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The best bookshops in London

Beat a retreat from the digital world at London's best and most beautiful independent bookshops

London is a bookworm’s paradise. Whether you’re after novels, comics, antiquarian tomes, or just somewhere beautiful to curl up with a good book, you’ll find it here in one of the many shops dedicated to the printed word. Hearteningly, the rise of online retailers hasn’t put a dent in the city’s characterful, welcoming book monger scene. Instead, bookshops have upped their game, offering personalised recommendations, readings, bookgroups and cosy cafés where you can enjoy your purchases over a steaming cuppa . Ready to turn over a new leaf? Here’s our guide to the best bookshops in London, whether you’re in central, north, east, south or west London. More of a borrower? Head to these lovely London libraries . 

RECOMMENDED: Literary destinations and activities in London . Also: Our pick of the 100 best children’s books ever .    

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30 brilliant London bookshops

1.  Arthur Probsthain

• Restaurants

This family-run bookshop has been going strong for more than 100 years, stocking titles on Asian and African culture, art, literature, religion, performing arts and theatre.  Once you’ve browsed the titles upstairs, The Tea and Tattle – the downstairs café – is a handy stop for refreshments, whether a pot of leaf tea, cup of Monmouth coffee or the full Afternoon Tea for Two.

2.  Bookmongers

This Brixton institution is everything you could want from a secondhand bookshop. Run by American-born Patrick Kelly, who opened the shop’s doors more than 30 years ago, it’s developed a devoted following. Its stock is inspiring and  well-organised,  if slightly overflowing, and resident cat Popeye adds to the charm.

3.  Books for Cooks

• Contemporary European
• Notting Hill

Books for Cooks runs on a simple but very successful formula. From the small open kitchen, co-owner Eric Treuillé cooks recipes from the cookbooks that are for sale in the shop. There’s no choice – until it comes to pudding, when there’s an array of must-try cakes (lemon victoria sponge, raspberry and pear cake, or chocolate and orange cake, say) – but the standard of cooking is high. So popular is the bargain lunch in the tiny café at the back of this specialist cookbook shop that regulars start lurking from 11.45am to secure a table (no bookings are taken).  

4.  Bookshop on the Heath

• Things to do
• Literary events

Don’t let the violent mint-choc-chip paint throw you off. Bookshop on the Heath is just as functional as it is quirky. Take a quick trip here if you’re looking for more unusual items. It specialises in rare and secondhand books, maps and ephemera. If you’re more into film or enjoy artistic crossover, Bookshop on the Heath also stocks film and TV posters, which are guaranteed to look ace framed in your hallway.

5.  Daunt Books, Marylebone

This may be London’s most beautiful bookshop. Occupying an Edwardian building on Marylebone High Street, it boasts an incredible galleried main room and stained-glass windows that feel like they’re from a lost golden age. All the books are arranged by country – regardless of content – which makes for a fun and unique browsing experience.

6.  Foster Books

Foster Books is a must-visit for any self-respecting bookworm. The tiny h istoric bookshop has been operating for 50 years in the heart of Chiswick, and specialises in hard-to-find, out-of-print, used and rare books. While you can buy from its website, a lot of stock goes uncatalogued on the shelves, so it’s best to pop in and have a browse. 

7.  Foyles, Charing Cross Road

• Charing Cross Road

Foyles’ flagship store is a vast temple to the printed word. Standing proud on Charing Cross Road, it covers a whopping five floors, with a staggering 4 miles’ worth of shelves holding more than 200,000 titles. You can easily lose yourself for a few hours in here. On the top floor there’s a café and exhibition space – look out for some high-profile authors doing readings and talks.

8.  Gay’s the Word

When this haven opened in 1979, gay books could only be found in a handful of radical shops. These days, LGBTQ+ literature has hit the mainstream, but Gay’s the Word is still essential, with a breadth far beyond ‘Call Me by Your Name’. Its rainbow array takes in kids’ stories, graphic novels, poetry, history and more, while it has played host to a who’s who of big names, including Ali Smith and Ocean Vuong.  

9.  Gosh! Comics

If you haven’t read a comic since a childhood brush with the  Beano , wise up at Soho’s Gosh!. Its wow-worthy selection proves that there’s a graphic novel for every possible taste, from manga to funnies to art books to memoirs. Venture downstairs to buy single issues of vintage comics, or browse its excellent collection of prints and posters for colourful art to make your home look more intelligent.

10.  Hatchards

On Piccadilly, in a prestigious spot next to posh grocer’s Fortnum & Mason, is the UK’s oldest bookshop. First opening its doors in 1797, Hatchards covers four floors and is home to 100,000 books. Today it’s owned by Waterstones but it doesn’t feel like a chain store; three royal warrants means a visit here is still a refined experience. For a more modern shopping experience, check out its second store on St Pancras station, which opened in 2014.

11.  Heywood Hill

Heywood Hill is a store fit for the most regal of bookworms. It was awarded a royal warrant in 2011. Based in Mayfair in a beautiful Georgian townhouse, it’s clear that this literary icon is a classy operation. The shop’s exterior is traditional and simple, complete with a blue plaque marking the fact that novelist Nancy Mitford worked here as an assistant during World War II. The books on sale range from brand new to antiquarian, with a great children’s section. 

12.  Housmans

• Caledonian Road

Founded by a gaggle of pacifists in 1945, Housmans  stays true to its radical roots. There are special events like Feminist Book Fortnight, a progressive programme of online talks, and niche book groups that meet here. Plus, there’s a collection of books, periodicals and zines that are ready to educate you on views you won’t find in the mainstream. Make for the basement to score some serious bargains on books on everything from pacifism to psychogeography.

