About The Folded Page
"Books for people who take books seriously and don't take themselves too seriously."
We are an independent bookshop in Edinburgh's Stockbridge neighbourhood. We are not large, we are not comprehensive, and we are not trying to be Amazon. We are trying to be the kind of bookshop that changes what you read.
Our Story
The Folded Page opened in March 2019 when Nora Sutherland decided she'd rather run a small shop badly than manage a large one competently. (She runs it well.)
After twelve years as a bookseller at larger shops—Blackwell's and an Edinburgh branch of Waterstones—Nora had developed strong opinions about what a bookshop should be. It should be curated. It should be personal. The booksellers should actually read books, not just scan barcodes.
The Folded Page is deliberately small. The ceilings are low, the shelves are crammed, and if you visit on a Tuesday afternoon there's a reasonable chance a cat named Bewick will be sitting on the poetry section. We stock approximately 4,000 titles—not because that's all we can fit, but because that's all we think is worth reading.
We hand-sell. We argue about books. We remember what you bought last time. We believe that the best contemporary fiction is not being written exclusively in English, which is why over 25% of our fiction titles are works in translation.
Our Philosophy
Curation over comprehensiveness
We have made peace with not stocking everything. We'd rather stock the right things. Every title on our shelves is there because someone on the team read it and thought it deserved to be.
Booksellers as readers
Everyone who works here reads. A lot. We don't hire people who treat books as units. We hire people who have opinions about books and aren't afraid to share them.
Translation matters
We believe firmly that the best contemporary fiction is not being written exclusively in English. We stock translated fiction from publishers most shops ignore.
The shop is for reading
The comfortable chairs are there to be used. Bring a child. Bring a thermos if you want. Stay as long as you like. We're not going to chase you out.
Meet the Team
Nora Sutherland
Owner & Bookseller
Responsible for fiction buying, author events, and the shop's general atmosphere and opinions. Spent twelve years at larger bookshops before deciding independence was worth the risk.
Alasdair Finlay
Bookseller
Manages children's books, the second-hand section, and is the only person who knows the full filing system for the poetry shelves. PhD in Comparative Literature, which he describes as "professionally useless and personally invaluable."
Marta Kowalczyk
Bookseller
Joined in 2021. Leads the translated fiction selection and manages book club coordination. Previously worked at a bookshop in Kraków. Believes passionately that Polish literature deserves more attention.
Bewick
Shop Cat
Tabby. Arrived uninvited in 2020 and has shown no signs of leaving. Named after the wood-engraver Thomas Bewick, whose work appears in Jane Eyre. Sits on whatever you're trying to read.
What We Do Best
Literary Fiction
UK, US, and international. We stock what we think is worth reading, not what the algorithms say you probably want. We do not stock celebrity memoirs unless we genuinely believe they're good.
Translated Fiction
We believe this is the most under-read category in English-language bookselling. We stock translated fiction from publishers most shops ignore, because the best stories are being told in every language.
Poetry
A larger poetry section than most shops our size, because poetry matters and because Alasdair has strong opinions about the filing system.
Children's Books
Books for children aged 0–12 that are actually good. We believe children deserve better than marketing-driven series and celebrity picture books.
Who We're For
People who read. Specifically: people who want to be surprised by what they read, who are willing to trust a bookseller's recommendation, and who believe that a good bookshop is worth going out of your way for.
We're not the shop for you if you need something immediately (we're not Amazon) or if you want the largest possible selection in every genre (we're not Waterstones).
We are the shop for you if you want to walk in not knowing what you want and leave with something better than you'd have chosen yourself.
Come and See Us
The shop has three small reading areas where you are welcome to sit and read before you buy (or instead of buying—we're not going to chase you out). We sell coffee, tea, and shortbread. We have one table if you want to think of it as a very small café.
Find Us
14 Raeburn Place
Edinburgh EH4 1HN
In Stockbridge, near the bridge. Look for the cat in the window.
Opening Hours
Monday – Saturday: 10:00 am – 6:30 pm
Sunday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Phone: 0131 555 0192