"I think the thing about secondhand bookshops is you just never know what you're going to find. Outlets like these often have their specialisms, but I just engage with them as an Aladdin's cave,"
"When you come out with a pre-loved book, not only do you open yourself up to the world within the pages, but you bring home a unique item that has a story of its own. How many hands have turned its pages, how many shelves has it sat on before your own?"
"Edinburgh was built on arts and culture, whether you engage with it as a UNESCO City of Literature or the place where theatre is developed for the Fringe,"
Marcas Mac an Tauirneir is a Gaelic poet based in Edinburgh who finds stories along winding cobblestone streets and within sandstone structures. Edinburgh’s cultural life encompasses UNESCO City of Literature recognition and an active Fringe theatre scene. Tauirneir serves as poet in residence at the Balmoral, a Rocco Forte Hotel honored in the 2025 Readers' Choice Awards, composing bespoke poems for guests. Tauirneir recommends exploring multiple secondhand bookshops—notably Edinburgh Books, Main Point Books, and Armchair Books where Grassmarket elides into Fountainbridge—and treats secondhand stores as Aladdin's caves where pre-loved books carry prior owners’ histories. Tauirneir also highlights public libraries and vintage shopping as part of the city's literary fabric.
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