Book Shops in London

Large Stores

Stocking the latest bestsellers and a small selection of specialist sections, the high street stores usually offer discounts on current and popular titles. The ever-popular WH Smith, Borders, Books etc and Waterstone's provide helpful staff and easy-to-find stock. The bigger branches also offer coffee shops, comfy seats and relaxing environments for browsing.

Europe's largest bookshop is the Piccadilly branch of Waterstone's. Spread over 6 floors it is much more than a bookshop and also incorporates a bar, restaurant, gift shop and art gallery.

Its 5 floors crammed full of every kind of book, Foyles on Charing Cross Road always intrigues. This quirky shop has been recently refurbished and still maintains its reputation for the vast range of titles on offer. Visitors can now relax over a cup of coffee or access the web via Wi-Fi.

A leading academic bookshop in the capital, Blackwells stocks all academic disciplines as well as a selection of general interest titles. So if you're looking to find out more about existential thought, get an understanding of quantum physics or learn about the French subjunctive, this is the shop for you.

Specialist Bookshops

Edward Stanford, a map seller, established Stanford's in 1853. The flagship Covent Garden store, which opened in 1901, is a must for all lovers of travel. Stocking a huge selection of maps, travel literature and other travel-related accessories, it also includes a branch of Trailfinders on the first floor.

Notting Hill's Travel Bookshop aims to stock literature and guidebooks on every country on the planet. It was also the inspiration for the bookshop in the 1999 hit film Notting Hill starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.

Now you've found the guidebook, it's time to learn the language. Grant & Cutler is a foreign language bookshop dedicated to providing literature in and on other languages. It also stocks a wide selection of world cinema titles on DVD.

If you can't get enough of murder mystery books, then check out the Murder One bookshop, which stocks every crime title imaginable. You can also browse through romance, true crime, crime reference and a wide range of out-of-print and second-hand crime fiction.

In fashionable Mayfair, Bernard J Shapero Rare Books is one of London's leading antiquarian bookshops specialising in travel, natural history, English literature and continental books. The helpful and knowledgeable staff will help you track down rare editions and also provide valuations for experts and novices alike.

Second-Hand Bookshops

Scouring the second-hand bookshops can lead to some rewarding finds, as well as some pleasant prices! Take a stroll around Museum Street, Cecil Court or Charing Cross Road for a selection of small and independent second-hand shops.

A traditional second-hand bookshop, Fisher & Sperr specialises in ancient and modern history, literature, travel and philosophy as well as having a whole room dedicated to London.

Clear your conscience with a trip to the Oxfam Bookshop. Not only does it stock a wider selection of books than most shops, but it also helps you do your bit for charity. Browse modern fiction and leisure interest as well as specialist literature.

Within the Mews at Grays Antique Market, Biblion is a consortium of over 70 dealers where you can find and buy new, second-hand, out-of-print and rare books as well as ephemera, magazines, journals and used textbooks.

Book Markets

Underneath Waterloo Bridge, outside the BFI Southbank, the daily book market sells hundreds of second-hand books. Leaf through a selection of books that cover any topic you can think of.

Most famous for its antiques, the Portobello Road market is also worth a visit. A number of traders deal exclusively with books, maps, prints and manuscripts.

Museum Bookshops

For art lovers there is no better place than one of the museum or gallery bookshops. With a wide range of general and specialist art books, galleries often stock titles relevant to the current exhibition. The National Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, the Photographer's Gallery and the V&A are well worth a visit.

Architecture buffs should check out New London Architecture, while those with an interest in military history will find a wide range of books at the Imperial War Museum.

Events

Once a month the Hotel Russell hosts the Provincial Booksellers Fair. Free to enter, the fair sells a wide range of antiquarian and second-hand books with dealers coming from around the UK and world.

Many of the stores mentioned on this page run book-signing and literary events. Please check with the shops directly for event programmes.