Keel RowBooks

Anthony Smithson and Alice Laverty have owned Keel Row Books since 2006, trading under a name first established in 1981. The couple moved the shop from North Shields to a larger premises on Park View, Whitley Bay in August 2023, specialising in rare, first-edition and antiquarian books alongside maps, ephemera and photographs. Smithson has worked as a bookseller for more than 30 years and also founded a not-for-profit training course for aspiring booksellers. The shop is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association and the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, reflecting its focus on collectable rather than general stock. Keel Row Books opens Tuesday to Saturday and is closed on Mondays and Sundays.