13.  John Sandoe

• King’s Road

Stumbling across this beautiful bookshop in a Chelsea backstreet, you might feel like you’ve entered a Dickens novel. The shop, founded in 1957, occupies three floors of three connecting eighteenth-century shops with gorgeous window boxes outside displaying floral blooms. Inside, rows of books fill every surface with what it calls a ‘bias for the humanities’.

14.  Kirkdale Bookshop

Kirkdale Bookshop has been a Sydenham fixture for 57 years. It doubles as a local cultural hub, with a tiny gallery, regular music events and a bimonthly book group. It encompasses two floors, includes new and secondhand books and also sells gifts and cards.

15.  Libreria

• Spitalfields

There’s a strict no-mobiles policy at this design-led temple to the printed word in: but the lure of the little flashing screen is weak compared to the appeal of its glorious shelves. Books are arranged according to theme, rather than alphabetically, so you can browse by ‘Wanderlust’ or ‘Enchantment for the Disenchanted’. Cosy nooks among the shelves invite you to sit and read for a while.  

16.  Lloyds of Kew

This blooming beautiful bookshop is just around the corner from Kew Gardens, so it’s little surprise that its wares often take their inspiration from horticulture. There’s even a driftwood ‘book tree’ decked with ivy and particularly pretty volumes. Pick up a book that’ll finally tell you how to stop murdering your houseplants, or browse its collection of rare and antiquarian books.

17.  London Review Bookshop

Rub shoulders with London’s literary elite at this chic bookshop, named after the magazine that owns it. It has an enticing collection of all that’s best, newest and most radical in the worlds of fiction and poetry. Meet writers at twice-weekly author talks, listen to bookish in-house podcasts or make for the excellent café, which hosts an ever-changing collection of baroque cakes.

18.  Lutyens & Rubinstein

• Ladbroke Grove

It’s hard to walk past Lutyens & Rubinstein’s  elegant striped awning, and not be intrigued to find out what’s past the smart exterior. Set up by the literary agency of the same name, this beautifully designed bookshop aims to provide an idiosyncratic browsing experience. The stock was assembled after canvassing hundreds of readers, meaning each book has found its way here following a personal recommendation. Alongside fiction, there are also strong poetry and art selections.

19.  New Beacon Books

• Finsbury Park

Recently, a crowdfunder raised more than £80,000 to save this shop. London’s first Black bookshop has played a crucial role in Black literary life since it was founded in 1966. It stocks Caribbean, Black British, African and African-American authors, and it runs its own publishing house to nurture new talent.

20.  Newham Bookshop

Originally founded to provide educational materials as part of Newham Parents’ Centre, this community-focused bookshop has grown into an important neighbourhood resource. The stock is geared to local residents – half of it is dedicated to children and there are strong politics, social science and self-help sections, plus a significant number of bilingual dictionaries reflecting the diversity of the area.

21.  Nomad Books

Bright and airy, with wooden floors and comfy sofas, Nomad is a lively and popular shop and café on Fulham Road. We love the sound of its ‘reading clinics’, in which an advisor will sit down with you, ask you some questions and devise six books for you to receive over the coming year. There’s also a strong children’s section, gifts, stationery and a regular book club.

22.  Owl Bookshop

• Kentish Town

As its playful name suggests, this bookshop on Kentish Town Road does a great line in children’s books. It also hosts a range of kids’ events, from storytime sessions at the weekends to one-offs like a midnight opening for big franchise releases. Unsurprisingly, it’s popular with families. There’s lots for adults, too: it’s strong on classic fiction, food and drink, gardening, and sport and boasts a programme of popular author events. Iconic totes too.

23.  Primrose Hill Books

• Primrose Hill

On what might be the prettiest (and poshest) high street in London, is this small family-run bookshop. Owners Jessica and Marek, who’ve been here for nearly 30 years, sell both new and  secondhand  books (the latter of which are also available through their website). They also host intimate literary events with names like Jeanette Winterson and Martin Amis.

24.  Review Bookshop

Review is the brainchild of Roz Simpson, founder of the Peckham Literary Festival and author Evie Wyld. It’s a tiny shop that’s intelligently curated and famously dog-friendly (its website even has a dog-themed reading list). The events programme is particularly strong and the shop is also the home of the aforementioned Peckham Literary Festival, which takes place each November.

25.  Stanfords

• Covent Garden

So iconic is this travel bookshop it even gets a mention in Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’. Set up by Edward Stanford in 1853, the Stanfords flagship store was situated in a grand old building on Long Acre. After more than 100 years in its former home, the bookshop relocated to its current site just around the corner at 7 Mercer Walk, where customers can find its same unparalleled selection of travel stock.

There are shelves stacked high with travel writing, guides, maps and gifts and also regular events from the great and good of exploration and travel writing.

26.  Tales On Moon Lane

The windows of this much-loved kids’ bookshop are gorgeous: paper cutouts create scenes that look like they’re from a pop-up book. Step inside and things are lovelier still. There’s an artfully curated selection catering to kids of all ages, plus pocket-money trinkets like crayons or playing cards. And little ones and adults alike can meet their literary heroes at a programme of author and illustrator talks.

27.  The Broadway Bookshop

• London Fields

Broadway Market is a prime spot for browsing and no wander around these parts is complete without popping into this cosy bookshop. It’s larger than it looks from the outside, with steps leading down into a basement filled with new fiction, local history and children’s books. It also holds intimate events here – keep an eye on its Twitter for the latest.

