Shops are organised alphabetically by district
My Back Pages, Balham
8-10 Station Road, Balham, SW12 9SG
020 8675 9346
Balham seems a fairly benighted place at first glance, with nothing but a sparsely-stocked WH Smith. But tucked away opposite the mainline railway station is one of London's best second-hand shops, called My Back Pages for the delight of Dylan fans. Inside, there's a small selection of new books, mostly cheap classics, and a huge selection of second-hand. History, classics, politics and psychology are all well covered, and fiction takes up a room to itself.
Sean Clarke
With Streatham and Balham served only by a couple of blighted Smiths and a few charity shops, Back Pages is great. Unusually, the shop presents new and used books next to each other on the shelves, meaning you can stay in there, absorbed, for hours. I nipped in on the way to the Bedford once and was 45 minutes late to meet my friend. Whoops. But I had bought a map of Czechoslovakia. Yup, Czechoslovakia. Love that shop.
Jonathan Vincent
Although it is a shopfront for the Socialist Workers Party, it stocks a wide range of books, both new and secondhand, that you are hard pressed to find anywhere else. The secondhand section is absolutely superb for picking up hard to find journals, publications and pamphlets of the Left, both in Britain and overseas. When I came to the UK to research the British left, Bookmarks was as a valuable source as any library.
Evan Smith
Bookmarks is now the only bookshop in central London that specialises in socialist material, and is one of the main outlets for literature published by trade unions and the labour movement in general. It is, in fact, more than a bookshop, as it provides bookstalls for trade union and labour movement conferences and major meetings, and is always to be seen operating from under gazebos at major demonstrations. It also provides facilities for writers to present their books, either at the shop itself or, for larger occasions, at the nearby church in Shaftesbury Avenue. In this sense, it is a rare gem, not only for London but the UK as a whole.
Alan Gibson
Bookmarks has a great range of books that you don't see in mainstream bookstores - lots of material on trade union issues, women's rights, the fight against racism, gay liberation, the history of class struggle etc ... plus some sound books for kids. You can get everything in one place, and actually flick through the books you're interested in. They also do a mail order service if you're not living in the capital.
Peta Bulmar
I want to nominate Bookmarks. I love the fact that it makes no pretence to be neutral. It's on the side of all those fighting for a better world - books are weapons! At the same time it's completely non-sectarian and represents all aspects of socialist and dissident thought.
Iain Ferguson
Bright and cheerful, conveniently located near the British Museum, Bookmarks stocks a vast range of socialist and radical books. Where else could you get good advice on the latest books written on the environment, anti-globalisation, antiwar movements, and the history of the labour movement? These days books can always be bought from Amazon etc, but good advice on what is worth reading is hard to get. Bookmarks gets my vote.
Kambiz Boomla
More than just a bookshop - a way of thinking and acting about the world. They appear not only in their central London shop but at union conferences, demos and political rallies. A resource to be visited over and over. They produce a quarterly Review of Books with an exciting line up of book launches and speakers. My only regret is that I don't get over often enough.
Willy Cumming
In a sea of identikit commercial multiples it is difficult enough to come across independent bookshops - but to find one with such a distinct sense of purpose as Bookmarks is seriously good news. This bookshop is not shy about its politics; it proudly identifies itself with the trade union movement and the thinking Left. An antidote to the spin culture of New Labour, you might say. What a breath of fresh air! We need more of these kinds of bookshops - everywhere.
Tugrul Kaban
Gosh!, Bloomsbury
39 Great Russell Street, WC1B 3PH
020 7636 1011
Quite simply the best comics shop imaginable, and that's mainly due to their commitment to graphic novels, independent mini comics and manga. It's impossible to leave empty handed with the stunning range that is packed into the two floors here. For those seeking an education in all that comics can offer, there is no finer destination.
Alex Ingram
Judd Street Books, Bloomsbury
82 Marchmont Street, WC1N 1AG
020 7387 5333
It's a wonderful jumble of remainders and new books at cheap prices, with an emphasis on Literature and the Arts. There's a large range of 'Bloomsbury' or Bloomsbury-inspired books, due to its position, plus a loads of criticism, and it's always really high quality stuff. I used to live above it, and it was responsible for a large proportion of my student debt (despite the student discounts!).
Clare Crawford
Why?
1. The stock - superbly well-selected, and in superb condition.
2. The staff - highly knowledgeable, very helpful, and actually care about both their stock and their customers.
3. The ambience - this is a bookshop you actually want to spend a long time browsing in.
4. The events - no John Grisham signings, but real discussions and readings that always engage with interested readers.
I always leave having bought more than I intended, and I always find books I didn't even know I wanted, but then again, isn't that the point of a good bookshop? Long may they continue ...
Robert Kingsbury-Barker
The LRB bookshop stocks the widest imaginable range of books (general interest and scholarly) within a space that is easy to navigate. The staff know what they are selling and are able to guide their customers. This bookshop functions also as a forum for literary presentations and intellectual exchanges through a series of readings and lectures. It offersan electronic newsletter of events and new books arranged by theme. Occasional wine/nibbles evenings are combined with 10% discounts on purchases.
