’t already amazing enough, the bookshop also tries to host a handful of intimate book events each month. Keep an eye on their upcoming events. If you see one that takes your fancy, head over to enjoy an intimate talk or interview at The Book Hive.

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Canary Comics & Collectibles

Not actually a shop but, rather, a stall. Nonetheless, Canary Comics is one of the most friendly independent bookshops in Norwich. The owner is super sociable, happy to answer questions and get into conversation — the perfect person to own a shop dedicated to passionate fandoms.

The collectables on sale range from the classic to the brand new, and include everything from toys and models to trading cards. Independent comics and trade paperbacks are for sale, and there’s a lot to browse and enjoy in such a small space!

It can’t be overstated what a friendly and passionate space Canary Comics is. A must-visit for happy, friendly comic book fans in Norwich.

Tombland Bookshop

8 Tombland, Norwich NR3 1HF

This charming and unassuming 15th Century building is home to the largest antiquarian and secondhand bookshop in East Anglia: Tombland Bookshop. Gorgeous to look at from the outside and a complete treasure trove on the inside.

In many ways it is the Mary Poppins’ handbag or TARDIS of bookstores (depending on your fiction of choice), as the inside is far bigger than its outside suggests, and the cavernous vaulted ceilings certainly contribute to this. Nearly every shelf is stacked with books on every topic imaginable. The books range in price from £1 to £10,000! Leap in (not literally) and see what gems are waiting for you to discover.

In addition to selling a wide range of books, Tombland Bookshop provide several other book-related services, including restoration, binding, and valuation for insurance and probate. Their staff can also help procure pretty much any book you have your heart set on. And they buy books if you’re looking to sell old ones.

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Dormouse Bookshop 

29 Elm Hill, Norwich NR3 1HG

Come get lost amongst the used and well-loved books that cover every inch of free space in Doormouse Bookshop, one of the sweetest bookshops in Norwich. Like many shops on Elm Hill, This Norwich bookshop is small, but cozy and inviting – in fact, despite being smaller, many locals consider this to be their personal favourite secondhand bookshop in Norwich.

This is due in large part to the incredibly friendly owner with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of what’s available in store.

The Doormouse Bookshop’s location in old Elm Hill also feels as if it were lifted straight from the pages of an 18th-century English novel. In fact, due to its rustic aesthetic, parts of the film version of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust were filmed on Elm Hill.

Abstract Sprocket 

29 St Benedicts St, Norwich NR2 4PF

As any fan of comics can tell you, finding a good bookshop is key to your ongoing happiness. For residents of Norwich, that place is Abstract Sprocket.

This geek’s paradise is always well stocked with a wide variety of manga, graphic novels, and comics. This includes comics from across all publishers and fandoms, with many titles that you may not be able to find anywhere else in the city.

If you’ve ever seen a “comic book store” in film or TV, then this is that place in real life, but with infinitely more pleasant customer service.

Special mention: If for some reason Abstract Sprocket doesn’t have what you desire in stock, or if you find yourself lost in the labyrinthine passages of Norwich’s marketplace (just kidding, it’s a grid), then you may want to check out Canary Comics and Collectibles.

Rather than being an outright bookshop, Canady Comics and Collectibles is a stall within said marketplace, but is still deserving of your patronage and love!

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Bookbugs and Dragon Tales

41-43 Timber Hill, Norwich NR1 3LA

As one of the more recently established bookshops in Norwich (it opened in August 2019), Bookbugs and Dragon Tales has brought a bright and colourful approach to their presentation of literature.

The owners, who both have backgrounds in performing arts and theatre, enlisted a local artist friend of their to paint the interior walls with cartoon and fantasy characters, which really emphasises their speciality: children’s books!

But don’t worry – they also cater to teenagers and adults, so there are plenty of books for everyone. Bookbugs and Dragon Tales also runs a number of creative workshops and spoken word events. And in line with many of the emerging independent bookshops of our age, there is also an accompanying in-store cafe ready to furnish patrons with delicious cakes and hot beverages.

City Bookshop

10 Davey Place, Norwich NR2 1PQ

Nestled neatly between the marketplace and Norwich’s largest Lego block/castle lies City Bookshop — a family-run establishment with over 30 years’ worth of bookselling experience. They have a large range of books about non-fiction topics including local history, ornithology, topography, transportation and more, and they also regularly buy and value collections of books on similar subjects.

