Magma Books

Susie Stubbs

Visit now

Magma Books

22 Oldham Street, Manchester, M1 1JN
0161 236 8777
This venue is permanently closed.
Image of Magma bookshop in Manchester
BW
Book now

With its collections of limited edition t-shirts and hipsterish temporary tattoos it would be easy to write Magma off as pretentious, but there is real soul to the place, evident in the considered selection of books on offer. This is one of the last independent bookshops supporting small publishing houses and the local arts scene whilst still managing to hold onto a city centre location. Shops like Magma are there to be treasured.

Most of the titles focus on design, architecture and the creative arts, but there are less technical gems to be found here too, amongst some of the most inventive stock you’ll find in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Magma is a bright, shiny publishing trove, sadly however it will be closing as a physical shop from March onwards.

What's on near Magma Books

Rock and Goal
Until
ActivityManchester
Rock and Goal Tour

Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.

From £9.99
Until
FamiliesCity Centre
Manchester Christmas Markets

The Manchester Christmas Markets are back for 2025, with many dozens of stalls in front of the town hall, and hundreds of traders spread across city-centre squares.

Free entry

Where to go near Magma Books

Image of Night and Day Cafe in Manchester
Manchester
Music venue
Night & Day Cafe

Opened in 1991, Night & Day Cafe on Oldham Street plays host to an exhausting array of gigs throughout the year.

Manchester
Shop
Vinyl Exchange

Vinyl Exchange is the largest seller and buyer of rare and second-hand records, CDs and DVDs in the North West.

Image of Piccadilly Records on Manchester's Oldham Street
Manchester
Shop
Piccadilly Records

Piccadilly Records is the real deal, a record shop so good that it probably deserves some credit for the regeneration of its surrounding neighbourhood.

Manchester
Shop
Cass Art Manchester

Primely located on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter, Cass Art Manchester offers a vast selection of high-quality art materials at affordable prices.

Manchester
Restaurant
Nibble

Independent cafe in Manchester’s bustling Northern Quarter. Perfect if you’re looking for high-quality homemade produce.

Image of Pop Boutique's shop front on Oldham Street in Manchester
Manchester
Shop
Pop Boutique Manchester

One of the oldest vintage shops in the Northern Quarter (opened here in 1994), Pop is set out across two floors and racks up a cafe, barber’s and basement furniture section, as well as its own label and good-as-new originals – all for very reasonable prices.

Manchester
Shop
Barbarella

Barbarella is a barber shop and part of the long-standing Pop Boutique vintage shop.

Manchester
Shop
COW Vintage Manchester

COW Vintage, once on Piccadilly Place, now on Church Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter is a beautifully decorated vintage clothes shop.

Culture Guides

Sepia image of a courtroom with the words 'Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird’
Theatre in the North

Winter brings a huge haul of seasonal shows, as well as productions that resolutely veer away from the fairy lights.

Music in the North

Manchester’s closing out the year – and looking to the new one – with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports.

Exhibitions in the North

This season, exhibitions across the North West feel attuned to the world beneath the world – the forces and stories shaping how we see, feel and imagine.

A performer in a bright red costume sits on a snowy stage set, holding a large snowball between their legs with a surprised expression. The colourful winter backdrop features snowflakes, hills, a snowman, and a traffic light with glowing lights.
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

Food and Drink in the North

Hear ye, hear ye. Take some eating-out tips from our wintertime guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.