28.  The Notting Hill Bookshop

If the name of this bookshop is giving you flashbacks to a certain Hugh Grant and Julia Robert film, then you’re spot on. This is the space which inspired the setting for the romcom ‘Notting Hill’. However, if you want to visit for more literary purposes, it’s good to know that, as well as an excellent selection of travel books, these days the small independent store also carries a broad range of genres, from YA to True Crime.

29.  Word on the Water

• King’s Cross

Books and water don’t usually mix, but this floating shop is an    exception. An 100-year-old dutch barge in King’s Cross is filled to the gunwales with new and secondhand books, a cosy stove and even an African grey parrot. Go to expand your literary horizons far beyond its narrow space, or for the poetry slams or live music nights that bring well-read crowds to the canalside.

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Galen v. Gym Bros

Claire hall.

G alen ​ couldn’t stand gym bros. They were so occupied in the business of ‘amassing flesh’, he said, that they paid no attention to their souls, which were ‘smothered in a heap of mire’. Lucian, Galen’s contemporary, agreed. One of his short satires shows Hermes refusing to let a famous local beefcake called Damasius across the Styx to the underworld:...

The leisured wealthy spent a lot of time chasing not only health, but a glimmering dream of something like the modern idea of ‘wellness’. Galen railed against this idea. He recognised that the full-time pursuit of health was unachievable for most people, under the obligations and oppressions of labour, poverty or slavery.

The Shoah after Gaza

Pankaj mishra.

I n ​ 1977, a year before he killed himself, the Austrian writer Jean Améry came across press reports of the systematic torture of Arab prisoners in Israeli prisons. Arrested in Belgium in 1943 while distributing anti-Nazi pamphlets, Améry himself had been brutally tortured by the Gestapo, and then deported to Auschwitz. He managed to survive, but could never look at his torments...

Memories of Jewish suffering at the hands of Nazis are the foundation on which most descriptions of extreme ideology and atrocity, and most demands for recognition and reparations, have been built. Universalist reference points are in danger of disappearing as the Israeli military massacres and starves Palestinians, while denouncing as antisemitic or champions of Hamas all those who plead with it to desist.

Devil Terms

Arianne shahvisi.

Even the most effective tools get blunt through overwork, and parliamentary transcripts document the rise in recent years of terrorism’s slyer and more versatile cousin, ‘extremism’. (The act of defining undercuts the term: extremism is all that is not moderate, while the government gets to define moderation.)

Precision Warfare

Andrew cockburn.

O n ​ 24 January , US Central Command, which oversees military operations across the Middle East and West Asia, issued a press release reporting that the USS Gravely , an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, had shot down two missiles fired by Yemeni Houthis at a US-owned container ship, the MV Maersk Detroit , in the Gulf of Aden. A third Houthi missile had landed in the sea. There was no damage to...

Drones have brought major changes to the battlefield, but the machines that have had the most striking impact are cheap ones originally designed for the consumer market and adapted in the field for lethal purposes by front-line troops – conceptually similar to the jerry-rigged explosive devices that caused havoc to Western armies in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

The Mandelas

Stephen smith.

I made ​ my first trip to South Africa towards the end of 1988. I had just become the Africa editor of Libération after years as a regional correspondent in West Africa. I went to visit Emmanuel Lafont, a French Catholic priest who was one of the very few white people living in the vast black township of Soweto, outside Johannesburg. I sat with Lafont in his ill-lit office at the back of...

The saintly status that Nelson Mandela acquired, and his marmoreal presence in every South African shopping mall, have become suspect. So has the comfortable idea that Winnie stood for the regrettable side of the struggle, while Mandela remained above the fray.

Richard Beck

V ernon Howell ​ – better known as David Koresh – arrived at Mount Carmel, the Texas base of a Seventh Day Adventist splinter sect called the Branch Davidians, in the summer of 1981. He was 21 years old and looking for a new church. A ‘wandering bonehead’, as he would later describe himself, he had been kicked out of a mainstream Seventh Day Adventist congregation in...

The FBI negotiations were always going to fail. David Koresh was never coming out. Why would he? At Mount Carmel he had built a world in which he had absolute sexual authority and everyone thought he was a prophet.

In the latest issue

21 march 2024.

• Pankaj Mishra: The Shoah after Gaza
• Michael Longley: ‘Boreen’
• Tom Johnson: Medieval Magic
• Rosemary Hill: On British and Irish Architecture
• John Burnside: Two Poems
• Paul Taylor: AI Doomerism
• James Butler: Short Cuts
• Jim Wilson: The Murder of Emma Caldwell
• Claire Hall: Galen v. Gym Bros
• Michael Wood: At the Movies
• Lucie Elven: Homage to Brigid Brophy
• Jo Applin: At the Serpentine
• Ange Mlinko: On Jo Ann Beard
• Richard Beck: After Waco
• Josie Mitchell: ‘Family Meal’
• Andrew Cockburn: Precision Warfare
• William Logan: On Anthony Hecht
• Stephen Smith: The Mandelas
• Malcolm Gaskill: Diary

Think Differently

Subscribe to the LRB – perfect for anyone with an interest in history, politics, literature and the arts.

The Bussolengo Letters

Malcolm gaskill.

C ambridge ​ in the autumn of 1989 seemed to me a lonely place. I had just taken up that loneliest of occupations, doctoral research in the humanities: three years of self-exile in libraries and archives, hard-up and haunted by doubt. My girlfriend had gone to study in Russia, and I’d never felt more isolated or adrift. Every morning I’d cycle to my college and sit in the ancient...