I Sinanoglou
In order of remembrance: No tinned music. Elegant shelves and tables. Intellectually inspiring books on display. No blockbusters on display, or on the shelves. Breadth of selection. Comfortable chair, usually empty. Intelligent-looking staff who smile indulgently if boyfriend pretends to be crazy in attempt to embarrass me out of the shop, all the books I needed for my masters in literature, nice mugs. Not too cold or too hot. Interesting literary soirees. Great associations (with literary mag). Survived the filming of the mangled interpretation of McEwan's 'Enduring Love'. Didn't give job of manager to former Tesco employee. A metropolitan beacon.
Sarah Jenkins
Books for Amnesty International, Camden
241 Eversholt Street, NW1 1BE
020 7388 0070
A great secondhand shop with a huge fiction selection in the basement, plus a very good stock of travel titles, art books, childrens' books, etc. I always end up leaving with a bag full of books, the prices are so convenient and things are easy to find. Staff are friendly, too. This shop used to be in Camden HighStreet but a while ago moved to new premises behind Mornington Crescent tube station. A must for all booklovers! And of course it's all for a good cause.
Angela Groot
Black Gull Books, Camden
70-71 Camden Lock Place, Camden Lock Market, NW1 8AF
020 7267 5005
It's what a great bookshop is meant to be - untidy, adorable, musty, with academic, befuddling assistants, I'm unable not to buy something whenever I'm in there. The area is of course a key attraction: Camden Lock Market, next door to renowned jeweller Roger Stone and world famous games and puzzles specialist Village Games. They have (mainly) almost mint condition books at a fraction of the retail price, and a witty (and gorgeous) sales assistant to inform you on what you're buying. Fantastic!
Annabel Bathke
Foyles, Charing Cross
113-119 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0EB
020 7437 5660
For more than 100 years, Foyles has enjoyed legendary stature as Britain's biggest independent bookshop. But under the eccentric rule of Christina Foyle, Foyles was ramshackle and consumer-unfriendly. "Foyled again?" mocked a sign in the window of a nearby competitor. No longer. These days people browse for hours in Foyles for pleasure, and not because they can't find what they're looking for among the 1.4m books on its five floors of shelves. It even has its own website. Foyles has also provided a home to treasured independent retailers made homeless by soaring rents, Ray's Jazz Shop and Silver Moon women's bookshop.
Jon Dennis
This is my favourite bookshop in London, and it's independent credentials burn all the brighter for being right next door to the bland corporatism that is today's King's Road. It has a secondhand bookshop feel, without the funny smell, and the staff are supremely helpful and seemingly always better read than you. There's a good selection of imported US books (including Dave Eggers' McSweeney's journal) and a selection from most genres/subjects which, given the shop's size, is something of a miracle. Clambering up the little spiral staircase reveals another aladdin's cave upstairs, with a sort of concertina shelving system, so that they can shoehorn in a few more books. T'riffic.
Daniel Carey
A prince among booksellers. The stock is intelligently and seductively presented, service is prompt and courteous, the staff erudite yet free of Mitfordesque snobberies. A invaluable resource for the professional writer, a treasure trove for the present-seeker, a paradise for the browser. And the bags are classy, too.
James Owen
I went there for the first time in the same week as the shop was profiled in the Guardian's G2 piece. I've been trying to track down novels by David Storey (vastly under-rated) and they had four in stock. I only managed to find one of these myself as they were stored in different places, but the chap in the shop had no hesitation in taking me straight to the others. The shop is cramped but the selection of titles is excellent.
Robert Hollier
Is there any competition? Forget the beautiful location, and the beauty of the shop itself - it is truly a wondrous thing to spend time with only the best of books in print. No wading through piles of what is fashionable or sold by the yard here. The texts are impeccable selected and the staff deftly steer you to what you need. I cannot number all the new works and ideas I've been introduced to in those narrow walls. As a poorly read undergraduate I used to be dazzled by this generosity; I now owe much of my career and many friendships to it.
Navraj Singh Ghaleigh
World's End bookshop, Chelsea
357 King's Road, SW3 5ES
020 7352 9376
I thoroughly recommend the World's End Bookshop to all readers - particularly those searching for second-hand contemporary and classic novels. It is a great place to browse, with a really diverse selection of books, many of them review copies which have not even been opened. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the sales staff knowledgeable. Visit on a Sunday or Monday when there are big discounts.
M Woolf
Financial World Bookshop, City of London
90 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4DQ
020 7444 7118
I would like to nominate this great shop in the City of London (near Liverpool St station). It may not be of interest to the general bookworm who know their Auster from their elbow, but for those of us who need to keep up with new ideas and writing on finance, this place is a godsend. A most friendly atmosphere (probably something to do with the nice staff) and a really varied array of books on all the main subjects as well as good general finance reads.
