Thornton's Bookshop  ( W A & J S Meeuws )    ( ABA, BA, ILAB ) Established  in  1835

Member of the ABA since 1907

   

Thornton's was established in 1835 by Joseph Thornton, with a  cash capital of only £ 250! By  1870, the bookshop was able to move into the historic premises at No. 11 Broad Street, and in  1913 the shop was expanded to occupy most of No. 12 Broad Street. In 1983 the bookshop was safed from bankruptcy by the Meeuws family. In May 2003 the old bookshop, complete with ghost, moved to other premises on Boars Hill / Oxford and now  only trades via mailorder and internet.  The premises were re-opened as The Buttery, in December 2003, alas without books....

We are happy to supply both new and secondhand titles to private and academic customers, and can post books
worldwide. If a particularly coveted title is out of print and not in stock, we have will of course search to find it for you.
We hope you enjoy the Thornton's Web Site, and we welcome any questions or comments you may have.

Joseph Thornton opened his bookshop in 1835 and among  its famous customers have been JRR Tolkien, Iris Murdoch,
Michael Palin and Aung San Suu Kyi. Here are a few more names and their photographs.