In addition to this, the owners use the space above City Bookshop as an exhibition room, in which local historians and collectors are able to showcase memorabilia and items of historical interest.

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J R & R K Ellis

53 St Giles St, Norwich NR2 1JR

This is one of those delightful and exciting second hand bookshops; the kind you’d expect to see described with eccentric beauty in a Charles Dickens novel.

Situated on the corner of St Giles Street and Willow Lane, J R & R K Ellis (quite a mouthful) is a treasure trove. I know that term gets overused when it comes to secondhand bookshops, but that might be because there is nothing more apt. It’s a treasure trove.

Secondhand bookshops like this one provide such wonderful opportunities to discover books you’ve been searching for at a fraction of their RRP. The same goes for out-of-print books.

This is one of the best bookshops in Norwich for losing time trawling the shelves and moving from room to room, section to section, browsing every single shelf and checking every corner to make sure you haven’t overlooked some little gem that you’ll want to take home. It’s unlikely you’ll leave here empty-handed.

Honourable Mention: Waterstones

Although a massive UK chain and NOT one of the independent bookshops in Norwich, the Waterstones deserves an honorary mention as anyone looking for bookish events can find a wide range year round at their city centre location.

They host events for all ages, different genres and thanks to Norwich’s status in the literary community, they’re able to attract some pretty big names. Keep an eye on their upcoming events to see what authors are coming to Norwich for talks, launches, and Q&A events.

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Some other UNESCO cities of literature include Bucheon, South Korea, Montevideo, Uruguay, and Prague, Czech Republic, which is known for its libraries and the Golem of Prague who has been immortalised in Gustav Meyrink’s The Golem.

Since then, the city of Norwich has undergone a massive rebranding, really embracing the title – and rightfully so. In fact, Norwich is now known as ‘the city of stories.’ So it should come as no surprise that this city attracts writers and book lovers from all over.

There’s also no shortage of independent bookshops in Norwich to explore once you do get there. Here are the most exciting things to do in Norwich for book lovers.

1) Visit the home of Julian of Norwich

One of the top places to visit in Norwich on any book lovers list should be the Julian Centre. Whether you are religious or not, Julian of Norwich’s significance to English literature is paramount.

Julian of Norwich was an anchorite (a religious recluse, similar to a hermit) who spent most of her life locked up in St Julian’s Church engaged in prayer. As her real name is not known, the name she is known by is derived from the church she lived in.

Next to nothing is known about Julian of Norwich, and what we do know about her comes from her book Revelations of Divine Love. This book is what makes her an important literary figure as it is considered the first book written by a woman in the English language – or at least the earliest known manuscript by a woman to survive.

Although written in the late 1300s, the book was not published until 1670. Visitors to St Julian’s Church can learn more about this remarkable woman and see where and how she spent her life. There is also, of course, more information about the church.

2) Go on a Ghost Walk

Norwich is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the UK. Over half of the population of Norfolk have reported paranormal experiences. So it should come as no surprise that the city has a pretty popular ghost tour. 
The tours have been ongoing since 1998 and, after a brief hiatus, resumed in April 2018 with a new guide: The Shadowcaster (it was previously The Man in Black).

This tour takes you through all the haunted spots in Norwich. The Shadowcaster recounts the haunting stories attached to each spot, weaving frightening tales that will stay with you long after you’ve gone home.
Make sure to grab a drink afterwards at one of the many pubs in Norwich sporting their own ghosts.

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3) Check out the literary street art

Over the last few years, several beautiful murals have sprung up around Norwich. Many of these celebrate the city’s literary connections.

Our favourite is this Dragon piece. Although I’ve never been real clear on the connection, Norwich seems to have a long history of dragons. In fact, there are dragons hidden all throughout the city in various churches and other buildings.

I was told it once had something to do with Saint George and the dragon. But to the best of my knowledge, Saint George had nothing specific to do with Norwich or the surrounding area. Still, Norwich loves its dragons. Every few years there is even a Dragon Festival.

In addition to the year-round murals, Norwich gets new painted animal statues every few years. So far there have been gorillas, dragons and hares. These are used to raise money for charity and have many different designs. Inevitably, though, a few are commissioned by the city to be literature focused.