Each war speaks to every war, providing fresh testimony of nerves strained, hopes raised and dashed. And yet there is something tragically unusual – nearly unique – about these particular letters: they were never received. 

The Murder of Emma Caldwell

I n ​ the darkness , high above the glare of the streetlights, Emma Caldwell gazed out over Cumberland Street. It was a Monday evening in May 2005 and the young woman’s photograph had been projected onto a block of flats near where she was last seen in Glasgow, on the edge of the Gorbals, not far from the Clyde. She had been murdered just seven weeks before. Appealing for witnesses in...

This long-delayed prosecution was not the result of advances in DNA technology, or testament to dogged detective work. Instead, the trial exposed a shameful failure of Scotland’s justice system, as the country’s most senior police officers and prosecutors became complicit in concealing a killer. 

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Ange mlinko.

J o Ann Beard’s ​ Festival Days appeared in 2021; The Boys of My Youth in 1998. Republished together as her Collected Works (the book excludes her 2011 novel In Zanesville ), they register the two-decade gap between the younger writer who mined her past for stories that read like memoir, and the older one who delves into the lives of others for essays that read like fiction. Shouldn’t...

Jo Ann Beard is a cunning craftswoman who draws circles and parallels across time, embedding patterns that unite seemingly disparate tales.

Homage to Brigid Brophy

Lucie elven.

I t’s ​ easy to imagine Brigid Brophy at London Zoo, making notes on the animals. I can see her by Berthold Lubetkin’s disused elliptical Penguin Pool or watching the apes. Two of them

used the full extent of the cage as a cubic area: their chases went also up and down, and up and down diagonally. Sometimes they shewed boredom, the consequence of play, and would fret for a moment;...

Brophy’s writing is propelled by the excitement of the intellect, while the emotion is held within the structure. She found a form for her work that accommodated her need for artifice, for self-creation rather than simple self-fashioning.

On British and Irish Architecture

Rosemary hill.

T he England ​ of 1530 lives deep in the national imagination. It was a landscape of timber-framed manor houses, castles, small towns and villages, spires and towers. At about 2.6 million the population was still in recovery from the Black Death and half what it had been in 1300, but there was a general air of prosperity. London, always an exception, was densely packed with houses whose...

The most important question to ask about a building is not how ‘advanced’ it is for its time or whether it can be attached to a famous name. Steven Brindle’s concern is with historic buildings as ‘collective possessions’, repositories of cultural memory and local and national identity.

On Anthony Hecht

William logan.

A nthony Hecht ​ never changed. His poems, first and last, look as if they’ve been measured, cut and stitched on Savile Row. His first book, A Summoning of Stones (1954), displayed a glutton’s appetite for abstraction and the fastidiousness that marked much of his work thereafter:

We may consider every cloud a lakeTransmogrified, its character unselfed,At once a whale and a white...

In Hecht beauty can rarely be enjoyed for its own sake, because beneath beauty horror often lurks. He was a poet so pursued by the past that even access to the splendours of the world could not soothe, knowledge of good never drive out the terrors of existence.

‘Family Meal’

Josie mitchell.

E arly ​ in Bryan Washington’s novel Family Meal , Cam, a young Black man, gets a notification on his phone while walking home from his bar job. A stranger has shared his location on a hook-up app; there’s no photograph of his face, just a dick pic, but Cam eventually finds him, sitting on a park bench in the dark. The guy asks if he has a condom, but Cam tells him not to worry....

In Bryan Washington's Family Meal , jokes and gestures stand in for confessional outpourings, occasionally revealing an unacknowledged depth of feeling. But elsewhere the laconic dialogue leaves the reader shut out.

Percival Everett

N o American novelist ​ has devoted as much energy as Percival Everett to the proper noun, its powers as engine, instrument and index. Towards the end of Percival Everett by Virgil Russell (first published in 2013), a story about storytelling in which nobody is called Percival Everett or Virgil Russell, one of the narrators gives a list of 516 gerunds that encompass the whole of human...

On Percival Everett is routinely described as underrated or overlooked, an outsider, the creator of a body of work too eccentric or discomfiting or higgledy-piggledy to attract a readership, or retain one. It’s certainly the case that no one else has written comedies about deconstruction, revisionist Westerns, dystopian fantasies and retellings of ancient myth.

‘Ulysses’ and Its Wake

Tom mccarthy.

H ow ​ do you write after Ulysses ? It isn’t just that Joyce writes better than anyone else (although he does), it’s the sense that Ulysses ’s publication represents a kind of rapture for literature, an event that’s both ecstatic and catastrophic, perhaps even apocalyptic. A certain naive realism is no longer possible after it, and every alternative, every avant-garde...

How​ do you write after Ulysses ? It isn’t just that Joyce writes better than anyone else (although he does), it’s the sense that Ulysses ’s publication represents a kind of rapture for literature, an event that’s both ecstatic and catastrophic, perhaps even apocalyptic.

From the blog

Who read it, paul taylor.

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Even the most effective tools get blunt through overwork, and parliamentary transcripts document the rise in recent years of terrorism’s slyer  . . .

Samuel Hanafin

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Structures of Force

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Yulia Navalnaya’s call for protest votes and spoiled ballots in Russia’s presidential election was heeded by thousands. Outside the Russian  . . .

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The Narcodictator in His Labyrinth

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Joan w. scott.

At a moment when the world seems very dark, with wars raging in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and with authoritarian leaders insisting  . . .

At the Karachi Literature Festival

Selma dabbagh.

