Tortured Artists List Image

New event!

Olivia Laing on The Silver Book

It was Storysmith’s official Book Of The Year for 2025, and now we finally get to discuss The Silver Book with Olivia Laing in person!

Tickets on sale now!

Effortless gifting that gives the impression of careful consideration

Subscriptions for Curious Readers

Still the best way to get adventurous, international and bookseller-approved books straight to your door every month. With coffee.

Start now!

Reccommendation list

Books about tortured artists

The anguish! The genius! The books! Our booksellers have scoured the very finest books about the ennui of creativity, monsters in art and general turbulence.

Explore the list!

Hello, we’re a bookshop

Welcome to Storysmith!

Storysmith is an award-winning independent bookshop situated on North Street in Bedminster, stocking a curated selection of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. We also serve locally roasted coffee, host a busy programme of literary events across Bristol, and pride ourselves on the recommendation skills of our expert booksellers. Come and see us to chat books, drink coffee and maybe give our shop dog Roy a lil’ head scratch.

New & in-demand

More
Seven

Seven

£16.99
Light and Thread

Light and Thread

£12.99
Katabasis

Katabasis

£22.00
Read more
There are rivers in the sky

There are rivers in the sky

Elif Shafak

£9.99
We Do Not Part

We Do Not Part

£9.99
Imagine Breaking Everything

Imagine Breaking Everything

£12.99
What Am I, a Deer? (signed indie exclusive)

What Am I, a Deer? (signed indie exclusive)

Polly Barton

£16.99
Boyhood (signed)

Boyhood (signed)

David Keenan

£23.00
TonyInterruptor

TonyInterruptor

£16.99
The Land in Winter

The Land in Winter

Andrew Miller

£10.99
Tarantula (signed bookplate)

Tarantula (signed bookplate)

£10.99
Called by the Hills

Called by the Hills

£12.99
Disappoint Me

Disappoint Me

Nicola Dinan

£9.99
Susaki Paradise

Susaki Paradise

Yoshiko Shibaki

£12.00
Little F

Little F

Michelle Tea

£12.99
Good Things

Good Things

Samin Nosrat

£30.00
On the Calculation of Volume IV

On the Calculation of Volume IV

Solvej Balle

£12.99
Favorita

Favorita

£16.99
The Persians

The Persians

£9.99
This Way Up

This Way Up

Mark Cooper-Jones

£16.99
Chosen Family

Chosen Family

Madeleine Gray

£20.00
The Place of Tides

The Place of Tides

James Rebanks

£12.99
Small boat

Small boat

Vincent Delecroix

£12.99
Minor Black Figures (signed)

Minor Black Figures (signed)

Brandon Taylor

£18.99
Shadow Ticket

Shadow Ticket

£22.00
Butter

Butter

Asako Yuzuki

£9.99
James

James

Percival Everett

£9.99
Departure(s)

Departure(s)

£18.99
Palaver

Palaver

Bryan Washington

£14.99
The Long Shoe

The Long Shoe

Bob Mortimer

£22.00
Read more
Berlin Shuffle

Berlin Shuffle

£18.99
Strange Houses

Strange Houses

Uketsu

£14.99
House of Day, House of Night

House of Day, House of Night

Olga Tokarczuk

£14.99
Domination

Domination

Alice Roberts

£10.99
Weekend Recipes

Weekend Recipes

Jess Elliott, Dennison

£23.50
The Expansion Project

The Expansion Project

£16.99
Good Girl

Good Girl

Aria Aber

£9.99
Careless People

Careless People

£10.99
Love in Exile

Love in Exile

Shon Faye

£12.99
The Almanac

The Almanac

Lia Leendertz

£12.99
Read more

Our booksellers recommend

More
All Consuming

All Consuming

Ruby Tandoh

£18.99
Failed Summer Vacation

Failed Summer Vacation

Heuijung Hur

£10.99
I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness

I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness

Irene Solà

£14.99
The history of my sexuality

The history of my sexuality

Tobi Lakmaker

£9.99
Creation Lake

Creation Lake

Rachel Kushner

£9.99
The Employees

The Employees

Olga Ravn

£9.99
The Seers

The Seers

Sulaiman Addonia

£12.00
Deep house

Deep house

Jeremy Atherton Lin

£25.00
Big Kiss, Bye-Bye

Big Kiss, Bye-Bye

Claire-Louise Bennett

£12.99
Curling

Curling

Yaiza Berrocal

£12.99
Read more
There’s always this year

There’s always this year

Hanif Abdurraqib

£10.99
The Silver Book

The Silver Book

Olivia Laing

£20.00
Vigil

Vigil

George Saunders

£18.99
Eurotrash

Eurotrash

£9.99
Greyhound

Greyhound

Joanna Pocock

£14.99
What Am I, a Deer? (signed indie exclusive)

