With annual global book sales set to hit 107 billion GBP by 2023, it’s no surprise that budding readers are still stocking up on their must-read lists.
But with the ever-rising popularity of books and trending prints selling out so quickly, which UK city is the best for book lovers to satisfy their reading needs?
In a bid to uncover which places offered the best facilities for book enthusiasts, TheKnowledgeAcademy.com identified the number of bookshops, libraries and public bookcases across major UK towns and cities using Opensteetmap’s API overpass. These factors provided a ranking, highlighting which UK cities are the best for book lovers!
The 15 best UK cities for book lovers
|
Rank
|
UK city
|
Bookshop score (/10)
|
Library score (/10)
|
Public bookcase score (/10)
|
Final index score (/10)
|
|
1
|
Cambridge
|
9.38
|
9.84
|
10
|
9.74
|
|
2=
|
York
|
10
|
9.53
|
9.06
|
9.53
|
|
2=
|
Edinburgh
|
9.84
|
8.91
|
9.84
|
9.53
|
|
4
|
Oxford
|
9.53
|
10
|
8.75
|
9.43
|
|
5
|
Brighton and Hove
|
9.69
|
8.59
|
9.69
|
9.32
|
|
6
|
Leeds
|
7.97
|
9.06
|
9.53
|
8.85
|
|
7
|
Portsmouth
|
8.59
|
7.66
|
9.22
|
8.49
|
|
8
|
Manchester
|
9.06
|
9.69
|
6.41
|
8.39
|
|
9
|
Nottingham
|
8.75
|
8.28
|
6.72
|
7.92
|
|
10
|
Woking
|
6.72
|
6.09
|
9.38
|
7.40
|
|
11
|
Chelmsford
|
8.13
|
5.47
|
8.44
|
7.35
|
|
12
|
Cardiff
|
7.03
|
7.5
|
6.25
|
6.93
|
|
13
|
Northampton
|
4.69
|
8.44
|
7.34
|
6.82
|
|
14=
|
London
|
6.56
|
5.31
|
7.66
|
6.51
|
|
14=
|
Glasgow
|
8.91
|
4.53
|
6.09
|
6.51
|
= symbol means a joint ranking
TheKnowledgeAcademy.com can reveal that the UK’s best city for book lovers is Cambridge – boasting an overall index score of 9.74/10! With a perfect public bookcase score of 10/10, the city also boasts the highest library score at 9.84/10. It’s no surprise that this magnificent city is well known globally for its education and culture.
Securing joint second place are York and Edinburgh, with impressive joint rankings of 9.53/10. Achieving a perfect score of 10/10 for bookshops, York also came out on top for its library score. Edinburgh however, had a much higher public bookcase score, at 9.84/10.
Ranking as the fourth best UK city for book lovers is Oxford. Renowned for its exceptional university, Oxford earns an overall index score of 9.43/10. Achieving a perfect library score of 10/10, the city also has a near perfect score of 9.53 for its bookshops.
Securing fifth place is Brighton and Hove with a final index score of 9.32/10. The East Sussex city has a near-perfect score of 9.69 for its bookshops and public bookcases, but falls short with a library score of 8.59/10.