The support for Palestinians among ordinary people in Pakistan is genuine, palpable and widespread. Audience members asked what they could do  . . .

A powerful Western narrative holds the Shoah to be the incomparable crime of the modern era. But we find our moral and political consciousness profoundly altered when Israel, a country founded as a haven for the victims of genocidal racism, is itself charged with genocide. What is the fate of universal values after Israel’s collapse into violent nationalism?

Pankaj Mishra delivered his...

In his LRB Winter Lecture, Pankaj Mishra considers the ways in which our moral and political consciousness is profoundly altered when Israel, a country founded as a haven for the victims of genocidal racism, is itself charged with genocide.

London Review Bookshop

Review Highlights

“ The Cake Shop was very busy when we visited and it can get a little cramped as the space is smallish but the cakes were delicious. ” in 2 reviews

“ And only the good ones, be they fiction, non-fiction, history, religion, philosophy , literary criticism, classics... ” in 2 reviews

“ The cafe is in a separate room to the bookstore, and serves a variety of fresh teas such as Darjeeling, Assam and Lapsang , as well as Oolong, White and Green teas. ” in 2 reviews

Location & Hours

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14 Bury Place

London WC1A 2JL

United Kingdom

Amenities and More

About the business.

Located in the heart of Bloomsbury, just a Rosetta Stone's throw from the British Museum, the London Review Bookshop has established itself as an essential part of the capital's cultural life. Opened in 2003 by the London Review of Books, it's a place for people who love books to meet, talk, drink excellent tea and coffee, consume delicious cake, and of course, browse. Our selection of more than 20,000 titles ranges from the classics of world literature to the cutting edge of contemporary fiction and poetry, not forgetting a copious display of history, politics, philosophy, cookery, essays and children's books. …

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I am one of the few Yelpers who seems to have come here for the books, not the cakes. In fact, upon entering the shop, I was so immediately attracted to the very many excellent and intriguing books, I missed the cafe entirely. (I have no doubt the cafe is excellent, as the reviews here confirm.) The sales staff was absolutely top-notch, and while the staff person was busy identifying several of the books by John Berger that were available, he and I had a nice conversation about Berger. As it turns out, London Review was involved in the publication of one of Berger's recent books, so of course they had it in stock. A truly superb bookshop, for new books, stocked with a highly discerning eye.

I was browsing this place's Yelp pictures one night and decided pretty quickly that I needed to stop by - which I did the very next afternoon. The entrance to the cafe area is a bit awkward, partially because you need to enter through the bookshop and partially because there's really no waiting area. I literally found myself smack in the middle of the cafe once I passed the doorway. The place is definitely on the small side, and I ended up grabbing a seat at one very large (communal) table. The waiter brought me a glass of water right away, and after browsing the cake display and the tea menu, I decided to go for the pistachio & rose cake, which I paired with the jasmine pearls green tea. The cake arrived first, and I had to try very hard not to eat it before the tea came (I like to wait for everything to arrive before indulging). Fortunately, the tea arrived just a few minutes later on this adorable tea set, which the waiter taught me how to use. On the first bite of the cake, I was immensely satisfied. It wasn't too sweet, and I also appreciated how it was on the denser side but not too moist. However, by the time I was halfway through, the cream/icing on top became a bit too overpowering for me. Don't get me wrong - I still finished the cake no problem, but I would've preferred a larger cake to icing ratio. Now the tea...the tea was REALLY good. The flavor was on the lighter side and not too bitter, which was perfect for me. I thought it paired especially nicely with the cake (it helped mitigate the strength of the icing...a bit like a palate cleanse). The apparatus was another plus since it was pretty fun to use, not to mention incredibly cute. Overall, I enjoyed coming here! I might not get the cake again (especially since it was a bit pricey - 3 pounds for a fairly small slice), but I'll definitely be back for the tea (3.75 pounds, but definitely worth it).

Pistachio & rose cake

Jasmine pearls green tea

Cafes inside book shops aren't any special occurrence. In my hometown there's pretty much a Starbucks in every single one. But this is not your run-of-the-mill average cafe. My boyfriend is an English student so he loves going to all the different book shops around the city. I often accompany him because I enjoy reading as well. For the London Review Bookshop though, I did not come for the books. I came for the cake. And the cake did not disappoint. I was tempted to order some tea as well as their tea list is impressive. The staff were very knowledgeable about recommending me some good choices to go with my cake but I was on a mission. The day I went they were serving a masala chai cake with walnuts. Pretty much my two favourite food items, I was instantly sold. The cake was really crumbly and moist. The buttercream was soft and subtly sweet. Overall, I was very happy I only wished I had ordered two slices instead of one. Actually, I should have just ordered the whole cake take away! After the pleasant experience in the cafe, I browsed the books and found some very interesting titles. I would definitely come back for the books but they will always be second to the cake.