Laurie Donaldson
Most people walking down Long Acre don't look up at the elegant facades above the chain store windows. They should - through an anonymous door and up a dark stairwell at Number 31 waits the bibliophile's mecca. I come here to escape crowds and consumerism, browsing first editions by favourites like Nabokov or Robert Lowell. The shelves display a wonderful assortment of literature, private press and illustrated books, far too much to see in a single visit.
Mark Walton
Offstage and Treadwell's, Covent Garden
34 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 7PB
020 7240 3883
These two bookshops-in-one are a great find in the heart of Covent Garden. Upstairs, Treadwells is full of mysterious books about magic, myth and belief amid incense and even magic wands! There's also a lovely sofa to relax on while you read and think. Downstairs is Offstage Bookshop (which recently moved from premises on Chalk Farm Road): a mecca for actors and drama students. Offstage stocks film and play scripts and every time I've been there I've never failed to find a gem of a title. It's the most original and friendly bookshop in London!
Polly Barker
An absolute jewel of an independent that satisfies the most catholic and adventurous tastes, crammed to the rafters with poetry, classics, screenplays, art, black interest, essays, travel, some hippy stuff, a fantastic children's section that caters for those cutting first teeth right through to those cutting apron strings, loads of biographies of people that aren't cricketers (although they have those too), and an amazing range of old and new fiction (the shop has the particular and rare distinction of stocking some stunningly good US-only titles, which are stealth bombed in at regular intervals). The Bookseller Crow is the fast-beating cultural heart of Crystal Palace, and Jon Main, Justine Crow and Joy Haney are the knowledgeable and accommodating trio that stoke its ventricles with such unflagging zeal. And Jon once went to a party with Raymond Carver. Say no more.
Paul Morley
I can't recommend Renaissance Books enough as a friendly place to browse for hours, turning up unexpected delights ranging from the psychology of drugs to obscure musical tomes. Their philosophy section is huge and carefully chosen and they can turn up almost anything for you if you ask. They have some charmingly quirky areas of expertise - fairy tales and textiles spring to mind - and their poetry and fiction sections are equally impressive. A small but perfectly formed bookworm's refuge.
Alice Ross
For a small community to be served by one bookshop is great, to have two is unbelievable. But Dulwich is so blessed, and for me Dulwich Books on Croxted Road is the place to go. A good selection of books, great staff and a first class order service means that you don't need to go anywhere else for all your book needs. Plus they often have fantastic art on the walls.
Peter Harrison
The Bookshop, Dulwich Village
1d Calton Avenue, SE21 7DE
020 8693 2808
I am a local resident and longstanding customer of Hazel Broadfoot's and Julian Toland's superb bookshop in the heart of Dulwich Village. The standard of shopfitting, the range of stock relative to the size of the shop, the helpfulness and knowledge of the staff, overall shop atmosphere, buying judgment, customer service and new initiatives are all outstanding in this marvellous enterprise. I find it much better to use than one of the chain bookstores in the centre of London. It is rare for me not to be able to obtain exactly what I want straight away or very soon afterwards. The staff are unfailingly kind and well-informed. Their advice is always relevant and lucidly expressed. The Bookshop is open seven days a week and is always full of potential customers and school children. It has become a centre of cultural excellence in my part of south London; I find myself drawn to it magnetically every weekend.
Anthony Lester
Well-informed and efficient service by people who read books and are in touch with the publishing world and local authors, and who like to run their own little bit of the book world. Why shouldn't they be able to indulge in their interest and benefit their customers?
Ian Mitchell
To live near any bookshop is a pleasure. To be a close neighbour of The Bookshop is a privilege. Julian and Hazel seem to read nearly everything. They give us capsule reviews at the desk, and time permitting, will willingly go into more detail. They will not only get most orders in within two days, they have got to know our individual tastes. So when I asked Hazel for something "a bit dark and unpleasant, but not TOO horrible," for myself, she was able tocomply (Janet Evanovich in this case). Large chains can offer lower prices; they can't get to know you like a friend.
Stephanie Calman
My local bookshop is as important as my local pub, and when I moved a mile and a half up the road from East Dulwich to Dulwich I comforted myself with the fact that my old local bookshop would still be within walking distance. Then I discovered The Bookshop, which was like upgrading pubs from one with great beer and great food to one with great beer, great food and an inglenook with a roaring fire. Don't be put off by its diminutive size - it's like a TARDIS, and there's a far greater choice of books on display than the laws of physics should really allow. If it's not on the shelf, all the staff seem to be trained in the art of finding exactly what you want on the computer and then having it there the next day. And if by some chance it's not quite what you wanted, you don't have to have it. Perfect. Improvements? Well, they could start serving beer as well as books...
