Nairn Bookshop
The Nairn Bookshop has been in Nairn for many decades - established by Alison and George Gray (who also set up the Nairn Book & Arts Festival), then taken over in 2009 by Mrs Mavis Macdonald, who moved the shop across the street to its current larger premises in 2015. The current owner, Dr Samantha Holland, took on the bookshop in 2023 after Mavis decided to retire.
The bookshop has always carried a wide range of titles to accommodate lots of different readers. And especially since Mavis moved the shop to larger premises, it’s also well loved for its range of greetings cards and notebooks.
The bookshop retains a substantial section of crime fiction, but is more focused on Scottish & Scandi titles. It also has an extensive selection of nature writing and other non-fiction books, as well as a large children’s section, and books on local and Scottish history (including military history), and a variety of books for adults and children in Gaelic and in Scots.
We also have curated selections of Classics and poetry, and a growing range of short stories and contemporary fiction in translation - as well as areas including philosophy, cultural studies, world history, auto/biography, YA novels, graphic novels, and books on art, crafts, and self-care.
We also stock some gifts and stationery - including exclusive ‘Nairn’ tea towels and bookmarks, as well as jigsaws, notepads, notelets, writing sets, & more.
Who We Are!
Meet the small team of booksellers who make Nairn Books tick. We’re full of ideas about books - & can make recommendations for books you’ll love, & books to give as gifts. We’re here to help you with placing your orders & making your purchases!
ANTHONY:
Click here to see Anthony’s favourite reads!
Anthony moved to Scotland in September 2023. When he’s not working in the bookshop, discovering new authors & helping others to, as well, he spends his time filling blank pages & forging tales of his own.
Since reading The Lord of the Rings at an early age, & later, the works of his favourite author, David Gemmell, Anthony has been inspired to write his own stories. He’s the author of a thrilling medieval fantasy saga, 'The Storm Trilogy' , and a contemporary thriller, The Last Tiger.
Currently working on his fifth novel, Wrath of Eagles, the start of an epic new four-part historical series, Anthony spends what’s left of his time walking, exploring, reading, board gaming, & enjoying adventures of his own.
SAMANTHA
Owner of Nairn Books since just 2023, Samantha is the one who deals with the less exciting aspects of running the business, as well as working in the shop, of course - and ordering in the wonderful stock.
With a background as a university lecturer in both the USA & the UK, & having practised as a barrister, Samantha’s also had a few other jobs along the way - from waiting tables in the unlikeliest of places, to being an ethical raw materials buyer, to investigating the police. She’s also worked on & set up volunteer projects in Galapagos, Bolivia, & Lesotho. More recently, she’s studied anthrozoology, trained as a psychotherapist, and been a legal & academic copy-editor.
Samantha’s a Certified Clinical Somatic Educator (having got rid of her own long-term pain within just a few months of discovering Thomas Hanna’s Somatics) and sees clients in person and online. She also works with therapists and counsellors to integrate Somatics into their practice, and sees private clients for Somatic Experiencing sessions.
This, perhaps, goes some way to explaining the decidedly eclectic range of books in the shop!
Samantha’s not done a ‘favourites’ list - but below’s a link to some of her most memorable must-reads:
STEPHEN
A composer and occasional ambler, Stephen is frequently found with a nose in a book when he is not scribbling clefs and quavers. His music has appeared in various parts of the world, from Montreal to Tianjin, in concert halls or roaming streets and valleys or on Radio 3. As a reader, he's interested in discovering new names and exploring ideas, but has a fondness for classics like Hermann Melville, Leonora Carrington or Antal Szerb.
Stephen joined Nairn Books officially in April 2025 (to co-run it with Samantha), although he’d been lurking behind the scenes for a wee while!
