Swansea's independent bookshop on Newton Road, twenty-five years between the castle and the pier. Contemporary fiction and non-fiction, our quiet specialisms in local interest and music, a large children's area at the back, and a year-long programme of author events at the counter and up the road at Mumbles Tabernacle.
A smartly-curated stock across the six sections the shop is known for. New on the front tables; specialisms in the back rooms.
A programme that runs the year round. The bigger evenings move up the road to Mumbles Tabernacle, the 1860 chapel that fits the bigger crowds. The in-store events stay at the counter, free to attend, the kettle on.
Sara Wheeler launches her biography of Jan Morris. The Tabernacle, the 1860 chapel up the road, holds the larger audiences for our author evenings.
Michael Nath returns to the shop with his new comedy, Talbot & The Fall: A Comedy (With Support). A shop favourite, in conversation at the counter.
A story of a remarkable family, many of whom left their home country to find new lives far away. Joan Darbyshire in conversation.
Cover to Cover opened in September 1999 as Sarah Rees's project. A single small shop on Newton Road, in the well-heeled Mumbles enclave west of Swansea, within sight of the 12th-century Oystermouth Castle. For eighteen years Sarah Rees ran the counter, building Swansea's only independent bookshop into the kind of indie that books better authors than the postcode suggests.
In the first week of August 2017, the keys passed to Tim Batcup. Music writer, formerly of Dylan's Bookstore in Swansea, with a long background in books and the music press. Tim runs the shop today, alongside Storyopolis, his not-for-profit running free writing workshops for children across South Wales.
Most indies pick a lane. Ours are two (local interest, and music) and they shape the back rooms. The first comes with the address: a Mumbles bookshop has to know Dylan Thomas country, the Gower, Swansea's industrial and maritime history, and the Welsh-language writers who wrote about the bay long before us. The second comes with the owner: Tim's background is the music press, and the music biography and criticism shelves carry a depth most indies don't bother with.
Most enquiries are answered in a working day, either by reply email or a phone call back from the counter. For anything urgent, phone the shop on 01792 366363. The counter is open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.
For a title not on the shelves, give us the title, author and edition if you know it, and we'll come back with availability and pickup date. For larger orders (school bundles, reading-group sets, estate book buy-ins) please phone first so the counter can talk it through.
sales@cover-to-cover.co.uk · 01792 366363
We sit in the parade of independent shops along Newton Road, opposite the cafes that face the bay. A short walk from Oystermouth Castle, Mumbles Pier and the long sweep of Swansea Bay.
For anything not here, phone the shop on 01792 366363 or email sales@cover-to-cover.co.uk.
Yes. Almost any title in print can be ordered in for next-day or two-day collection. Phone the shop on 01792 366363 or email sales@cover-to-cover.co.uk with the title and author and we’ll come back with availability.
It depends. The bigger evenings at Mumbles Tabernacle are usually ticketed, with details posted on the events page when each event opens. In-store signings and conversations at the counter are usually free to attend, just turn up.
Yes. The used and antiquarian section is curated from purchases at the counter. Bring single books or small piles in for valuation. For larger collections or estates, phone first so the counter can talk through what you have before you pack it up.
Yes. We supply the secondary schools around Swansea with set texts and recommended-reading bundles, and we put together reading-group sets for libraries and book clubs. Phone the shop or email and we will put together a quote.
We are at 58 Newton Road, in the heart of Mumbles village. A short walk from Oystermouth Castle and the seafront, opposite the parade of cafes and gift shops on the bay road. The 2A bus from Swansea city centre stops outside.