— A small bookshop in Bangkok —

The books we could not find anywhere else.

Field guides, botanical plates, fairy tales, sketchbooks, cookbooks. Imported, second-hand, sometimes the only copy in Thailand — slowly curated by one obsessed reader.

Browse the shelves Our story

— Curated in Bangkok since 2023 —

Ships 2–3 days · Thailand✦Free shipping on all Thailand orders✦Worldwide delivery in 5–10 days

— On the table this week —

What is open in the shop, right now.

A small selection of what we are currently reading at the counter. Most are imported — when a copy sells, the next one takes a week or two to arrive.

— Sasi, behind the counter

Bulbs: The Bulbous Plants of Europe and Their Allies

Christopher Grey-Wilson / Brian Mathew

฿1,550

Alpine Flowers: Of Britain and Europe (Collins Pocket Guide)

Christopher Grey-Wilson / Marjorie Blamey

฿890

Marjorie Blamey's Flowers of the Countryside

Marjorie Blamey / Phillip Blamey

฿1,490

— Browse by shelf —

The shelves.

We do not stock everything. We stock the kinds of books that started this shop — the ones with careful illustrations, slow reading, and pages worth re-reading.

Wild Flowers

Field guides, herbals, and the kind of plates you want to copy by hand.

— 17 titles —

II.

Garden & Roses

Gardening books worth keeping. Roses, cottage gardens, and old varieties.

— 10 titles —

III.

Trees, Herbs & Fruits

Illustrated guides to trees, medicinal herbs, and the plants around us.

— 5 titles —

IV.

Butterflies & Insects

Entomology done beautifully — butterflies, moths, and the smaller things.

— 6 titles —

Wildlife, Birds & Animals

Birds in the garden and the field. Animals observed with patience.

VI.

Illustrated Cookbooks & Tea

Cookbooks with beautiful illustrations. Slow food, foraged, and tea.

— 17 titles —

VII.

Country Life & Nature Journals

Nature diaries, field notes, and books about living slowly outdoors.

— 10 titles —

VIII.

Fairy Tales & Fantasy

Old illustrations, gilt-edged collections, stories worth re-reading.

IX.

Art, Sketchbooks & Illustration

Books about making. Sketchbooks, illustration history, working artists.

— 21 titles —

Rare Items

One copy only. Books that will not come around again.

— 2 titles —

XI.

Sale

Reduced prices — still carefully chosen, just priced to move.

— A short note from the counter —

“Both my degrees were in plant science, but nothing in my studies looked like the illustrations in that first book. I have been collecting them ever since.”

Sasi · Founder, OBS Books

— A sister project —

The Flower Letter

A monthly envelope from this same shop. Inside: a letter, a postcard, a bookmark, a sticker set, a small painted print, a collectible stamp, a Bloom Note from The Garden of Good Omens, and a real page from a flower book. Eight small pieces, the slowest mail you'll get all month.

Visit The Flower Letter →

— Newly arrived · this week —