The Best Cities in the UK for Book Lovers

While the acceleration of the digital age has seen a stark decline in physical industries like CDs and newspapers, our love of books refuses to die.

Though eBooks have made a considerable dent in the market, there is a slew of bookworms throughout the UK who remain staunchly committed to the printed word. From literary lovers to avid biography readers, the customer demand for the physical copy shows no signs of waning.

The UK’s love of books is backed up by data, with a study from Kantar finding that 53% of adults claimed to have read at least one book this year, with 35% of these claiming to have read ten or more books during this period.

While the nation’s love of reading is beyond question, a glance around the UK will reveal that some places are considerably better for bookworms than others. In a bid to uncover which places offered the best facilities for book enthusiasts, The Knowledge Academy conducted a study on every city across the UK to find out which places were the best for book lovers.

The top 10 best UK cities for bookworms

Comparing the number of bookshops and libraries in each city with its total population, we gave each city an average score out of ten to determine which places were the best for bookworms.

1) Oxford and York = 9.77

As one of the two academic capitals of the UK, it should come as no surprise to find Oxford at the top of our list. With writers like Oscar Wilde, J.R.R. Tolkein, Lewis Carol, and C.S. Lewis, all studying at its world-famous university, ‘the city of dreaming spires’ has a literary legacy to rival any place on earth.

With excellent scores across the board, Oxford’s flawless overall rating of 9.77 meant that it finished joint-first in our study.

Like Oxford, York is another city famed for both its academia and historic architecture. From historic poets like W.H. Auden to esteemed crime novelists like Kate Atkinson, the North Yorkshire city has been the birthplace of some of the UK’s finest writers.

With such a rich history, York is a worthy foil to Oxford at the top of our list, with the cathedral city also obtaining a final score of 9.77.

2) Cambridge = 9.61

With its university having been graced by poetic icons like Lord Byron, William Wordsworth, and Sylvia Plath to name but a few, it’s only natural to find Cambridge brimming with literary facilities. 

While the eternal rivalry between the two cities is sure to leave Cambridge residents disappointed at losing out to Oxford, the eastern city can still be proud of its strong placement in our rankings.

With impressive volumes of bookshops and libraries across its 158,434 population, Cambridge recorded a formidable average rating of 9.61 making it the third best city for book lovers in the UK.

3) Manchester and Edinburgh = 9.38

Manchester’s ability to produce innovative art is the stuff of legend. From the stirring paintings of Lowry to the moving lyrics of Morrissey, the rain-soaked city has been an artistic powerhouse for generations. This same penchant for art can be found in its books, with A Clockwork Orange author Anthony Burgess one of the many great writers to cut their teeth in the fabled industrial city.

With such an assortment of artistic riches, it’s unsurprising to find Manchester in our top ten. Obtaining a final score of 9.38, the northwest city finished joint-fourth on our list. 

Sharing the fourth spot with Manchester is Edinburgh—a city brought to life by Irvine Welsh in his many visceral novels documenting working-class hedonism.

4) Brighton and Hove = 9.14

As the long-time home of revered Punk music journalist and biographer Julie Burchill, Brighton can lay claim to an anarchic spirit of its own. The coastal city has long been renowned for its willingness to celebrate the more leftfield elements of arts and culture, with its annual Great Escape Festival showcasing an array of the finest underground artists around.

This commitment to art can be found in its literary facilities, with its overall score of 9.14 enough to secure a sixth-placed finish

5) Leeds and Nottingham = 8.52

Nottingham has long been mythologised as the home of folk hero and novel and movie protagonist Robin Hood. The midlands city can also boast some notorious authors of its own, with controversial novelist D.H. Lawrence born and raised in the area.

Nottingham’s commitment to books shows no signs of waning in the modern age, with its final score of 8.52 enough to secure joint-seventh place.

Sharing the seventh spot with Nottingham is Leeds. As the birthplace of legendary authors like Alan Bennet and Keith Waterhouse, the West Yorkshire city possesses literary facilities befitting its storied history. 

6) Portsmouth = 8.49

From the political works of Christopher Hitchens to the historical novels of Walter Besant, Portsmouth is another city that has contributed heavily to the UK’s literary canon. This southeast city’s penchant for books is reflected by its facilities, with its overall score of 8.49 enough to secure the penultimate place on our list.

7) Aberdeen = 7.82

Completing our top 10 is Aberdeen, another city with an impressive literary heritage. As the setting for many of Stuart Macbrides legendary crime novels, ‘The Granite City’ has also been the birthplace of esteemed novelists such as Deborah Mason and Andrew Murray Scott. 

With a final score of 7.82, this Scottish city is a worthy addition to our list. 

Methodology

1) TheKnowledgeAcademy were intrigued to find out which UK cities are the best for booklovers.

2) Major UK towns and cities were identified. Cities and towns with less than 100,000 people however were excluded, as well as those cities that did not have any available data in Overpass.    

3) Brighton and Hove were also treated as one city within the findings as they came together in the dataset.

4) Following this, TheKnowledgeAcademy consulted Openstreetmap’s API overpass, revealing the counts of libraries, bookshops and public bookcases per city.

5) The counts of libraries, bookshops and public bookcases were calculated per capita, with population figures being taken from world population review.

6) The per capita value was then used to calculate a percentrank score. The percentranks were then averaged out to create a score to determine a ranking of which cities are the best for booklovers.

7) Data was collected on 11.08.2022 and is subject to change.