4) Head to the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library

It may seem odd to recommend a library as a must-visit Norwich attraction, but libraries are important to Norwich’s history. The city was the first to open a civic provincial library in 1608 and the first to implement the Public Library Act of 1850.

Today, the Millennium Library continuously issues more books than any other library in the UK (according to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy). So if you’re a literary geek, you’ll want to include a visit to the Millennium Library on your list of places to visit in Norwich.

To be fair, it isn’t the library so much as the building it’s housed in; the Forum. The Forum always has an event on, and while these events aren’t always literary, it’s worth checking out what’s happening.

For book-specific things to do at the Forum head to the Norfolk Heritage Centre. This small room within the library may not look like much, but it contains the most comprehensive collection of published material about the everyday life of people living in Norfolk.The Norfolk Heritage Centre actually houses the collection from the 1608 library, which no longer exists.

5) Visit the Sainsbury Centre

An art museum may seem like a strange suggestion for book lovers, but the Sainsbury Centre has an unexpected (and okay, convoluted) tie to the written word.

First off, it is located on the UEA campus. The Art History and World Art degrees are housed out of the building, which boasts a world class library (separate from the university library. Visitors who are not staff or students can use the library for research reference only).

However, more importantly, visitors might recognise the Sainsbury Centre as the Avengers Headquarters in the new Marvel movies. The Avengers, of course, being based on comic books. And yes, comic books count as books. Okay, admittedly, this one is a stretch, but I really think if you appreciate good literature, you’ll appreciate art from around the world. And the Sainsbury Centre has an amazing collection!

Plus, over the past year, in keeping with UEA’s reputation as the top writing degree in the UK — and one of the top courses in the world — the Sainsbury Centre has started to house exhibitions that focus on literature, as well. So far there has been a collection dedicated to W.G. Sebald (a former UEA student and lecturer), and a current one focused on Doris Lessing.

Read More: 7 Books and Comics to Read if You Loved Good Omens

6) John Jarrold Printing Museum

Sadly this museum is closed until summer 2020 since the street it was on was demolished and the museum will need to be rehomed. However, it has been confirmed this is happening, though it will be scaled down considerably. Nevertheless, I have no doubt it will remain one of the most unique things to do in Norwich for book lovers.

The intention of the John Jerrold Printing Museum is to share the history of printmaking with the world, as well as to preserve the skills and techniques needed for the trade. Printmaking is important to the history of Norwich, which established the first provincial newspaper in 1701. Additionally, Harriet Martineau, one of the world’s first female journalists, was born in Norwich.

Today Norwich is home to 27 independent publishing companies, with eight more in the rest of Norfolk. This represents 5% of the UK’s independent publishing sector, the largest percentage of any region outside of London.
The museum is staffed entirely by former printmakers, all of which are volunteers.

7) Attend a Literary Festival

Norwich has a lot of festivals year round, with everything from a gin festival to a Thai festival. It also has three different festivals that put literature at the forefront. It should be noted that most authors in attendance are British, some are American, and very few write in other languages.

But hopefully that changes over time! If you’re in the area while any of these festivals are on and you love books, I thoroughly recommend adding one to your list of what to do in Norwich.

Noirwich

A relatively new festival in Norwich that celebrates crime writing. But as I said above, crime fiction about Norfolk is weirdly popular, so it’s not so surprising that this festival was an instant hit. Top crime fiction authors from around the country (and even some from abroad) have come to speak at this festival.

Noirwich always runs on a weekend in mid-September and has already managed to pull in names like John Banville, Val McDermid, Paula Hawkins, Nicci French, Louise Doughty, and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. Buy tickets and see the lineup here.

UEA Literary Festival (also called LitFest)

This festival has been going on for 27 years! Every autumn (and sometimes in the spring, as well) UEA invites several distinguished authors across several genres to come to UEA. It is spread out across the fall (and spring) semester, typically with one event a week.

Each author is interviewed by the host before questions are opened up to the public, and followed by a book signing. We’ve seen some big writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro (who studied at UEA), Jesmyn Ward, Jonathan Franzen, Madeline Miller and Stephen Fry. You can buy tickets and check out the programme here.

Norwich & Norfolk Festival

The biggest festival in Norwich (and Norfolk), and one of the oldest running festivals in England having been held annually since 1824. While it is not exclusively focused on literature, it does play a large roll in the festival, and separate tickets can often be purchased just for the literary events.

