The Tiny Welsh Town That's Brimming With Books | Atlas Obscura

Hay-on-Wye was once declared an independent kingdom of books by the man who appointed himself its king. The United Kingdom's mecca for bibliophiles is less than one square mile in size, but it’s packed with independent booksellers curating all kinds of used and antique reading material. Today, the area doesn't just provide a safe haven for books-the books actually help to preserve their home.
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[@petertaylor7476]

I am surprised you don't mention the annual Hay Festival in May where you can hear authors from all over the world discussing their work.

[@mariezp]

My family and I were in Hay-On-Wye in August 2019. We arrived on the day of Mr. Richard Booth's funeral. We were witness to a good many people paying tribute to him in a long processional through town on the way to a community wake. Many of the local townspeople we met were eager to share a bit about him. All spoke fondly of his success, humor, and the fact that he was a bit eccentric.
I had planned our visit as a surprise for my son who is an avid reader. Our visit coincided with market day which we thoroughly enjoyed. We also enjoyed wandering the streets and exploring all the little shops. Hay-On-Wye is a lovely little town which I would absolutely love to return to some day.

[@thejigantics2641]

Thank you for your kind comments and we hope to see you back here again one day. I pass Richards very modest grave most mornings when walking my dog.

[@petert46]

I grew up around here. What's not mentioned is that the surrounding countryside and mountains are incredibly beautiful.

[@tm4tare]

I could spend days there browsing those book shops drinking tons of tea and coffee!

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

Heaven on earth.

[@cfroman7047]

Loved this! Sharing... 🤗🤗🤗

[@rebeccabourgeois1058]

I live in the south of France, a few miles from Montolieu, one of France's 12 bookshop towns. 17 bookshops, a printer, a museum of writing and a bookbinder within under a square mile. Lovely.

[@melchizedekpsj]

Books really are some of the best things in life! 📚❤️

[@ciganyweaverandherperiwink6293]

Heaven. Thank you for this video.

[@JulieKlassen_Author]

LOVE this. Well done. Adding this town to my wish list. :)

[@barrycrump6189]

Lovely. Only the soulless wouldn't enjoy visiting a book town - which is a good thing.

[@curiousworld7912]

This town sounds like pure heaven to me.

[@marinstafford]

I arrived in Hay the year Bill Clinton had spoken at the Festival. They were just taking it all down, but I did have time to eat some leftover sandwiches. The stores were fabulous. At that time, I was told there were nearly 30 stores. I loved the antique leather poetry books. I came to know "The Pocket RLS." The all time best parts of Robert Louis Stevenson. If it weren't for health problems, I would return there immediately.

[@maxwlytle]

Thanks for the lovely tour, I wish we had more bookshops like this where I live!

[@EdwardIglesias]

Larry McMurtry dis something similar with his hometown of Archer City, Texas. Unfortunately he closed down his book shops. He based the idea on Hay-on-Wye.

[@luisunitedkingdom2852]

What a beautiful town.

[@pax2902]

Good to see. Thanks for letting me know about this bookshop town, which I will try to visit soon.

[@belizeguy]

What a great place! Thanks for the tip!!

[@johanna7254]

I was just in the UK last September but I had no idea this existed! 😭 Guess I'll have to go back...

[@anonb4632]

Wales = Hay on Wye
Scotland = Wigtown
England = Sedbergh

[@crazykansan3026]

New place I want to go now.

[@84paratize]

It's not English, though, it's in Wales!

[@anonb4632]

Only just. 😆

[@TreforTreforgan]

Haye on Wye is in Wales not England!!

[@TreforTreforgan]

The people of Wales thank you for your swift correction🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@anonb4632]

A border town. Hay is on one side of the river and there is an English town across the other.

[@thejigantics2641]

True but only by a whisker....and if we’re being precise Stephen the spelling is without the E it’s Hay on Wye. In Welsh it’s 'Y Gelli Gandryll' or just 'Y Gelli'. Richard Booth lived in England and is buried in England but only by a whisker.

[@bp.baniel4828]

So coooll

[@SwordsmanMercenary]

I have to visit! I'm a struggling author now living in the UK, and my wife is a librarian.

[@asandl]

This was great -- thanks for showing us the kingdom of books!

[@WhyNot-WhyNott]

Love this

[@MeAuntieNora]

Well now I have to start reading again so I can get away with putting this place on my bucket list.

[@number1mouse]

OMG I WANT TO GO TO THERE!!!!

[@jupitterlarsen]

Is there a list anywhere of other "book towns" around the world...???

[@user-hl8yr2bu9t]

University of Hay on Wye

[@myfreedomfirst]

Love books!

[@anonb4632]

Please do Wigtown, which is Scotland's equivalent.

[@Felgaldhinio]

Only problem with the title, it's Welsh.

[@Felgaldhinio]

Thanks for correcting the title, I know it's literally on the border but it is on the Welsh side.

[@mehdi.z.9557]

hi.there is a song that starts at second 19 and ends at 40.do you know the name of it?

[@Moricant]

*Welsh

[@preshisify]

🤗☕📙 📚

[@bmorris5863]

Not English Welsh.
United Kingdom =England,Scotland,Wales,northern Ireland.

[@anonb4632]

It is a border town to be fair.

[@soozeq1]

Would have been better if a bibliophile did the interview. Seriously, walking around picking up recent paperbacks is not compelling. And getting the country wrong? You can do better than this.