“We have a very small space in which we try to fit exactly what you didn’t know you were looking for,” says manager Alice Harandon. A stone’s throw from the harbour, the store has a loyal customer base among locals and returning holidaymakers, with a children’s section bolstered by its own publishing arm, Mabecron Books.

Top five sellers

• The Little Sea Dragon’s Wild Adventure Helen Dunmore, illustrated by Michael Foreman

• To the Lighthouse Virginia Woolf

• The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock Imogen Hermes Gowar

• The Swordfish and the Star Gavin Knight

• Salt Creek Lucy Treloar

Five recommendations

• The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock Imogen Hermes Gowar
“A bewitching tale of merchants, mermaids and courtesans set in the 18th century.”

• The Queen of the Night Alexander Chee
“Nineteenth-century Paris is the backdrop as a feted falcon soprano recounts her journey to the stage.”

• The Bear and the Nightingale Katherine Arden
“A tale of Russian winters… enchanting and atmospheric – one of my favourites!”

• Ingo Helen Dunmore
“A tale set in a familiar Cornwall but which goes beneath the waves to the magical world of Ingo.”

• Rebecca Daphne du Maurier
“The original Cornish gothic novel.”

St Ives Bookseller, 2 Fore St, St Ives TR26 1AB