Hving read Andrew M's review, I think that I can see a pattern. I too was lured here on the promise of London's best carrot cake and like him, I was to be disappointed when we arrived as they had run out of said cake. It must be good! My friend Sharon brought me here and she is an avid reader. If you love interesting books, this is a treasure trove with books covering a whole multitude of subjects. The staff are excellent at recommending and finding specific books for you There's a little cafe next door to the bookshop - reading can induce an appetitie, don't you know? We snagged one of the little tables and went for alternatives to the disappointingly absent carrot cake. We chose the intriguing courgette and lemon curd cake as well as the mixed berry cheesecake The courgette and lemon curd cake was great - a subtle hint of courgette so as not to be too vegetabley but lovely and moist with more dominant lemon flavour. The mixed berry cheesecake was nice but more conventional Sharon was intrigued enough to try and recreate the courgette cake at home, always a sign of a good dish. Perhaps one day, Andrew and I may get the chance to try teh famous carrot cake

London Review Bookshop is an independent store, passionate about a good read and a good slice of cake. The bookshop itself holds an eclectic offering, stacked high, and you can help yourself to stair ladders to reach the top shelves. They have an interesting range of off-the-wall titles including good sections on politics, current affairs, travel writing and 'memoirs' as well as a solid classics library. There is a specialist magazine section well stocked with copies of 'Wire', 'Stimulus Respond', the 'Eye' and 'Freize' type reads. To reach the small café you have to pass through the bookshop and it's crowded with literary types (of course) all dissecting their way through the latest read. It has a very knowledgeable 'book-club' kind of atmosphere and the cakes are delicious home made little numbers. They also make artisan sandwiches in focacia bread. Even if you can't get a seat, I'd recommend trying the food to take out. If you can spot the blueberry crumble cake in the window as you pass by, DO NOT miss it! Scrummy!

Located only a stone's throw from the British Museum, in a ferociously academic area of London, The London Review Bookshop is one of London's best stocked, most intellectually rewarding and stimulating bookstores in the capital. As you might expect from a store closely associated with the London Review of Books, many of the publications of this small bookshop are aimed specifically towards students, armchair and real academics. A lot of these books will be hard to find anywhere else so if you're a student struggling to find something for a course then this could be the answer. With excellent sections in literature, philosophy, history and politics, the London Review Bookshop has a distinctly contemporary outlook without foresaking the past. As such you will find very new release publications across all fields as well as more classical pieces. In keeping with the grand tradition of intellectuality, there is also a little cafe located within the shop where one can purchase refreshments at pretty reasonable prices. The staff are wonderful and really know what they are talking about so if you find yourself lost or unable to find something they will do their utmost to help you out. A really first-rate bookstore.

I have been to this bookshop loads of times, and I have to say, well very stocked with book titles I am always looking for, and they always seem to have them. The London Review Bookshop is very unique and it's a very warm and welcoming shop to visit, even if you're just browsing. The London Review Bookshop was featured in the 2004 British thriller film, Enduring Love starring Daniel Craig and Rhys Ifans.

See all photos from Patrick L. for London Review Bookshop

Terrific bookshop - no surprise given its association with LRB. The adjacent cafe is fantastic - had a terrific slice of cake with coffee after browsing. In Bloomsbury next to Russell Square - perfect after visiting the British Museum.

This little bookstore next to the British Museum has a fantastic collection of books, as well as a cafe which is worthy of these five stars. The cafe is in a separate room to the bookstore, and serves a variety of fresh teas such as Darjeeling, Assam and Lapsang, as well as Oolong, White and Green teas. These are accompanied by some wonderful cakes - from I can recommend not one to single out from its comparable peers. They're all yummy in other words. The sandwiches are also pretty good, made with very fresh ingredients and always tasty. The narrow space near the counter is very cosy, and I could easily spend an afternoon surfing the books and reading with a large pot of tea with cake.

I like books. I like tea. I like cake. I like the London Review Bookshop. It really is that simple. I like simple.

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London Review Bookshop – A must for book lovers

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Madeline from London

It's amazing how culturally diverse London is & how there's room for everyone to...

Perched on the southern edge of Bloomsbury, the London Review Bookshop is a meeting place for the city’s most fervent readers. It’s owned by the esteemed literary magazine the London Review of Books, so you can expect to find the very best new releases and old classics spread across its two floors. Look out also for books from the ‘LRB Collections’ series, which contain articles from previous issues of the magazine, united by a common theme.

Twice a week after hours, all the tables are pushed to one side, and the bookshop is transformed into an intimate venue for author talks, film screenings and debates. Information on upcoming events is available via the LRB website. Make sure to book your tickets well in advance, as they almost always sell out.

Only free during the day? Leave some time to visit the next door London Review Cake Shop, which offers delicious seasonal treats.

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6 Best Bookshops in London For True Book Lovers

Choosing the 6 best bookshops in London was not an easy thing. Still, I strongly got inspired by all the moments I spent in London bookshop cafes working and drinking lots of caffè latte. All of this before going to a great Indian restaurant in London for comfort food, or rushing to eat amazing Chinese dumplings . If you’d like to know which are the best bookstores in London for new and used books, I strongly suggest you keep reading.

The Best Bookshops in London

I’m a book enthusiast – I love carrying a little world in my backpack. When I was starting to learn Italian, I bought many books from the European Bookshop London. There, you can find used books and new titles in Italian, French, German, and other languages that are usually hard to find in standard London bookshops like Waterstones or Foyles.

In this list of book shops in London, I will mostly talk about independent bookstores. Some of those shops are very instagrammable , meaning you’re pretty sure to leave with a new pic to add to your feed. Been there, done that. From bookshops near London Bridge to finding out the London biggest bookshop addresses, follow the guide!

6 Best Bookstores in London For True Book Lovers

Have you ever dreamed of getting to work in a bookshop London? I have. Foyles is one of my personal favorite book shops in London – the one on Charing Cross Road, more specifically. I always feel like it’s the biggest bookstore in London too – it has several floors, all filled with more titles than we’d both ever be able to read.

I’ve found some amazing London second hand bookshop addresses when I was living there and oh, did I buy some books. There’s a special atmosphere around you when you penetrate the cutest independent stores London. To me, being able to get used books and second hand books around Covent Garden, Tottenham Court Road, and Camden Town is one of the coolest outings. You spend less than £5 for at least two or three novels that you can then read calmly in a cool London bookshop cafe. How cool and autumn-feely is that, right?

