The best bookshops in London

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

An inspiring, German-owned independent bookshop specialising in art, architecture and photography tomes. Koenig’s first London branch is based in the Serpentine Gallery (pictured), and their second is the bookshop at the Whitechapel Gallery. Both branches of Koenig Books have full access to the stock of mammoth arts bookshop Buchhandlung Walther Koenig in Cologne, so you can order just about anything you can think of. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Kirkdale Bookshop is a Sydenham fixture that 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. In 2021, it celebrated its fiftieth-fifth birthday.

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.

Foster Books is a must-visit for any self-respecting bookworm. The tiny historic 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. 

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.

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’.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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).  

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.

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.

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

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. 

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.

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.