The Montagu Bookshop

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Reader-centric at heart, Montagu Bookshop is a place of inspiration and discovery — where thoughtfully curated shelves invite both browsers and collectors to slow down and find books that stay with them.

1 SEPTEMBER IS WORLD LETTER WRITING DAY 💌The art of letter writing has become something of a rarity. Still, it’s finding...
01/09/2026

1 SEPTEMBER IS WORLD LETTER WRITING DAY 💌

The art of letter writing has become something of a rarity. Still, it’s finding its way back into fashion — sitting naturally at the intersection of literature, intimacy, history, and the simple joy of putting words on paper.

It’s no surprise, then, that letters have made such powerful storytelling devices in literature.

9 Epistolary novels to add to your TBR list: 📚

✉️ THE CORRESPONDENT | Virginia Evans
A contemporary novel told through letters, exploring friendship, secrets, memory, and the stories we carry with us. (Winner of the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction).

✉️ THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY | Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
A poignant story told entirely through letters, bringing together a writer, a remarkable book club, and a community rebuilding after WWII.

✉️ THE COLOUR PURPLE | Alice Walker
Letters become Celie’s lifeline as she finds her voice, identity, and strength.

✉️ 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD | Helene Hanff
A real-life correspondence between a New York writer and a London bookseller — a beautiful story about books, friendship, and connection across an ocean.

✉️ THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL | Anne Brontë
Letters and remembered events reveal a woman determined to reclaim her independence and tell her own story.

✉️ LADY SUSAN | Jane Austen
Austen turns correspondence into a delicious game of manipulation, matchmaking, and social intrigue.

✉️ THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS | C. S. Lewis
Letters from a senior demon to his inexperienced nephew become a witty and provocative exploration of human nature.

✉️ CARRIE | Stephen King
Newspaper clippings, reports, letters, and other documents piece together the horrifying story of Carrie White.

✉️ DRACULA | Bram Stoker
Perhaps the most famous epistolary novel, told through diaries, letters, newspaper clippings, and other documents that piece together its gothic tale.

💌 LOOKING FOR ONE OF THESE TITLES?
Montagu Bookshop is always happy to help you find it — and, where possible, order it for you. Send us a message or pop in and let us know what you’re looking for.

GETTING INTO THE HERB FESTIVAL SPIRIT… 🌿📚This weekend, the 6th Montagu Herb Festival is putting herbs firmly in the spot...
28/08/2026

GETTING INTO THE HERB FESTIVAL SPIRIT… 🌿📚

This weekend, the 6th Montagu Herb Festival is putting herbs firmly in the spotlight — and we’re joining in our own little way!

We’ve pulled our herb-, plant-, and botanical-related books from the shelves and gathered them together for a special browse.

It’s Montagu Bookshop’s little nod to the Herb Festival, and your excuse to come and browse. 🌱📖

FROM CONSCRIPTION TO THE PAGE WITH EVAN DAVIESThank you to everyone who included our meet-the-author event at The Quarte...
19/08/2026

FROM CONSCRIPTION TO THE PAGE WITH EVAN DAVIES

Thank you to everyone who included our meet-the-author event at The Quarter in their Saturday morning plans.

🪖 With a militaria display by Harry and Basil as the backdrop, Evan Davies shared stories from his experiences as a young SADF conscript, along with moving excerpts from his memoir, TEENAGE SAFARI | A South African Conscript in the Border War in Angola and Namibia.

It was a thoughtful and compelling morning of stories, memories, and history — bringing a very personal perspective to a complex chapter of South Africa’s past.

Montagu Bookshop is the official stockist of Teenage Safari.
📩 [email protected]

CRITICAL PRAISE FOR TEENAGE SAFARI | JOIN US ON SATURDAY AT THE QUARTERTeenage Safari is not a conventional military mem...
12/08/2026

CRITICAL PRAISE FOR TEENAGE SAFARI | JOIN US ON SATURDAY AT THE QUARTER

Teenage Safari is not a conventional military memoir. It’s a literary time capsule: the raw, personal story of an ordinary 19-year-old conscript swept into the 1980s Border War.

With author Evan Davies speaking this Saturday, 15 August, the reviews make one thing clear: Teenage Safari is a powerful story of youth, war, and coming of age.

WHAT REVIEWERS AND PUBLISHERS ARE SAYING:
💬 "Unlike official military histories written by commanders, it captures the everyday reality, verbatim dialogue, unique jargon, and human impact of the era through contemporaneous notes." - Helion & Company (UK)

💬 “Anyone who finds real-life "adventure" as fascinating as I do will revel in Evan Davies' memoir of the Angola War. There are a huge number of conflicts that warrant further investigation, and this is one of them. Evan's narrative is studied and engaging. You will feel "informed" after reading about his exploits with the South African army. Inspirational.” - Books Monthly

💬 “I recommend this book to everyone. Students of the era will find it a very useful addition to the bookshelf and others will simply find it absorbing. It is quite a superb description of soldiering from another time and culture. 5 stars.” - Army Rumour Service

Evan will share the story behind the book, the reality of SADF conscription, and the process of putting these experiences on the page.

🗓️ DATE | Saturday, 15 August
⏰ TIME | 10h00 for 10h30 (Grab a coffee from Pastry Place)
📍 VENUE | The Quarter, Long Street, Montagu

Copies will be available on the day.

