A book lover's guide to Bath

Legend has it that King Bladud, swine herder, ninth King of the Britons and founder of Bath, was the father of Shakespeare's tragic King Lear. His statue now stands near King's Bath, so could the spa waters he discovered in 863 BC, and then built the town around, be endowed with literary sorcery?

Many a fine literary figure has links with Bath. Jacqueline Wilson was born in the city, Jane Austen's parents married here, while two of the author's books are based in the city. Mary Shelley penned chapters of "Frankenstein" here, and other authors such as Charles Dickens, Henry Fielding, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Anna Sewell made regular visits. 

The streets of Bath are a beguiling mix of cobbled lanes and broad avenues, with pretty squares, hidden parks and riverside haunts. This World Heritage Site is certainly bustling. 

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Just behind Bath Abbey is York Street, the perfect spot to test the literary waters, with a visit to the pleasing Palladian building which hosts the independent bookshop, Topping & Co, claimed to be the city's largest. Built in 1817, it is packed to its beautiful Georgian rafters with reams of reading matter, and hosts events including authors' talks and reading groups.

Tucked away on John Street is Mr B's Emporium, award-winning and much loved by local people. With The Raven pub nearby, serving the best homemade pies, this location is ideal for hungry book lovers.

Those with obscure or erudite tastes should try Bath Old Books, between The Royal Crescent and The Circus. If you dally among the dusty hallowed shelves of knowledge here, you're sure to feel smugly superior. For more narrative history, seek out George Bayntun, a quirky shop stuffed with leather-bound tomes, first editions, and home to one of the largest collections of book-binding hand tools and wooden blocks in the world in The Bindery, a bookbinder's since 1829.

If you sport slimmer pockets, you could step inside the Guildhall Market, a stone's throw from Bath Abbey. At 800 years old, it's also the oldest shopping area in the city, and perfect for second-hand books. 

Slightly out of town, but well worth the trek, is The Beaufort Bookshop – a refined setting for both new and secondhand books. However, if independent magazines are more your thing, try Magalleria: a store dedicated to specialist titles ranging from Italian Vogue to obscure American food journals. 

Each autumn, authors descend on the city for the Children's Literature Festival – Europe's largest book festival dedicated to children. An institution run by literary agent and scout, husband-and-wife team John and Gill McLay, a host of authors inspire young minds throughout the city. This year will welcome the likes of Harry Hill, Hamza Yassin and Michael Rosen among others, inviting young minds to peek under the covers into the bookish interiors of drawing, doodling and design. 

If you're keen to explore more, book onto a bookish walking tour with theatre company, Show of Strength, and revel in your own Regency ramble. This tour, following in Mary Shelley's gothic footsteps, will reveal an altogether darker side of the city. 

After all that exploring, you may wish to unwind. The perfect way to do so is with a pot of assam and fancy fripperies at The Gainsborough on Beau Street. 

Here, you can expect to be regaled with stories of this former Roman outpost with the hotel's history and heritage afternoon tea. It's the perfect way to let someone else do the heavy lifting of storytelling, namely a well-dressed character from Regency Bath who will share intimate secrets of romantic life from the Austen era.

Bath is sure to meet your expectations "in every respect", just as Austen herself said in "Persuasion".