Ian Harrison
1. The staff are always friendly and helpful.
2. Excellent service - I order a book one day and it is available the next.
3. They are always able to give helpful suggestions whether it is a book for Granny, teenager or middle-aged academic.
4. Displays are up-to-date. The bookshop partakes in community activities including literary events.
5. It is small and manageable - no vast escalators - and yet has an excellent range of stock on all subjects.
Vee Gilliard
This is the best bookshop I know. A small shop, packed with stock, it is run by helpful and knowledgeable staff, who obviously enjoy reading, and are willing and able to advise customers. Orders arrive within 24 hours. Book selection for children is particularly good. All my Christmas presents for those awkward teenage nephews and godsons were quickly solved.
Emma Russell
This bookshop combines the intimacy of a village store with a considerable topical range (children's books, novels, history/biography, humour, art/architecture, photography). The staff are friendly and always willing to check on the availability of books that are not in stock; orders are often filled within 24 hours and customers are phoned as soon as a book arrives.
I Sinanoglou
My favourite bookshop in the UK. All the staff have a real enthusiasm for books, are always willing to advise and help, never patronise and even welcome my dog. What more could anyone ask? On top of this they are open on Sundays which is the best day for browsing leisurely along the shelve.
Vicky Carnegy
They know about books and can discuss them, and when you order them they arrive quicker than you can say Amazon. They don't move the sections around each month at the behest of some marketing spiv. Bestsellers are not in your face but must compete with all titles. They also encourage kids to read the stock before buying, have wine at Christmas and are family-run. The have become part of the community and that makes the actual buying of the book part of the enjoyment.
Harvey Edgington
I have been an enthusiastic supporter for many years. Why? Because the staff members are so knowledgeable, in detail, in every area I have interests in - poetry, current novels, travel - and generally have exactly what I want in stock. If not, their ordering system brings the needed book in a couple of days or so after my enquiry, heralded by a phone call that it has arrived. A lovely place to visit, to linger in, sampling and perhaps buying anything from the latest Gruffalo story to the most recently updated Rough Guide on Corsica. In 2000 they received the Best Independent Bookseller Award, and from there have gone on from strength to strength
David Nash
I use The Bookshop for all my requirements. They will always obtain a book very quickly, saving me the trouble of trying to locate it online. They have a wonderful children's section. Importantly for me, they never patronise me, a rare thing in some small bookshops which can intimidate with their highbrow atmosphere.
Fay Stirling
Everyone there is enthusiastic and friendly. They really know about books, and they display them so enticingly that it is hard to walk past! They are expert at looking up obscure publications, and efficient at getting most things in the very next day. Couldn't be better.
Margaret Hanton
The bookshop is packed with interesting books, I have rarely gone there and not found the book I wanted, and then another one that has taken my fancy. Any book can be ordered and it often appears the next day. The bookshop's great strength is the knowledge of its staff; I have gone in with a book half-remembered from a review and found the staff patient and well read as they trawl they memories to find the book. Once a month or so there is a talk held either at the bookshop or the nearby Dulwich Picture galley.
Duncan Hibberd
A great little bookshop. The staff are excellent with a wide range knowledge. Every corner of its floors are crammed full of reading treasures. Often they order in my special requests with no trouble but great speed.
Patrick
Two Jays Bookshop, Edgware
119 High Street, HA8 7DB
020 8952 1349
Books upon books upon books. Struggle through the piles and you will be rewarded. Lots to delight, and regulars get a discount.
David Marcus
I visit this shop once a year and it never changes. New Beacon deals with titles from the African American/Caribbean/Black British/African communities, has been there for as long as I can remember (I'm in my 40s) and still wears the same tatty appearance. Too many posters and leaflets for events long past are pinned to the notice board; books falling over each other clutter the shelves. But despite being rough around the edges, it is welcoming, cosy and unpretentious. It stocks titles you wouldn't find in WH Smiths or Ottakar's; and even if they don't have what you want, they'll go out of their way to get it for you. The assistant, Janet, knows her books, and is great at recommending new or old titles. New Beacon Books is a well-known shop: I hope it remains so.
Maggie Whittaker
This is a local bookshop in the true sense. I love going in there: the welcome is always warm and a cup of coffee from the cafe is delicious. As it's not a chain, Nomad don't have huge sections of categories, but any title they don't carry can be ordered; often, I've collected books the next day. Having said that, the selection they do have more often than not hits the spot. I love it!
Rosemary Wright
It's only when I go to this beautiful little bookshop, with its crowded tables and heaving shelves, that I realise just how stilted one's choice is in that larger chain bookshops. The books are clearly lovingly - and somewhat eclectically - chosen, with the philosophy, science and cooking sections being particularly worthy of note. There is an atmosphere of care and attention for books and a relish for books for their own sake that does away with the commercial atmosphere so often found in chain and even independent bookshops, and it's this that makes the real book lovers walk away with bulging bags. The children's section is without a doubt the best in London.
Emily Sophie
Brilliant to have a local good independent bookshop in east London.
Rachel King
What utter joy to finally have a bookshop in the area. A new venture, but friendly and offering an excellentservice on ordering books. Here's to a long and successful existence.