Okay, less talking, more about the best bookstores in London. Let me know your favorites in the comments!

1. Oxfam Bookshop (near Tottenham Court Road)

I think Oxfam Bookshop on Bloomsbury Street is the biggest bookstore in London for Oxfam books. It might not be the oldest bookstore in London, but you can find some pretty cool literary gems there.

This London second hand bookshop is full of novels for adults and kids. Plus, it’s also somewhat of a travel bookshop London, given how many travel-related titles they have. Used books give me a sense of indescribable pleasure.

Although it’s not located on a famous London bookshop street, there are two or three other book stores in the street. If you go to the Oxfam used books London shop, make sure you go to those other addresses too. Knowing that you’re doing a good deed while enjoying a new book is always satisfying.

Oxfam Bookshop Second Hand Books Address: 12 Bloomsbury St, London WC1B 3QA

2. Best Bookshops in London: Foyles Charing Cross Road

Now Foyles Charing Cross Road has got to be the biggest bookstore in london. That’s not where you’ll find second hand books London, however all the new titles are there. I used to want to learn how to draw so bad that I visited the store a few times last year on the quest for the best book. I found more than a couple amazing books on the topic.

When I used to want to work in a bookshop London, Foyles is where I started looking straight away. In my opinion, with its five floors and labyrinth-like aisles, it’s one of the best bookstores in London.

Closeby, there’s a Superdrug store where you can treat yourself to some cool affordable makeup brands in London. There’s also a Starbucks coffee where more than once, I ended up when it was raining.

There’s not much more to say about it – the Foyles London bookshop stores will make any book lover dreamy. And that’s not it – if you’re looking for a cool London bookshop cafe, this Foyles has a jazz cafe inside and sometimes host events.

Foyles Charing Cross Bookshop Address: 107 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0DT

3. Second Hand Books London: Hurlingham Books

Hurlingham Books seems like it’s the oldest bookstore in London, with its washed out shop window. As far as I’m concerned, when I want any second hand books London, that’s where I’ll go.

It’s not a book shop in Central London though – you’ll have to take the Tube up until Putney Bridge to reach this gem. But you know, sometimes the challenge of finding the best used books London is very much worth it. Luckily, about 3 minutes away on foot, there’s an amazing old school English cafe where you can have an amazing Full English breakfast.

This famous bookshop in London opened in 1968 and they sell any kind of books. They stack more used books in their closeby book warehouse, and they have more than a million books in stock.

That’s also a very instagrammable place – not the biggest bookstore in London, but definitely the cutest book shop.

Hurlingham Books Second Hand Bookshop Address: 91 Fulham High Street, Fulham, SW6 3JS

4. Best London Bookshop: Daunt Books

Daunt Books London is one of the most famous book shops in London. The titles there are new, a proper, modern London bookstore. Built in 1912, it still features beautiful wood that reminds you of Harry Potter as soon as you enter the bookshop.

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More than a hundred years later, Daunt Books London is still standing – probably the oldest bookstore in London. There are several branches to this shop, but the most Instagrammable bookstore in Daunt Books London’s repertoire is the Marylebone branch. From classics to teen novels, you’ll find everything you need at this famous bookshop.

Daunt Books London Bookshop Address: 83 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4QW

5. London Review Bookshop

For those looking for a London bookshop cafe, I present to you the London Review Bookshop. Not the biggest bookstore in London, not the oldest bookstore in London since it opened only in 2003, but definitely one where you can chill in peace.

Plus, it’s located literally 3 minutes away from the British Museum, where the bookshop is also super interesting. Much like Daunt Books London, the London Review Bookshop really owns its bold personality.

This independent bookstore will allow you to study for your exams smoothly or just enjoy a hot drink and a novel to get away from it all. Not specifically a travel bookshop London, but there are quite a few titles you’d love to get, even just to make you dream about your next vacation. They mostly offer classics and serious books about philosophy, history and literature – and the tea room is exquisite. I feel like work in a bookshop London like the Review shop would make like very, very enjoyable.

London Review Bookshop Address: 14-16 Bury Pl, London WC1A 2JL

6. Best London Bookshops: The European Bookshop

The European Bookshop London is one of the most famous independent bookstores in London. The books there are new, and the particularity of the store is the wide array of books in various languages. Most importantly, they offer trendy titles as well.

When I was learning Italian, I used to go to this London bookshop to get a new title of Harry Potter in Italian as soon as I was done with the previous one. As far as the best bookstores in London go, that’s definitely a shop to check out.

The European Bookshop London has a partner, called the Italian Bookshop London because of just how many books in Italian they sell. It’s also not too far from the Museum of London bookshop, so while you’re in South Kensington, just visit one after the other. Both are among the best book shops in London in my opinion. After you’re done, take a little walk up to the Macellaio restaurant – one of the best Italian restaurants you’ll ever eat at.

European Bookshop London Address: 123 Gloucester Road, London SW7 4TE

The 6 Best Bookshops in London

Whether I’m in the biggest bookstore in London or an independent used books shop, I feel happy. There’s a quiet serenity that surrounds book readers, in my opinion. Being able to stop at the best London second hand bookshops and forget for a minute about work, the rent, and the kids, is a privilege.

So get yourself some cool new used books, or treat yourself to a brand new book from Foyles, order a large tea at a cool coffeeshop, and relax! And if you’re on a budget, here’s what to do in London with just 10 pounds !

