Novel Idea: London’s best bookshops
When it comes to sourcing reading material, can anything beat the personal, physical experience of perusing a bookshop? While there are plenty of options throughout the country, you’re certainly spoilt for choice in the capital. Bookshops in London have gone from strength to strength in recent years – even despite the online boom. In every corner of the capital, you’ll find innovative approaches to bookselling at local institutions that have been at the heart of their community for decades.
We’ve put together a list of the best independent – and independently minded – bookshops in London. This includes rare art book specialists, radical booksellers and the more traditional, cosy stores. The common denominator? All go far beyond their remit of just selling books: hosting readings and talks, championing smaller publishers and creating spaces for voices that are not always heard.
NORTH
1. Housmans
Housmans is a radical, not-for-profit bookshop that stocks a wide range of non-fiction and magazines on progressive politics, with a specific focus on literature that explores racism, feminism and LGBT issues. Based in King’s Cross since 1959, the shop has its roots in the British pacifist movement of the 1930s. Today Housmans remains committed to the dissemination of ideas that can lead to a more egalitarian and peaceful society.
2. Primrose Hill Books
Situated next to the hill (and great viewpoint) above Regent’s Park from which it takes its name, Primrose Hill Books is an intimate, family affair. Run by a husband-and-wife team for more than 30 years, the small, well-stocked shop offers print classics, cutting-edge contemporary literature and a great selection of greetings cards.
3. Owl Bookshop
The wide shopfront of Owl Bookshop has been a landmark since it opened on Kentish Town Road in 1974. Alongside new titles and the classics, the shop has an extensive children’s section and its staff are renowned locally for their friendliness and expertise.
SOUTH
4. Review Bookshop
This small but well-curated bookstore on Peckham’s sought-after Bellenden Road is a staple of the local literary scene. The owners are the organisers of the Peckham Literary Festival, and the bookshop itself hosts a series of events that often see queues forming out the door. Stop by for a selection of literary fiction, magazines, small gifts and greetings cards.
5. Bookmongers
Bookmongers was founded nearly 30 years ago by American ex-pat Patrick Kelly. A second-hand bookshop that also stocks rare books and first editions, it is a popular haunt of Brixton’s diverse community. With books covering everything from cinema history to self-help guides, it’s a great place to while away the hours browsing the slightly chaotic shelves. Our tip? Take a seat on the sofa at the back and spend some time with the adopted stray cat, Popeye.
6. Village Books
Tucked just off the main road in bustling Dulwich Village, but easily recognisable by its bright red shopfront, Village Books was founded as the Gallery Bookshop and Lending Library in 1925. Today it is known for its friendly service, great recommendations and welcoming atmosphere (including to those on four legs; there’s always a supply of dog treats on hand). The shop also has an impressive roster of author events, which in the past has included Edmund de Waal, Michael Morpurgo and Mary Berry.
EAST
7. Artwords Bookshop
Artwords is dedicated to books and magazines covering contemporary visual culture. Titles on subjects including letterpress fonts and sustainable architecture sit on clean, ceiling-high bookshelves and generous tables. Oh, and the shop is one of the best places to browse an international selection of magazines. Be sure to pick up a much sought-after Artwords tote bag while you’re there.
8. Libreria
Libreria is all about the experience of being in a bookshop. From the outside, it looks like a normal storefront on a quiet street near Brick Lane, but inside there are gently undulating yellow shelves punctuated by reading nooks. The entire shop is reflected in a tinted mirror on the ceiling. Designed by architects SelgasCano, Libreria is intended as an antidote to the algorithmic book recommendations of digital retailers, organising the stock by themes such as ‘sea and sky’ and ‘wanderlust’, rather than traditional categories, to encourage unexpected encounters.
9. Pages of Hackney
Award-winning independent bookshop Pages of Hackney combines a community outlook with an approach that reaches far beyond its corner of east London. As well as the curated selection of literary fiction, essays and life writing – which, if you live nearby, can be delivered by bicycle – the bookshop has hosted a celebrated series of events with writers and thinkers. Pages also takes special care to foreground voices that are normally marginalised in the publishing industry and have collaborated with art-house streaming service Mubi to offer themed recommendations.
10. Donlon Books
Donlon Books has been a focal point of east London’s eclectic creative scene since it opened in 2008. Situated at the northern end of the bustling Broadway Market and taking its name from the bookshop’s founder (it is apparently not an anagram of the city in which it is situated), Donlon Books reflects Conor Donlon’s interest in art, fashion, critical theory and counterculture, to name just a few of the genres included within his idiosyncratic curation. Previous events have seen a range of artists and writers hosted by the bookshop, including Conor’s old boss, photographer Wolfgang Tillmans.
11. Burley Fisher Books
Named as London’s best bookshop in 2021, Burley Fisher Books has established itself as a champion of independent publishers and runs a popular podcast and events program – all in addition to stocking a diverse collection of both second-hand and contemporary books. Having launched a bespoke recommendation service during the pandemic – where the booksellers suggest a new book based on what you’ve last read – Burley Fischer has since expanded into offering a Guest Bookseller feature and has even published some titles themselves.