Montagu Bookshop is the official stockist of Teenage Safari.
📩 [email protected]

HANDPICKED FOR WOMEN'S MONTH ‪‪❤︎‬"Every great library has women's voices at its heart."There is no single women's story...
07/08/2026

HANDPICKED FOR WOMEN'S MONTH ‪‪❤︎‬

"Every great library has women's voices at its heart."

There is no single women's story—and that's exactly the point.

For Women's Month, we've gathered a small collection of genres highlighting the richness and diversity of women's writing.

‪‪❤︎‬ ‪‪Some challenged convention.
‪‪❤︎‬ Some documented history.
‪‪❤︎‬ Some imagined entirely new worlds.
‪‪❤︎‬ Some remind us of the beauty found in everyday life.

Together, these voices have shaped generations of readers and continue to inspire us today.

✿ Thank you to Country Basket for the pretty flowering plants that made the perfect bookends for our Women's Month display.✿

Pop in and discover the many voices of women’s writing on our shelves.

THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER | THE MAKING OF A STORY Join us for a thought-provoking morning with Evan Davies as he discusses...
01/08/2026

THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER | THE MAKING OF A STORY

Join us for a thought-provoking morning with Evan Davies as he discusses the newly released second edition of his memoir, TEENAGE SAFARI.

First published by Helion & Company (UK) in 2017, Teenage Safari offers a brutally honest account of serving as a 19-year-old conscript in the 1980s Border War in Angola and Namibia.

Part history, part deeply personal narrative, it offers an unforgettable look at a defining period in South African military service. It will resonate with anyone who lived through SADF training, as well as anyone who appreciates powerful, literary storytelling.

Whether you’re interested in history, memoir, or compelling firsthand accounts, don't miss this conversation.

🗓️ DATE | Saturday, 15 August
⏰ TIME | 10h00 for 10h30 (Order a coffee from The Pastry Place)
📍 VENUE | The Quarter, Long Street, Montagu

Montagu Bookshop is the official stockist of Teenage Safari.
📩 [email protected]

HAPPY PAPERBACK BOOK DAY | 91 YEARS SINCE PENGUIN CHANGED READING FOREVER 🐧Here’s the story behind one of the most famou...
30/07/2026

HAPPY PAPERBACK BOOK DAY | 91 YEARS SINCE PENGUIN CHANGED READING FOREVER 🐧

Here’s the story behind one of the most famous logos in publishing history:

🐧 Back in 1935, Allen Lane, founder of Penguin Books Ltd, set out to revolutionise reading by making high-quality literature affordable and accessible for the masses. When he mentioned needing a mascot that felt "dignified but flippant," his secretary, Joan Coles, suggested a penguin.

🐧 Young office assistant, Edward Young, was sent straight to the London Zoo to sketch penguins, giving birth to the friendly, approachable logo we all know and love today! Sold for just sixpence, the first Penguin paperbacks changed reading forever.

Pop into Montagu Bookshop this week to celebrate , browse our collection, and add a preloved paperback to your TBR list.

24/07/2026

A LITERARY ESCAPE TO AN OLIVE FARM IN PROVENCE 🫒

Some of you may remember Carol Drinkwater as Helen Herriot in the original 1978 BBC series, ‘All Creatures Great and Small’. Others may know her as the host of ‘A Year in Provence with Carol Drinkwater’.

🫒 But today, it's her much-loved memoir series about life on an olive farm in the South of France that's in the spotlight.

Her beautifully written books transport you to a world of ancient olive trees, Provençal landscapes, love, hard work, unexpected adventures, and the gentle rhythms of rural life. They're the kind of books that make you dream of your own olive grove.

So where better to introduce them than among the olive trees at Montagu Vines?

A big thank you to Montagu Vines Guesthouse for so generously allowing us to film in their beautiful olive grove—the perfect backdrop for this little literary escape.

📚Find the series at Montagu Bookshop.

IT’S WORLD EMOJI DAY, AND WE THOUGHT WE’D HAVE A LITTLE FUN 😉How up to speed are you with Emoji 'literary' lingo? Guess ...
17/07/2026

IT’S WORLD EMOJI DAY, AND WE THOUGHT WE’D HAVE A LITTLE FUN 😉

How up to speed are you with Emoji 'literary' lingo?

Guess the BOOK TITLE from the Emojis:
EXAMPLE 🧙⚡🏰 → Harry Potter
#1 🐳⚓🌊 →
#2 🦁🧙🏻‍♀️👑🚪👧🏻 →
#3 💍🔥🌋 →
#4 👨‍🌾🐮? →
#5 👱🏻‍♀️🧸🧸🧸→
#6 🐷🐷🐷🐺→
#7 🐛🍎🍓🍰🦋 →
#8 ⏰🍊→
#9 𐀪🍫🏭🎩→

Match the Emojis to the GENRE:
#1 🔍🕵️‍♀️🩸 =
#2 ❤️🌹💌 =
#3 🚀🌌👽 =
#4 🏰🐉⚔️ =
#5 🌍✈️🎒 =

Let us know your answers in the comments 👇🏼 or challenge friends and family to see who is the most emoji-literate.

Address

43 Long Street
Montagu
6720

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 16:30
Tuesday 09:00 - 16:30
Wednesday 09:00 - 16:30
Thursday 09:00 - 16:30
Friday 09:00 - 16:30
Saturday 09:00 - 13:00

Telephone

0236142772

Website

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