Amanda Kendal
This is a long, narrow bookshop, with books on all subjects clearly displayed in beautiful, real wood cases; there's a children's section at the back. The atmosphere is both casual and professional, and the staff are always ready with information, general help, or to have a chat about a book - they are knowledgeable about their stock, interesting to talk to. They run a monthly reading group, too. All that's missing is a sofa and a cup of coffee to aid the browsing - what a pity there isn't space for that.
Patricia Isaacs
The Camden Times put it well: "size is not everything and, like a sonnet or a haiku, West End Lane Books offers a selective and deeply satisfying experience with what Henry James might have called 'deep breathing economy". Doris Lessing, among others, has made appearances here, the staff are booklovers and, with their manager Graeme Estry, choose the stock to ensure a high quality selection.
Rosie Teasdale
A wonderful children's bookshop. The owner, Tamara Macfarlane, manages to create an exciting and free atmosphere for children and parents. It has a caring, enthusiastic and knowledgeable young staff and sells the best children's books, new and old. You enter a world of magic and mystery and drama where children feel free to play, hear stories and stretch their imaginations. Tales on Moon Lane is unique and a frontrunner for the best independent bookshop award without a doubt.
Roger Smith
A place where Alice would have found her Wonderland and then chosen a book to read. Folk gather here to enjoy books whether they are three or 93. Tamara Linke, owner and former teacher, granddaughter of Christabel Burniston, President of the English Speaking Board International, continues the family tradition in oral communication. Children deserve to meet storytellers, for through stories they become treasure-seekers. Lively, twice-weekly storytelling sessions take place where everyone is welcomed and minds are opened. A recent half-term Children's Literature Festival was a great success.
Pauline Lyons
Stocks an excellent range of children's literature, and also imaginative, reasonably priced gifts and cards. The window displays are a delight - the Narnia one was my particular favourite: to walk down Half Moon Lane in the half light of a winter's afternoon and see this display was to be transported to a world of magic. I thought any shop with a window that could do that, was worth exploring, and I was not disappointed. The staff are very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Browsing or buying, this is a treat of a shop.
Dawn Kozoboli
A second-hand bookshop largely devoted to old children's fiction: 1950s Blyton, Blue Peter annuals, 30s adventure tales. But an excellent selection of old Penguins, too, and 100-year-old editions of Sterne and the like. Scribbled-over editions of Beatrix Potter. Cloth maps of Snowdonia. Gorgeous.
Ros Taylor
The staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, and extremely efficient at getting books in if you request them. There is a solid selection of classics etc, plus plenty more eclectic items including an enchanting selection of children's books and annuals. A diamond in the rough of the Archway Road!
Guy Abrahams
A bookshop in which you can happily spend half a day unearthing forgotten childhood favourites, reliving your misspent youth, and browsing the large stock of new and secondhand books. The staff is young, always helpful and will look out for books you dimly remember reading when your were six, but can't remember the title of (something about an elephant and a scarecrow ... ). The owner, Celia Mitchell, is as knowledgeable and enthusiastic as anyone could hope for. You're certain to leave Ripping Yarns triumphantly loaded with books you never knew you wanted.
Cicely Herbert
They're the best supplier of computer text books and know a bit about what they are selling. Much better quality than Waterstones. They even sell SuSE Linux, my favourite system.
Ian Bruntlett
Persephone Books Ltd
59 Lamb's Conduit Street, Holborn, WC1N 3NB
020 7242 9292
A true gem. The official shop of the independent womens' publishers, it is a joy to visit. From the bell that tinkles when you enter, to the stripped wooden floors, to the walls piled high with the beautiful dove-grey Persephone books (all with bookmarks to match the individual endpapers), and the knowledgeable and friendly staff. The atmosphere is conducive to spending the whole afternoon in there, perched on a low chair. They also sell a few non-Persephone books, alongside their own mugs,clothes, cards etc.
Jane Mornement
My favourite bookstore. An independent that always manages to have very good offers. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful, but not at all intrusive; if they don't have a book in stock, they can order it for you. It's a beautiful bookshop that looks exactly like bookshops looked when I was a child: old, clean, bright and covered with books in wall-to-wall dark wood shelves (leave the blond wood for All Bar One!) without the obstruction of novelty crap. The children's section is very good. They also stock a small selection of DVDs and magazines, and organise very interesting literary events from time to time.
Consuela
Kew Bookshop, Kew
1 -2 Station Approach, TW9 3QB
020 8940 0030
The best thing about Kew is the small but intellectually robust bookshop outside the Station. The selection is hot-off-the-press and sizzling with the enthusiasm of the staff. And backlist books aren't shunted off into the publishers' graveyard; if they're good reads, quirky histories, beautifully bound unusual editions, you'll find them here under the 'Staff Recommendations' section. The evening literary parties are fun; despite hosting luminaries such as Kate Adie and Robert McFarlane, they are unpretentious and provide a real chance to interrogate the author about their work. A respite from the homogenous chains.
