A visit to Camilla's Bookshop.

I've been living in the UK for a few years and I'm always on the lookout for secondhand bookshops.

I've never seen one like Camilla's in Eastbourne.

The first thing you notice as you approach it are large racks containing hundreds of books sprawled across the sidewalks in both directions. 

You could spend hours browsing these books and never actually enter the shop, which would be a shame because going into Camilla's is a very unique experience. 

Built in 1900, the building officially became a bookshop in 1947. Today, the two proprietors, Camilla and Stuart, claim to have over one million books in stock. 

That number may appear staggering, almost unbelievable. However,  I've visited Camilla's several times over the last few years and if my opinion means anything, I'd say that number is pretty accurate.

In fact, the first thought that probably enters most people's brains as they walk in is, "They must have at least a million books in here."











The first time I was there, I was looking for books by Fritz Leiber, the sci-fi / horror paperback genius.

"Sci-Fi's on the stairs," Stuart told me, pointing behind him. I walked up and found them, piles and piles of fantasy, sci-fi and horror. They were regulated primarily to the stairs, but blended onto another set of stairs that gradually turned into graphic novels & some manga.

I didn't find any Leiber that day, probably because I didn't try hard enough. Camilla's is a DYI kind of bookshop, you've got to get down on your knees and dig.

That said, everyone that works there is extremely helpful, and they know their stock. How, I have absolutely no clue, but they do. The system works for them and it's their shop so who am I to question it.

Going into Camilla's is like bun-jee jumping, you should just close your eyes and do it, and after you've done it once, you'll keep coming back for more.

In total, there are three levels to the shop. Upstairs is a birdcage that contains Archie the parrot, who's there on Tuesdays and Fridays.

On this particular occasion I was looking for some stuff by the Beats and was told they might be in the basement.







I didn't find any, but again, I don't think I really put enough effort into it. It's easy to get overwhelmed in there, but it's overwhelmed in a good way. At least, it is if you're someone who loves books.

I've found several gems in Camilla's over the past few years, including a first edition Slaughterhouse Five, almost the entire Philip K. Dick collection and enough H.P. Lovecraft to keep me up every night for months.

Science fiction, fantasy and horror aren't the only thing they have, though. They actually claim to specialize in books on the Armed Forces and Transportation.



I'll take their word for it, but I do know I found an entire wall of cookbooks from around the world, books on esoteric religions and practices, music, UFOs and witchcraft.

Secondhand bookshops are a dying breed, and this is no ordinary bookshop. It doesn't matter what kind of reader you are, if you're in Eastbourne, a visit to Camilla's will make your day.

For more information you can visit their web site at: http://www.camillasbookshop.com