WH Smith

Great spot to load up on snacks for your trip! Quite a large array of books for sale and bits and pieces you may have forgotten at home.

I take back what I just said, the buyers at WHSmith clearly know how to spot a good book when they see one. It’s just for some strange reason, they’ve decided to put them all in one store!
Handily located before security at Edinburgh Airport, this branch of Smiths is a great one that’s devoted entirely to hardbacks and paperbacks. As you’d expect, there’s tables offering cheap discounts on chick-​lit and celebrity bios but take a look around and you’ll also find great travel, crime, thriller and local history sections. There’s also a generous fiction section which includes beloved authors like Audrey Niffenegger, Jackie Kay and Zadie Smith alongside emerging authors like Hilary Jordan and Helen Walsh. If you haven’t already, check out their latest novels Mudbound and Once Upon A Time in England.
Of course there’s no Gore Vidal or Noam Chomsky but trust me, this bookshop will make flying more enjoyable.