What Am I, a Deer? (signed indie exclusive)

Polly Barton

£16.99
Pathemata, or, the story of my mouth

Pathemata, or, the story of my mouth

Maggie Nelson

£12.99
Every One Still Here

Every One Still Here

£9.99
TonyInterruptor

TonyInterruptor

£16.99
Cannon

Cannon

Lee Lai

£25.00
Money to Burn

Money to Burn

Asta Olivia Nordenhof

£9.99
Swimming Studies

Swimming Studies

£13.99
On the clock

On the clock

£9.99
The Palm House (signed)

The Palm House (signed)

Gwendoline Riley

£16.99
What Am I, a Deer?

What Am I, a Deer?

Polly Barton

£14.99
Fair: The Life Art of Translation – Indie Edition

Fair: The Life Art of Translation – Indie Edition

Jen Calleja

£12.99
This part is silent

This part is silent

£14.99
Imagine Breaking Everything

Imagine Breaking Everything

£12.99
Death of an Ordinary Man

Death of an Ordinary Man

Sarah Perry

£11.99
Noopiming

Noopiming

Leanne Betasamosake, Simpson

£14.99
The Accidentals

The Accidentals

Guadalupe Nettel

£12.99
Just a Little Dinner

Just a Little Dinner

Cécile Tlili

£12.99
Will There Ever Be Another You (signed)

Will There Ever Be Another You (signed)

Patricia Lockwood

£16.99
The Woman Dies

The Woman Dies

£14.99
A leopard-skin hat

A leopard-skin hat

Anne Serre

£11.99
Read more
This Year: 365 Songs Annotated (signed bookplate)

This Year: 365 Songs Annotated (signed bookplate)

£30.00
Where we come from

Where we come from

Aniefiok Ekpoudom

£10.99
The Boyhood of Cain

The Boyhood of Cain

£9.99
This room is impossible to eat

This room is impossible to eat

Nicol Hochholczerová

£11.00
Read more
They

They

£12.99

Pre-orders

More
Heartstopper Volume 6 (pre-order)

Heartstopper Volume 6 (pre-order)

Alice Oseman

£14.99
Ottolenghi: Simple Too (signed pre-order)

Ottolenghi: Simple Too (signed pre-order)

Yotam Ottolenghi

£30.00
Still in a Dream (signed + exclusive fanzine pre-order)

Still in a Dream (signed + exclusive fanzine pre-order)

Simon Reynolds

£23.00
The Castle (signed pre-order)

The Castle (signed pre-order)

Jon Ronson

£20.00
A Killer Plot (Signed Indie Exclusive)

A Killer Plot (Signed Indie Exclusive)

£16.99
On the Calculation of Volume IV (pre-order)

On the Calculation of Volume IV (pre-order)

Solvej Balle

£12.99
John of John (signed indie exclusive edition pre-order)

John of John (signed indie exclusive edition pre-order)

Douglas Stuart

£20.00
The Things We Never Say (signed pre-order)

The Things We Never Say (signed pre-order)

Elizabeth Strout

£18.99
We Chase Shadows (signed pre-order)

We Chase Shadows (signed pre-order)

Richard Osman

£25.00
Cool Machine (signed pre-order)

Cool Machine (signed pre-order)

Colson Whitehead

£22.00
Having Spent Life Seeking (signed pre-order)

Having Spent Life Seeking (signed pre-order)

Kae Tempest

£18.99
Light and Thread (pre-order)

Light and Thread (pre-order)

£12.99
Queenie Is Working On It (signed pre-order)

Queenie Is Working On It (signed pre-order)

Candice Carty-Williams

£20.00
Cathedrals (signed bookplate pre-order)

Cathedrals (signed bookplate pre-order)

Claudia Piniero

£11.99
The Lone Island Mystery (signed pre-order)

The Lone Island Mystery (signed pre-order)

Emylia Hall

£8.99

Visit us

Storysmith
236 North Street
Bristol BS3 1JD

get Directions

Opening times

Tues – Sat

10am – 6pm

Sun

11am – 4pm

Monday

closed

Join our mailing list

Stay updated with our latest recommendations and be the first to find out about upcoming events.

It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time.