Thistle & Thorn Books ~
Now Open in Clitheroe

Based in the heart of the town, Thistle & Thorn is a cosy, carefully curated bookshop celebrating magic, folklore, nature and everyday reading for all ages.


Join us on our journey as the shelves fill up and a new community bookshop comes to life in the Ribble Valley.

All photos by Kelvin Lister-Stuttard/Lancashire Post

Our story is just beginning...

Thistle & Thorn opened its doors in the heart of Pendle Witch Country, surrounded by hills, villages and footpaths threaded with centuries of folklore, fairytales and ghost stories. This landscape of legends shapes the spirit of the bookshop but at its core you will find everything you expect from a brilliant high street bookshop: new releases, classics, children's favourites and thoughtful recommendations for every kind of reader.

​Guided by a love of magic, fantasy, nature writing and myth, the shelves are carefully curated to celebrate imaginative, transportive storytelling alongside a wide range of fiction and non-fiction for everyday reading. 

Thistle & Thorn aims to be a space where local readers and visitors from far and wide feel at home - somewhere to discover their next book, talk stories over the counter and feel connected to the rich, sometimes eerie history just beyond the shop door.

This month, Thistle and Thorn have decided to take on Teenage Cancer Trust's September Reading Challenge. Teenage Cancer Trust does brilliant work to support teenagers through every step of their battle with cancer - and we want to help in that mission!

To do that, we have set ourselves the challenge to read 30 books in the 30 days of September - that's one book a day so wish us luck! 

This is where you come in - you can help us out by donating on our fundraising page, donating in store with us, or just by sharing this post so more people can hear about our challenge. Even just coming into the shop to chat about what we're reading really keeps up motivated. And we really need the support right now because we're now 5 days in and have only finished 3 books! 

Click to Donate

Follow us on Instagram at @thistle_and_thorn_books

View fullsize CALLING ALL CRIME FICTION FANS!! An Evening with Joel Hames Thistle & Thorn is opening an investigation, and we need witnesses... On Tuesday 6th October, local crime author Joel Hames comes in for questioning, and co-owner Lynzie Cotton will
View fullsize Every page turned can be the beginning of a much bigger conversation. Sometimes, this can inspire tremendous societal change 📚🌍 What book has changed the way you think about how the world works? We'd love to hear from you in the comments! 💚 #bo
View fullsize TEENAGE CANCER TRUST UPDATE 👇👇👇 At the beginning of the month, we set ourselces the target of reading 30 books in 30 days as part of tge TCT Reading Challenge... We are so close to the finish line, but we still have some work to do! To date, we
View fullsize 🦣 MAMMOTH ALERT! 🦣 What if mammoths actually came back? 🤯 In Mammoth Rider by S.J. Poyton (TAG?), they have! Scientists have brought them back to help the planet, and Ash Grimes has grown up in the Arctic right beside them. Her big dream? To b
View fullsize We've got big news... BIG NEWS Today is exactly one month until ACOTAR 6 drops. So we can now share what our plans are for this huge occasion 🎉 We don't think you'll be disappointed! Head over to our website EVENTS page to get your tickets! LINK
View fullsize One of the things we find most fun after reading a good story is imagining what it would be like to actually meet one of the characters in real life. This can make for a very funny thought experiment! If you had to pick one character to share a meal
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View fullsize Quote of the Day - While it's a simple concept, we at T&T find this to be very powerful. It really is a true testament to the power of literature in setting our imaginations free and altering our subjective realities 💚 #bookstagram #indiebooks
View fullsize Quote of the Day - We at Thistle & Thorn know very well just how much a good book and a nice cuppa can go together! In fact, our kitchen is full of a whole apothecary's worth of tasty teas 🌿 What's your favourite kind of tea or other hot drink