VIDEO: First look inside Edinburgh's new Toppings bookshop ahead of opening

Footage has been shared offering a first look inside the soon-to-be open Toppings bookshop in Edinburgh.
The new bookshop will open this summer in Blenheim Place, Edinburgh.The new bookshop will open this summer in Blenheim Place, Edinburgh.
The new bookshop will open this summer in Blenheim Place, Edinburgh.

Speaking to the Edinburgh Evening News, director Hugh Topping says there is still plenty to do but hopes the much-loved independent bookshop will be open by the middle of August.

The new establishment, to be housed inside the 4,000 sq/m former RBS site at Blenheim Place, will come with rolling library ladders and space for more than 70,000 books.

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Much-loved independent bookshop Toppings to open in Edinburgh in 2019
The new bookshop will open this summer in Blenheim Place, Edinburgh.The new bookshop will open this summer in Blenheim Place, Edinburgh.
The new bookshop will open this summer in Blenheim Place, Edinburgh.
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Special features will include a large art room with oval shaped bookcases, complimentary tea and coffee for visitors as they browse the shelves, and a children's room with a great view of Calton Hill.

The bookshop will also host novelists, politicians, comedians, chefs and more, with the opening programme to be announced later this year.

The new video, posted on social media today, gives online viewers a tour around the premises which Mr Topping admits still requires some work.

He said: "It's such an exciting time, though, and the reaction on social media has been encouraging and we can not wait to get the doors open and welcome everyone inside.

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"Once the floor is in, it will start to look a lot more finished which will be quite reassuring."

Mr Topping said that, on August 16th, they will be hosting an event with military historian Max Hastings, who will be giving a talk and reading from his upcoming book The Dambusters.

Fans will be able to pre-order the books at the event, which will start at 6pm in the bookshop before moving to St Pauls and St Georges Church in Broughton Street.

Mr Topping says the first books will be arriving at the new Toppings shop at the start of August and that they should be ready to open by August 16th.

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He added: “We’ve been looking for a suitable building in Edinburgh for a long time because it's a brilliant independently-minded city with a rich literary tradition. It’s full of bookish people doing great things."

The Grade A listed William Playfair building will add to Topping & Company’s repertoire of bookshops already established in St Andrews as well as Bath and Ely, Cambridgeshire south of the Border.

Toppings will also be hosting an event with Scottish crime writer Val McDermid on Thursday, August 29th.

Details of all upcoming events can be found on their website.