The festival normally runs the length of May or June; acts, presenters and events are added to the calendar throughout the year (especially closer to the time). Tickets and what’s on can be found here. Other literary festivals in the Norfolk area include the King’s Lynn Literature Festival, Fly (hosted by UEA for young writers) and the Holt Festival.

New Routes’ Refugee Week typically has a few events centered around books. This is particularly important as one reason for Norwich being chosen as a City of Literature is due to Norwich being the only city to join the International Cities of Refuge Network, which is dedicated to sharing the stories of refugees.

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8) Read a Book By a Local

We’re firm believers that before you head anywhere, you should read something written about the place – preferably by a local.

Norfolk as a whole is home to a lot of great writers. Norwich, in particular, has seen its share of writers, particularly those who have gone through UEA’s writing programs. For some reason, the vast majority of books set solely in Norfolk tend to be murder mysteries (which explains why we have a whole festival dedicated to crime fiction), although few are written by Norfolk residents.

If you’re interested in some books set in Norfolk by authors with ties to Norfolk, check out:

This House is Haunted by John Boyne — A gothic horror set in 19th century rural Norfolk. Eliza Caine is sent to Gaudlin Hall to look after some children. However, when she arrives there are no adults to be found and the children have no explanation. Things get weirder from there and soon Eliza must come to terms with the fact that this house is haunted. Boyne’s book The Absolutist also features Norwich.

Salt by north Norfolk native, Jeremy Page follows three generations of one Norfolk family. It is a lyrical portrayal of love, loss and finding your way in the world with a bit of magical realism thrown in. Set amongst the Norfolk salt marshes, the descriptions of landscape in Salt are evocative. It’s not an easy book, though.

The Hippopotamus by Stephen Fry is a bit of a dark comedy set in the Norfolk countryside. The book follows the rather miserable anti-hero, Ted Wallace. Ted is a divorced, newly unemployed failed poet who moves out to his country house, Swafford Hall, to get some clarity. Instead, weird stuff keeps happening to Ted and he starts to wonder if there isn’t more to Swafford than meets the eye. And yes, Stephen Fry did grow up in Norfolk!

I’m also partial to Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro which is set partially in Norfolk. Kazuo Ishiguro isn’t from Norwich, but he did spend a few years living there while doing his masters at UEA. In Never Let Me Go, Norfolk is known as England’s “lost corner,” the place where lost people and things wind up. The main character, Kathy, spends a lot of her time driving around the Norfolk countryside.

Apparently Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy also has several references to Norwich, Norfolk and the Fens (pictured above). This makes sense since Pullman was born in Norwich. However, I can neither confirm nor deny cause I’ve actually never read them…

Although all their books are not necessarily set there, Norfolk is also home to writers Eimear McBride (whose debut A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing was first published by Norwich’s Galley Beggar Press), Sarah Perry, Emma Healy, Rose Tremain, Anna Sewell and Thomas Paine.

9) Visit the Book Hive

For book lovers, a visit to Norwich’s independent bookshop The Book Hive is a must. Although it is small compared to the Waterstones around the corner, readers looking for something unique will feel at home here.

The selection at The Book Hive is top-notch – and what they don’t have, can typically be ordered – and the staff are friendly and always available to give their suggestions. The selection available is pretty impressive, but is especially wonderful if you’re interested in translated lit, politics, indie authors or children’s books.

The Book Hive even has their own publishing company, Propolis, which do their best to publish lesser known and debut authors. In fact, it was Propolis that originally published A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride, despite numerous rejections from other publishing companies. The book then went on to win numerous literary awards, including the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2019.

If you can, visit while an event is on as The Book Hive champions lesser-known authors from around the UK and abroad.

You can continue to support the store when you’re not in Norwich by signing up to receive specially picked books each month  One of my favourite things about these subscriptions is that you can select different categories for the year, such as books in translation, books by women or LGBT authors!

Read More: 9 Translated Horror Stories to Chill Your Blood

If you want to know what to do in Norwich as a literature lover, Dagney from Cultura Obscura has you covered. Dagney is a self-proclaimed literary geek who lived in Norwich for five years. Here are her recommendations for the top things to do and places to visit in Norwich.