Sarah Jenkins
The Kilburn Bookshop, Kilburn
8 Kilburn Bridge, Kilburn High Road, NW6 6HT
020 7328 7071
Situated where Kilburn starts to worry about being tidy and well-behaved enough for its smarter cousin, Maida Vale, Kilburn Bookshop is a total joy for all lovers of books and good conversation. It's small on the outside but Tardis-like on the inside: within is an impressive variety of novels, poetry, biographies, popular science, children's fiction, etc, as well as clearly identified sections of on Black, Irish and lesbian & gay interest. It carries a substantial back-catalogue of fiction and the delightful staff run a very speedy book-ordering service. Staff know when to greet customers and when to keep quiet and they are a fund of sound advice, because they love books too.
Martin Jones
Left wing activists can be notoriously pedantic and humourless - not to mention bearded - so one of the surprises within radical King's Cross booksellers Housmans is stumbling across the racks of gay male porn magazines at the back, next to the latest journals from Anarchism Today and Class War. This is probably (I've never asked!) a hangover from its agreeably seedy location - although the area is rapidly losing its eccentricities as the conversion of St Pancras into a Eurostar terminal approaches. Then again, it could also be a reflection of the fact that the London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard began life in the room upstairs.
Housmans itself is an Aladdin's cave of lefty/ecological/peacenik books (it also publishes Peace News and an annual Peace Diary), with a mesmerising depth and range of titles in stock. There's also a good poetry and photography selection, and, quirkily, a fully stocked stationary counter, plus a selection of tapes and videos of performance poetry and artists. Downstairs is the similarly lefty Porcupine Books, second-hand booksellers specialising in trade union and labour history. Unlike Bookmarks in Bloomsbury, Housmans in not tied to the Socialist Worker party. Recently emerging refreshed and even mildly spruced up (although reassuringly still dusty and chaotic indoors) from the building works that have enveloped the area, even a cursory browse is absorbing enough to make you miss your train.
Matthew Tempest
Daunt Books, Marylebone
83 - 84 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4QW
020 7224 2295
If you are like me and have a passion for reading books set in the country in which you are on holiday, Daunt's is the place to visit. It is first and foremost a travel bookshop where the books are arranged by country. Under Greece for example, along with a enormous range of hotel and travel guides, you will find, maps, phrase books, travel writing, books on the flora and fauna, history, recipes and food guides as well as a tempting selection of coffee table books on interiors, and stunning photographs of the country housed in a beautiful shop flooded with natural light There is also a collection of modern fiction for holiday reading and the shop is run by the most helpful knowledgeable staff.
Melody Green
Hushed yet friendly, and with a beautiful mezzanine level redolent of an old college library, Daunt Books is one of the lovelier things about the increasingly chi-chi and chained-up Marylebone High Street. And although it excels in travel books there are always other delights on display. It was the first place I spotted Franck Pavloff's little book 'Brown'.
Dionne Griffith
There are so many secondhand shops I love, but there's also one new bookstore that really stands out - and I'm sure I'll be just one of many to sing its praises. Daunt Books on Marylebone High Street is the only place to make me want to read absolutely everything on its shelves. The front section is a fantastic bookshop in its own right - with an absolutely faultless selection of new fiction and non-fiction, and the most stupendous children's section - but the travel section at the back, over three whole floors, is simply breathtaking (gosh, so many superlatives; sorry - but it's all true!). I love the idea of arranging books - novels, poetry, history, biography, whatever - according to country; I love to go in and browse, indulging the fantasy that I could go wherever I want, and knowing that if I did, I would find the perfect travel companions on those shelves.
A bookshop for travellers ... so it stocks travel guides, travel literature, novels set in the destination, historical works concerning the destination and so much more, all organized by country. Plus a great selection of classic and contemporary literature at the front of the shop. Finally it is one of the most beautiful shops in London - a bibliophile's delight.
Abby Thomas
It is a ridiculously trendy location, but celeb-spotting is a side issue. The real reason to go down that road is Daunt. Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable staff working in a beautiful building which holds an incredible range of stuff despite its diminutive size - and it's near where I work. I'd probably go there even if it was rubbish, because I'd rather support a small business than a chain. Because the service is wonderful, though, I find it difficult to stay away.
Chris Coates
I'm a booksniffer rather than a bookworm (old books may be easier to chew on but sniffers enjoy the smell of new books). My personal nomination is Daunt Books in Marylebone High Street: well-lit; fragrant with binding glue and printing ink; so quiet, so well-stocked and pleasingly proportioned, that one is almost embarrassed to leave without (you guessed it) buying a book.
Sally Crawford
My favourite bookshop in London. The window display is consistently excellent, and I am tempted inside on almost a daily basis to lose myself in their elegantly arranged selection of novels, travel guides and biographies. Like many people, when holidaying I like to read a book from the country I am visiting, and only Daunt Books gave me the chance to choose from two bookcases of German classics before I embarked on a recent trip to Frankfurt. Frankly, this bookshop is zehr gut :)
Rachel Waites
So obvious to choose, so beautiful to use.
