The Second Shelf opened its doors less than a year and a half ago, in a quiet Soho courtyard in London, with the goal of encouraging the collection of rare books and modern first editions by women and in response to a male-dominated trade that has primarily prized books by men and that reflects the gender imbalance of the literary canon.

Our shop stocks collectible books by and about women, trans women, and non-binary writers at a range of prices. We have reopened as an online shop to customers at this time, and the store is open, but our footfall is low, and we think that is ok. We have kept our small staff employed during the pandemic. It is our aim to survive. 

We also produce a literary magazine called The Second Shelf and commission freelance women writers, artists, designers, illustrators, photographers.

Your purchase supports our ability to weather the storm, with a high rent that has not been negotiated successfully yet. Books by women should be collected and have value and we love what we do and want to survive.

Thank you! From, The Second Shelf