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Critic’s Notebook

Welcome to the London Book Fair, Where Everyone Knows Their Place

If you want to understand the power map of the publishing industry, just look at this event’s floor plan.

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By Rosa Lyster

The critic Rosa Lyster attended the fair, and a few associated parties, in London.

Everybody knows that the publishing industry is a rigorously stratified world, characterized by a reverence for hierarchy and a near-fanatical observance of ritual. Or maybe we suspect as much — but for those who would like to have those beliefs starkly confirmed, I would recommend a visit to the London Book Fair, which took place in the city’s Kensington district this week.

The fair, which this year had over 1,000 exhibitors and something like 30,000 visitors, is one of the biggest events of the international publishing calendar. For three days, agents, editors, publishers, scouts and many other people whose jobs are harder to explain gather in a frenzied fashion, primarily to sell and buy foreign rights for English-language books, but also to take temperatures, observe prevailing winds and scheme.

For those who weren’t there to close deals, the fair offered the opportunity to map out the minutely graded power structure of the publishing industry.

Just inside the doors of the cavernous Olympia exhibition space, the Penguin Random House stand was on the right, its entrance staffed by a row of tightly smiling assistants. The HarperCollins stand was on the left, with assistants gently standing guard over the editors inside, who were taking one meeting after another at little white tables, standing up every half an hour to greet another delegation of international publishers, smiles unflagging, notebooks poised.

Beyond that was Simon and Schuster, and a pavilion with all the French publishing houses collected together, then Macmillan to the left, across the aisle from the German Pavilion, which faced Hachette. Everything radiated outward from this central core across two carpeted floors, in diminishing order of importance: the slightly smaller publishing houses, then the ones whose best years are behind them, then the niche ones, then the flatly obscure. The positioning of the national pavilions followed the same brutal logic.

The ghostwriting firms were on the second floor; the logistics firms were on the first. Literary Translation Center: second floor, but in a good position. Academic publishers: first floor, but out of the way. Distribution and print management: first floor, right near the stretch of corridor where people tended to abandon their umbrellas. Some small publishing houses had forgone a stand, and their editors were conducting meetings while sitting on the floor, or leaning against siding with signs imploring “Do Not Lean on Me, Please!”

Eva Ferri, the publishing director of the Italian house Edizioni E/O and its British offshoot Europa Editions (and one of the few people who knows who Elena Ferrante is, although she wasn’t telling), said “I publish books from all over the world not because I think I’m going to get rich, but because I think it’s an important and beautiful thing. It’s the only thing that gives you the energy to be in a space like this, with people literally walking on you — on top of you .” Her publishing house didn’t have a stand this year, and she laughed as she described trying to compete with bigger, richer players: “My strategy is to inspire pity. You know, like a stray dog.”

At the very back of the hall on the first floor, patrolled by zealous security guards and visually demarcated by its own special color of carpet (lurid purple as opposed to the more industrial blues and greens), there was the International Rights Section, where the deals are hammered out. Against this profoundly purple backdrop — I really cannot emphasize this enough: I have never seen a carpet that color before — agents pitched books to foreign publishers, making their authors’ cases with unfeigned enthusiasm.

Walking between the rows of tables, I noticed that it no longer seems to be enough for an agent to say that they love a book. They must be in love with it. They must look into the eyes of the Spanish publisher they are pitching, and they must say that they are “so, so, so in love with this book.” They have to mean it.

On the first day of the fair, the chatter in the rights center was about an eight-way auction for Missouri Williams’s “The Vivisectors,” which had been closed in front of a Caravaggio during the HarperCollins party at the National Gallery the night before. The significant presence of American film and TV executives added a glossy sheen, as did the constant discussion of who had been invited to which party, and who had stayed out latest.

Heady as they were, these moments of high glamour were counterbalanced by the frankly poignant spectacle of hundreds of people in business-wear sitting on the floor, tapping away on their phones, whispering urgently to one another and eating chicken Caesar wraps. On the first day of the fair, I spotted a well-dressed woman fully asleep on the floor, her blow-dried blonde hair spilling over the handbag she was using as a pillow. It was 3 p.m., but it looked like an airport in the middle of the night, or some kind of conference center Fyre Festival.

As an indicator of who mattered, or how much money they had, the floor plan was an excellent guide. As an indicator of why many thousands of people from all over the world had gathered in this strange space, with its terrible food and its weird acoustics, to conduct conversations that could plausibly have taken place over email, the floor plan was of no use.

What were they all doing? What were they all talking about, in meeting after meeting, sitting down and standing up and hugging each other as they cried “So good to see you!” in the air near each other’s ears?

The publishing industry may be enamored of hierarchy and ritual, but it is possibly even more enamored of gossip, of chatting and hanging out, and it seemed that this was what everyone had come to the London Book Fair to do.

Alex Bowler, the publisher at Faber, said “I first started coming here in 2004 as an assistant, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to be doing. No one told me. It took me a few years to realize that you’re just here to talk to people.” Asked to elaborate, he rolled his eyes amiably. “Triangulating,” he said. “Gathering intelligence”

Coming together seemed to be almost an end in itself, whether the meeting took place at a wobbly white table in Kensington, or at the Canongate party, held this year in a tropical-themed pub.

“We’re all just here to see our friends, really,” said a young literary agent who asked not to be named, because she had just given the game away. Simon Prosser, the publisher at Hamish Hamilton, put it in terms that bordered on the life affirming. “The fact that we’re all together in this way convinces me that what we do has a meaning,” he said. “Why else would we do it?”

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