Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe
The natural first step: a short, clear novel, and the book so much later African writing answers back to.
Bookshop, library & lounge · Abuja
Stories from here,and everywhere.
Nigerian and African writing on the same shelves as the books the whole world is reading. Search for something you know — or follow a thread.
Or follow a thread
85 titles · 33 by African writers · Browse the catalogue
The shelves
Wander the whole shop.
Every book stands spine-out in its colour, thick as its page count. Pull one off the shelf to look closer, then rearrange the whole shop by thread or era.
Under one roof
A bookstore, a library and a lounge.
Buy a book, borrow one, or settle in and read it here. Come in for one — stay for all three.
01The bookstore
Find your next book.
Nigerian and African writing beside the books the whole world is reading — fiction, children's books, ideas, business and school texts.
Good for
- Readers after their next book
- Parents and teachers
- Students with a school list
85 titles · 33 by African writers
Browse the catalogue02The library
Read, study and borrow.
A children's corner, a study area and a growing lending collection — open to readers of every age.
Good for
- Families with young readers
- Students revising
- Readers who'd rather borrow
From ₦1,000 an hour · lounge included
Passes and prices03The lounge
Stay the whole afternoon.
A quiet seat with good light, free Wi-Fi and charging points — and a tea or coffee with a day pass.
Good for
- Remote workers
- Students on a deadline
- Anyone who needs a quiet hour
Comes with every library pass
About the lounge
From the bookseller's desk
“I want to read more Nigerian literature. Where do I start?”
Where to begin with Nigerian writing
Six ways in, from a classic to a Lagos thriller. Read them in any order; between them they cover more than a century of Nigerian life.
6 books · The Learningaid desk
01 02 
Purple Hibiscus
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Adichie's first novel, narrated by fifteen-year-old Kambili — an absorbing way into her work before the longer books.
03 
Stay With Me
Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀
A marriage under pressure in 1980s Nigeria, told from both sides.
04 
My Sister, the Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite
Short, sharp and darkly funny — proof that Nigerian fiction is not all historical epics.
05 
The Fishermen
Chigozie Obioma
Four brothers, a river and a prophecy, in 1990s Akure.
06 
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Abi Daré
A fourteen-year-old's fight for an education, in her own unforgettable voice.
More questions we've answered
- 02Which Nigerian books does every serious reader know?Essential Nigerian literature8 books
- 03I want a fantasy or science-fiction world to get lost in.Other worlds, from Orïsha to Arrakis6 books
- 04I'm starting a business. What should I read?For people building something new5 books
- 05I want a book that will change how I think.Understanding your own mind5 books
- 06Where can I start with African history and lives?Africa, in its own words5 books
- 07What should I read with a young child?First books for little readers5 books
Not sure what you want?
Start with a curiosity,not a title.
Tell us what's on your mind. We match it against the subjects, places and moods each book is tagged with — and show you exactly why each one came up.
The unexpected find
Three parcels on the counter today
A blind date with a book: choose it by its clues, not its cover. The same three are wrapped for everyone today.
Parcel 1
Clues
- Lagos
- Nigeria
- African fiction
- First published in the 1970s
Parcel 2
Clues
- Lagos
- Nigeria
- African fiction
- First published in the 1960s
Parcel 3
Clues
- Nigeria
- African fiction
- Coming of age
- First published in the 2010s
Clues come from the book's subjects and history. New parcels are wrapped every morning.
Come in
A real shop,with real shelves,in Abuja.
Suite B3, Berger Paints Plaza, 6 Alexandria Crescent, off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja 900231, Federal Capital Territory. Keep a list on your phone and browse it in person — or send it to us on WhatsApp and we'll tell you what's in.
Opening hours · WAT
Closed now · opens 9:00 AM WAT
- Mon – Fri
- 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Sat
- 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Sun
- Closed
Our foundation: Learningaid Educational Foundation
We set up Learningaid Educational Foundation (LEF) as part of our corporate social responsibility. Its outreach in communities and IDP camps, books for young readers and help with school fees are on the foundation's own site.