The perfect UK city for booklovers has been revealed by industry expert, Aura Print. It created a comprehensive index study analysing five book-specific variables to reveal this, including the number of bookshops, number of libraries, number of writers born in the city, and literary score. The city that has come out on top is London.
To enjoy the ultimate book experience, reading-lovers should head to England’s capital, London, which achieved a literary score of 75.6/100, landing the first place in the study. Take your pick from the city’s whooping 325 libraries, or browse through its 240 bookstores. Moreover, the amount of book-related hashtags generated on TikTok (5,322) and Instagram (44,210) serves as further proof of how perfect London is for all those who love books.
With a literary score of 71.1/100, second comes Birmingham. The city has the second highest number of bookstores (208) and libraries (39) out of all cities analysed in the city, coming only after London. Its book scene also has a sufficient presence on social media, boasting a total of 640 TikTok hashtags and 18,720 Instagram hashtags (second highest number of Instagram hashtags after London).
Going further north, in third place is Glasgow, having accumulated a literary score of 69/100. The city has 94 bookstores and 38 libraries (third highest number after London and Birmingham) that await booklovers who choose to visit Glasgow. While book-related Glasgow content is not that popular on TikTok, where it has only 75 hashtags, it’s earned a decent amount of hashtags on Instagram – 2,030.
Following closely behind, with a literary score of 67.6/100, is yet another Scottish city – Edinburgh. Book-enthusiasts visiting the city get to enjoy a variety of 83 bookstores and 35 libraries. Scotland’s capital also provides a lovely opportunity for creating book-related content, accumulating 740 hashtags on TikTok and 2,530 on Instagram.
And round off the top five, boasting a literary score of 66.9/100, is Manchester. Scattered throughout the city are 124 bookstores (fourth highest number after London, Birmingham and Liverpool) and 24 libraries. Manchester’s book scene actually has the third highest number of Instagram hashtags (6,530), after London and Birmingham, while its TikTok presence currently stands at 155 hashtags.
Liverpool, Leeds, Bradford, Bristol and Cardiff round off the top ten.