Michael Harding
I think a mention of Heywood Hill Books is in order. On my last two trips to London, it has managed to have books in stock which Waterstone's would only order - and these were books in print, not used books. The staff are also very helpful and willing to chat. In one case they were waiting for a shipment of a book but they put me onto a shop in Chelsea (Sandoes) which had it in stock.
Jeffrey A. Manley
Children's Bookshop, Muswell Hill
29 Fortis Green Road, N10 3RY
020 8444 5500
I love the Children's Bookshop as much as my children do. The range is fantastic and the staff friendly and always really helpful - equally happy to give you advice or just let you browse in peace for hours! The manager, Lesley Agnew, persuades all the very best children's authors to visit the shop for signing sessions - so far this year we've met Emma Chichester Clark, Michael Rosen and Francesca Simon, this weekend we are off to meet Mick Inkpen. She also works hard arranging author events in local schools. We never leave without a good book - and a bag full of stickers and bookmarks, too.
Andrea Reece
I treasure it because it acts as a personal shopper. I describe the person and they suggest titles they may enjoy. It is a fabulous service and have never steered me wrong, introducing me and my friends and family to absolute treasures. They are also crucial to this extremely diverse and disadvantaged community, playing a central role, in partnership with the local council to promote books and reading to large sections of the community. I am so grateful they are there.
Lyn Brown
For 27 years Newham Bookshop, just around the corner from West Ham's Boleyn Ground, has been cherished by both the local community and readers from elsewhere, who admire and appreciate the knowledge and professionalism of its booksellers. When browsing the impressively stocked shelves you will come across pre-school tots with their parents, professors who were themselves once users of the children's section, crime aficionados seeking the latest bestseller and football fans looking for signed sporting biographies. Newham events have become legendary. Monica Ali? Mallorie Blackman? Benjamin Zephaniah? Clare Short? Take your pick. A genuine treasure.
Gilda O'Neill
Fantastic bookshop. Viv Archer and her staff are helpful, friendly, knowledgeable. Great at recommendations, superb kids' section and a wonderful atmosphere - books piled everywhere, yet Viv can lay her hand on a title in seconds. Great local events with authors. Truly serves a diverse and vibrant community. Can't speak too highly of this shop.
Simon Mares
The bookshop began 32 years ago as a spin-off from a community education campaigning group which diversified into a provision of support and skills development services. Over the past decade, Vivienne Archer and John Newman have developed the stock to a point where it has to be one of the main features of quality of life in this amazing, vibrant, multi-racial but unfashionable community. Such is the range of bang-up-to date stock, it's hard to come away without a bag full - the quality customised bags have themselves have become collectors items! Over recent years the shop has sponsored signings and live speaking events with a range of renowned authors. There's also a reading group that's into it's third year and still going strong. And, the final indulgence: if you can't get there during the day and live on Vivienne's route home, you can ring up with any kind of bizarre request and have it delivered the next day for no extra charge. Seriously, you couldn't have dreamt up such a wonderful resource if you'd tried.
Kevin Mansell
I don't just go to this bookshop to buy books, I hang out there. The staff have a great knowledge of the community they serve, they have respect for their community, and they are so in touch with their community that they don't presume that English will be your first language. It is a real example of a community bookshop. The kids' section offers stories from all over the world, so it doesn't matter where you come from: you will always feel at home. One day a really smart person will write a book about this bookshop and we will all live happily ever after.
Benjamin Zephaniah
Portobello Books, Notting Hill
328 Portobello Road, W10 5RU
020 7964 3166
I love Portobello Books. There's a great range, the owner is always game for a lively conversation, and afterwards you can always grab a coffee round the corner in one of the several cafes on Golborne Road, or eat at the Moroccan Tagine.
Yusef Noden
Review, Peckham
131 Bellenden Road, SE15 4QY
020 7639 7400
Review has only been open a few months but is really plugging a hole in this part of south London. The owner, Ros, obviously loves books and loves to talk about them - she's just as happy to get a recommendation as make one. Although the stock on the shelves is small (but very well chosen for my money) she can order anything for you and in most cases you'll have it the next day. Getting a tiny discount from Amazon and then having to go and hunt for your parcel at the post office just doesn't compare. As well as fiction she stocks art books, photography books, cookery books, poetry, lovely cards, little gifts and she'll make you a nice cup of coffee too. Since I never want anything on those three for two tables anyway I don't see the point in going anywhere else now.
Joanne Leonard
A bookshop that really believes in making its customers welcome. Although small, it has a fairly comprehensive range. It stocks some local authors, has very good stationery and cards, and sells organic coffee. It's not right on my doorstep, so I don't visit as often as I'd like, but when I do, it's always a pleasure.
Dawn Kozoboli
This is my favourite bookshop in London; it's a small, friendly place with a great selection of both new and secondhand books. It is small, but brilliantly laid out with a big central table for rummaging for books you haven't heard of... yet. They are really into classics and new and undiscovered authors and have lots of information if you need it. You can pretty much ask for anything (out of print or not), and they'll either have it or attempt to get hold of it for you. They don't have any 3 for 2 offers on the latest bestsellers, but regularly have book signings and events for both local authors and anyone who they think has written a good book. They recommended such classics to me as The Life of Pi and The Number One Ladies Detective agency before anyone had ever heard of them.
