For me the charity shop is a vital resource for fashion, music and literature and lets me be thrifty whilst also leading a creative lifestyle.

This is an examination of charity shopping across the globe, which also looks at new, stylish, elevated thrift shops and examines their growing popularity and relevance in an age where both the credit crunch and green politics are major concerns.

In recent years, the thrift shop has faced growing challenges from budget retail, eBay, and the booming vintage market. Charity shops have had to employ more and more sophisticated retailing methods--such as branding and visual merchandising--to compete on the high-street, bringing them closer in line with mainstream retailers.

It is the most forward-thinking and innovative of these outlets that this book aims to highlight, hopefully for the benefit of the charities as well as the avid thrift shopper. This book on the thrift lifestyle guides the shopper around the best of the shops, by category, and includes images and personal accounts from many of the outlets.

The book features interviews and photographs that examine the creative potential of the charity shop and includes tips and advice on where to find the best vintage clothing, books, records, and household goods.

Lettice Wilkinson studied fine art at Chelsea College. Throughout college she assisted at a textile design studio, printing fabrics for mainline fashion houses. She lives in London and works as an assistant set producer for films and makes clothes with a partner for their label Sisyphus.