WEST
12. Lutyens & Rubinstein
When literary agents Sarah Lutyens and Felicity Rubinstein became frustrated with certain titles being overlooked by bookshop chains and online giants, they decided to take matters into their own hands. The result: Lutyens & Rubinstein, an exciting hybrid of agency and bookshop. The shop – designed by award-winning architects De Rosee Sa – has a selection of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books that you might not otherwise have come across, alongside books from Sarah and Felicity’s agency. They also offer a personal shopping service and a ‘Year in Books’ subscription, which will ensure you’re never short of a good read.
13. John Sandoe Books
John Sandoe Books started life in 1957 as a small shop in a picturesque row of 18th-century cottages in Chelsea. It now spreads across the next two shopfronts and over three floors, with books crammed into every possible space. A favourite of Dirk Bogarde, Tom Stoppard and Lucian Freud, the bookshop has a loyal and regular clientele, who benefit from expert recommendations and the “uplifting and phosphorescent” atmosphere, as American writer Verlyn Klinkenborg puts it.
14. Foster Books
Housed in the oldest shop on Chiswick High Road, Foster Books, with its elegant original bay window, looks like a postcard of a traditional bookshop. Selling first editions, rare and out-of-print books and engravings, often of local scenes, Foster Books is a destination for serious antiquarian book collectors, though it does also stock a range of cheap second-hand paperbacks that can be bought for a few pounds. In recent years, the shop has also taken on consultancy and prop work, supplying books for films like James Bond and Blade Runner 2049, and has helped to recreate rooms in great houses for English Heritage.
15. Daunt Books
The original Daunt Books on Marylebone High Street regularly features on lists of the best bookshops in the world. It claims to be the first custom-built bookshop – its long Edwardian oak galleries and skylights are as much a draw as their range of books, which has expanded from an original specialism in travel writing. The stock, however, is still largely arranged by country. Though there are now several Daunt bookshops in and around London, this is arguably still the best.
CENTRAL
16. AA Bookshop
The AA Bookshop presents an extensive range of specialist architecture books sourced from around the world. As an integral part of the Architectural Association, the oldest independent architecture school in the UK, the bookshop hosts a number of events including a book club, a series of informal discussions around writing and architecture. It is also the best place to find AA’s publication series and to pick up a copy of its celebrated journal, the AA Files.
17. Gay’s the Word
Gay’s the Word has occupied the same site in Bloomsbury since it was founded in 1979. An essential resource and meeting place for London’s LGBT community, the bookshop has weathered homophobic attacks and customs raids. It stocks a range of books, magazines and graphic novels – as well as badges that read “Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners”, a reference to a famous act of solidarity that was organised here and immortalised in the 2014 film Pride.
18. Koenig Books
The main branch of German bookshop and publishers Koenig Books is housed within the Serpentine Gallery in the heart of Hyde Park. Complementing the gallery’s rotating program of exhibitions, Koenig specialises in illustrated books covering art, photography and architecture. And, as Europe’s leading independent bookshop, there’s also the opportunity to order in from a seemingly infinite catalogue of international titles.
19. The Photographers Gallery
The Photographers Gallery opened in 1971 as the first public art gallery in the UK dedicated entirely to photography. When it moved to its current home just off Oxford Street – a former textiles warehouse reimagined by architects O’Donnell + Tuomey – the gallery opened a bookshop that carries a carefully curated selection of photobooks, zines and journals, as well as cameras and film, so you can have a go yourself.
20. Tenderbooks
Cecil Court has been a destination for bookworms since the 1930s. The pedestrianised street has gained a reputation for dusty second-hand bookshops but nestled between antiquarian booksellers and fine art print dealers is Tenderbooks. Along with books from their own experimental imprint, the shop has an extensive collection of rare and out-of-print artists books, and hosts performances and installations by contemporary artists.
21. ICA
Since it was established in 1946, the Institute of Contemporary Arts has been a cornerstone of London’s cultural scene. Located on the Mall, the ICA presents a range of innovative exhibitions, world cinema, and through its bookshop, a variety of publications that explore contemporary culture. Expect to find the latest releases from experimental publishers New Documents and a collection of science fiction stories from Palastine alongside books on the culture of work and feminism in art.
22. London Review Bookshop
As the physical, in-person arm of the prestigious literary magazine London Review of Books, the London Review Bookshop offers a curated selection of fiction and non-fiction that reflects the distinctive character of the Review. As well as stocking more than 20,000 titles, the shop also hosts book launches and talks, and has a particularly well-reviewed tea room.
RELATED ON THE MODERN HOUSE
Our Guide to Oxford: cinnamon buns, honey-hued domes and small plates in the 'city of dreaming spires'
Our guide to Kentish Town: Technicolor townhouses, natural wine and nature in north London
Take a Dip: London’s best swimming spots – from lakes to lidos
Our Guide to Dulwich: from modernist architecture to master paintings
Plate in the Sun: London’s best restaurants for alfresco dining
Our guide to Herne Hill and Tulse Hill: vibrant markets and outdoor swimming in south London
Best Buds: the most beautiful garden centres in London
Good Start: the best breakfasts in London
Our guide to Camden Town and Primrose Hill: from panoramic views to a community ceramics space
Nice Slice: the best pizza in London