Gifts and subscriptions

A subscription here is not an algorithm. You tell us about the person: what they read last and loved, what they hated, what they are going through, whether they like a hardback or a paperback, and one of us chooses a book for them every month and writes a card saying why. It is the thing we are proudest of and the thing people renew.

Subscriptions start with a form, on paper or on the order page: the reader, their last three loved books, their last hated one, hardback or paperback, and anything else. Each month a book arrives, wrapped, with a handwritten card from the bookseller who chose it, posted anywhere in Britain or held for collection. Three months is £48, six £90, twelve £170, postage included, and the cost of the books is roughly what you pay; the choosing is free. If a book misses, tell us and the next one will be better; that is how it works.

For a present now, come in and describe the person, and we will find the book in ten minutes and wrap it in brown paper and string while you wait, for nothing. Gift cards are any value and never expire. We run lists for weddings, new babies and leaving collections, where friends buy from a list the person has made with us.

What is included

• A book a month chosen by a bookseller for the reader you describe
• A handwritten card saying why
• Posted anywhere in Britain, or collected
• Three months £48, six £90, twelve £170
• Gift wrapping free, in brown paper and string
• Gift cards, tokens, wedding and baby lists

What it costs

Subscriptions: three months £48, six £90, twelve £170, including postage in Britain. Gift wrapping free. Gift cards any value. The bookseller's choice, in person, free. The staff picks shelf says what we are reading this month; the order page gets you any book in print by the next working day.