The best bookshops in London

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, take your new purchases downstairs to The Tea and Tattle, a lovely café where you can enjoy a pot of leaf tea, a cup of Monmouth coffee or the full Afternoon Tea for Two.

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, but be warned: you might get distracted from your book hunt by resident cat Popeye.

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. You don’t get a 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).  

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, the store also stocks film and TV posters, perfect for framing and hanging in your hallway.

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. A fun and easy way to travel around the world.

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 make sure you pop in and browse around for the full selection.

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, where high-profile authors often stop by for special readings and 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. 

Comics aren’t just for kids, as you’ll find out when you step foot in 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.

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. And while it’s now owned by Waterstones, you won’t get a whiff of a chain store here; 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.

Heywood Hill was awarded a royal warrant in 2011, making it a bookshop fit for the most regal of bookworms. 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. 

Founded by a gaggle of pacifists in 1945, Housmans stays true to its radical roots. There are special events like talks about social issues from the patriarchy to the rental crisis, programmes with progressive authors, 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.

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 the shop calls a ‘bias for the humanities’.

Kirkdale Bookshop has been a Sydenham fixture for 57 years and it has become something of a cultural hub for the local community in that time. Inside, beyond the expected shelves of books, you’ll find 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.

There’s a strict no-mobiles policy at this design-led temple to the printed word, 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. 

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.

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. There are twice-weekly author talks where you can meet writers, space to listen to bookish in-house podcasts or an excellent café, which hosts an ever-changing collection of baroque cakes.

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. 

London’s first Black bookshop has played a crucial role in Black literary life since it was founded in 1966. You can see proof of that in just how much the community rallied around the store in 2022 when, under the threat of closure, admirers raised more than £80,000 save to it. Not only does New Beacon stock works by Caribbean, Black British, African and African-American authors, it also runs its own publishing house, through which it nurtures new talent.

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.

Bright and airy, with wooden floors and comfy sofas, Nomad is a lively and popular shop and café on Fulham Road. There’s something for all ages here, but if you’re looking to entertain the little ones, stop by one of their regular story time events. There’s also a strong children’s section, gifts, stationery and a regular book club.

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, but 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.

This small family-run bookshop can be found on what might be the prettiest (and poshest) high street in London. 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.

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.

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, from guides and maps, to travel writing and gifts.

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 to find out what’s coming up.

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’. K-pop fans should keep an eye out when visiting – the exterior is a favourite photo spot of idol groups when they’re in town. 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 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.