Libby Campbell
I love the shop and have been going there for 25 years - Jessica andMarek are enthusiasts, readers who recommend and love books. Theyproduce beautiful booklets at Christmas and in the summer, recommendingbooks and gifts. Each recommendation is personal, literate andthoughtful. The shop is a delight, full of interesting finds andclever predictions. It is one of the jewels in this area and we alllove it.
Jonah Sullivan
Trinity Hospice Bookshop, Putney
208 Upper Richmond Road, SW15 6TD
020 8780 0737
Probably not a hot contender for 'Glamorous Book Shop of the Year', but definitely one to set the heart of any serious reader aflutter. Essentially one of the Trinity Hospice secondhand stores, but one that sells only music and books - at £1 a book! As if that weren't enough, if you buy two books, you get one free! The books are divided into really logical sections (fiction, biography, classics, philosophy, children's and so on), and the shelves are pleasingly tidy. Whilst I haven't ventured into the great stacks of vinyl they do look tempting (unless you've never owned a record player like me!)
Jo Arden
One of my favourite bookshops. I first heard of it through this database, and wanted to endorse it after many months of happy reading. Buying second-hand books from a charity is splendidly ethical, plus there is the added frisson of never knowing what you're going to find in this eccentric shop. I have strayed completely from my old reading patterns, and I feel better for it. I like being part of the cycle - buying books for only about £1 is great, and it's also an easy way to donate old books yourself.
Elke
Grant & Cutler, Soho
55-57 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7AY
020 7734 2012
I have to nominate Grant & Cutler. As a Spanish undergraduate, I have found no better bookshop for supplying me with not only my course texts but also a full range of European literature for personal reading. Fab shop, great selection of books and really well-trained, helpful and professional staff. Love it there and would recommend to anyone!
Louise Ticehurst
My favourite independent bookshop. Not only do they have everything you would expect to find, but such is the size of their stock that they have lots of niche titles which are a bit off the beat-and-track. The staff are really helpful with lots of knowledge and experience in foreign language literature, and it's generally a nice place to browse for a good read.
Tom Smith
To my mind, in terms of books of Jewish interest, both fiction and non-fiction, Joseph's has no equal in the UK. Just as importantly, its stock of contemporary British literature is exemplary. It is also one of the very few independent bookshops which has a considerable range of world literature. Over the years, it has become a prominent venue for book launches and important lectures and in the true tradition of Jewish hospitality, it offers to the hungry and thirsty book-lover a wonderfully atmospheric cafe specialising in delicious Mediterranean cuisine.
Moris Farhi
Joseph's Bookstore is not my nearest bookshop, nor is it the largest, but the reason why I sometimes cycle half-way across London to browse their shelves is because this is a bookshop that really cares about their customers and which has excelled in creating a community of booklovers. For aspiring writers, Michael Joseph, the owner of the shop, is a wonderful source of advice and information about agents and publishers. They run events that relate to a wide range of interests, have opened a cafe and everyone who works in the store is familiar with their stock and will talk through appropriate choices with their customers.
Naomi Gryn
Everything in Michael Joseph's bookshop expresses his sensibility. The fastidious grouping of books by subject matter, grounded in Jewishness - his shop is the pride of Golders Green - but also cosmopolitan and humanistic, a gathering of good neighbours. He leavens familiar English titles with judiciously-chosen imports from America and Israel. The clapboard walls are hung with a changing display of prints and paintings you wouldn't mind owning. Each week the shelves are pushed back to make way for a stream of readings, debates and jazz. And up two steps is Michael's Cafe Also, where you can eat Turkish mezze and textured fishcakes. I warm to Joseph's Bookstore because as well as being a customer's pleasure, it seems to delight its rangy, voluble, seemingly ever-present owner and impressario.
Michael Kustow
For me the shop is rather like Dr Who's Tardis: the exterior doesn't prepare one for the interior! The wide variety of titles available are thoughtfully chosen, always including less well-known or emerging writers; this has singlehandedly expanded my reading experience. Joseph's is a refreshing antidote to the chains that dominate most high streets - yes, they have their place, but they simply can't compete with specialist staff who seem to really care. And if I want a book that's out of stock, they always manage to find a copy for me in a very short space of time. A visit to the shop is always a positive experience.
Gaby Morris
Wimbledon Village boasts a new, elegant and friendly bookshop in which browsers, as they select a book, can catch a glimpse of the local horses trotting by. Light and airy with comfortable sofas, the shop has a varied selection of interesting books including an unusually comprehensive children's section, as well as classical CDs and cards. Customers receive a very personal service from the charming owner and his wife, who encourage quiet browsing. There are regular story hours for young children and the atmosphere is worlds away from the noisy hustle of the big book chains.
Prof Peter Armstrong