London is a city that is worth visiting. It offers beautiful and incredible things to everyone, from children to the elderly. The fascinating thing about this city is that it has so many bookshops, making it an ideal place for book lovers despite the increase in digital retailers. The book stores are extensive and provide a vast collection of books covering different genres like fiction, literature, history, beauty, fashion, and gift cards. Are you looking for something you can read? Fret not!

Here is a list of the best book stores in London regardless of where you are:

Stanfords

Are you an adventurer seeking travel elementary in London? Search no more! Stanfords is one of the oldest and most iconic bookshops in London. It is also the most extensive travel bookshop in the world. The book store was set up in 1853 by Edward Stanford, and it mainly sells travel books and documentaries.

Initially, the store was located in an old building on Long Acre, but after operating there for over 100 years, it has been relocated to 7 Mercer Walk, its current location. The bookshop is highly stocked with travel guides, writing, and maps. It also has regular events documents from different exceptional travel and exploration writing.

Daunt Books, Marylebone

This is one of the most magical and beautiful bookshops in London. James Daunt established it in 1992, and it is the first custom-built book store globally. The bookshop is situated in an Edwardian building along the Marylebone High Street. It has stained glass windows, and on the store’s back, there is an elegant wooden balcony that overlooks the shop’s significant portion. This is an excellent place where you can view the store from behind.

Here you will get various books like travel maps, guides, fiction, phrasebooks, history, and non-fiction. Unlike other bookshops that arrange the books alphabetically, Daunt Books arrange the books by country, giving you an incredible browsing experience. Daunt Books has expanded, and it has opened other branches in Cheapside, Belsize Park, Hollard Park, and Hampstead.

Foyles

Foyles is one of the famous bookshops in London, and it houses over 200000 titles, including magazines, stationeries, gifts, and books. It is located on Charing Cross Road in the West End’s heart. The book store was established in 1903 by William and Gilbert Foyle, who were brothers. Since then, the bookshop has modernized, and they have opened an online store and other branches in different regions. It is a treasure trove for various browsers, book lovers, and curious. The bookshop has five floors that cover more than 6.6 km of bookshelves; hence you can find any book you may want in this bookshop.

Here you can spend the entire day without noticing. Children are not left out as there is a big section where kids can concentrate for hours. In addition, the bookshop has a café where you can have a cup of tea or coffee as you continue reading. Also, there is a gallery auditorium that hosts various music and literary events. You will discover a lot in the music department, such as classical music CDs, sheet music, and World DVDs.

Hatchards

Hatchards is the oldest and most prestigious book store in the United Kingdom. It was set up in 1797 by John Hatchard at Piccadilly Circus next to Fortnum and Mason, and it is still in the same building even today. The bookshop has been the main book distributor to the royal family, and it holds three Royal Warrants, which the Queen awarded, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales. It also has an excellent reputation as it attracts conspicuous authors.

The bookshop stocks a wide range of non-fiction & fiction publications and historical books that feature Churchill and Royalty. The second floor is the children’s section, and it’s a haven for youngsters to explore. Hatchards also hold various inspiring events like Christmas Customer Evening, where the management invites some of the best year’s authors to interact with clients and sign books.

Waterstones Piccadilly

Waterstones Piccadilly is the largest bookshop in Europe. Tim Waterstone is the founder of this book store, and it opened its doors in 1982. The business has proliferated, and it has opened over 280 retail bookshops in the UK and other neighbouring countries. The book store has more than 8 miles of bookshelves, providing countless titles in all genres. It offers something for everyone, including the most discerning readers.

The bookshop offers an ideal place where you can hide for hours when the rain starts. Some of the books from Waterstones Piccadilly include history, travel, maps, gifts, fiction, non-fiction, and art. The children’s department is lively and full of numerous events and activities such as old favourites and new releases. It also invites different authors for talks, events, and signings.

Gosh!

Gosh! The bookshop is one of London’s largest and most significant comic shops. It is ideal for all comic novices and comic fans. The bookshop is situated at 1 Berwick Street, Soho, close to Piccadilly Circus, and it has been operating for 34 years. It is an excellent place for browsing with friendly and committed staff.

The book store likes medium as it embraces it enthusiastically. Here you will get a wide range of graphic novels, translated European albums, stylish children’s books, graphic fiction, indie releases, numerous compulsively colourful manga, mainstream superhero antics, and cutting-edge presses. Besides, the shop holds events galore and signings.

Koenig Books

This is an independent bookshop that is German-owned. It is located at W2 3XA London, United Kingdom, with over 40 branches in the UK, German, Netherlands, and Austria. The book store offers numerous books ranging from architecture, art, design, visual culture, and photography.

Shapero Rare Books

This is one of the leading antiquarian bookshops in London. As the name suggests, Shapero Rare Books stocks rare books and other paperwork in the heart of London’s Mayfair. It is situated at 106 New Bond Street, London. The store has them all if you are looking for any vintage photograph, antique map, or rare edition. Some of the books you will get from this store include travel and voyages, English literature, guide books, natural history, children’s books, continental books, Russian interest titles, Islamica, Judaica, and Hebraica. In addition, if you want to sell some books, the bookshop can do the valuation for you.

Persephone Books

Persephone Books is an autonomous publisher located in Bath, London, United Kingdom. It opened its doors in 1999, and Nicola Beauman is the founder of this bookshop. The book store reprints books of women writers, especially in the late ninetieth and twentieth centuries. The main catalog includes fiction and non-fiction books.

So far, Persephone Books has published over 143 well-written and thought-provoking books. These books are meant to appeal to busy persons who want titles that are not too commercial or too literary. They usually have a grey endpaper and dustjacket wrapped in a contemporary design with a matching bookmark. The bookshop publishes short stories, cookery books, gardening books, poetry, diaries, novels, and memoirs.

Travis & Emery Music Bookshop

Are you a music fan? No doubt that the Travis and Emery bookshop will impress you. It is located at 17 Cecil Court, Charing Cross Road, London. The book store stocks rare editions, antique, second-hand books, and other collectible books related to music. You will get prints, CDs, opera programs, non-fiction, playbills, photographs, libretti, instrumental music, miniature, choral, vocal, and periodicals from Travis & Emery Bookshop. They also republish music books and purchase libraries and collections.

The Broadway Bookshop

This is a small, cozy, independent bookshop that is situated on Broadway Market, London, which is popularly known as a browsing spot. The Broadway Bookshop was founded in 2005, and it has been providing a wide variety of books to various readers. It looks small from the outside, but it has a spacious interior with a basement that is full of children’s books, local history, and new fiction. The bookshop stocks numerous books specializing in economics, politics, essays, philosophy, poetry, nature, history, music, life writing, food, and travel.

Libreria Bookshop

Libreria Bookshop is situated off Brick Lane in the East End of London. Rohan Silva established it, and it is specially designed as a corrective to the modern age. The bookshop accepts everything analog, and mobile phones are not accepted. It features a basement for a printing press. Some of the books you will obtain from this bookshop include fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, new releases, indie champions, and gift cards.

Maison Assouline

Maison Assouline Bookshop provides a calm, perfect place for reading. Once you get inside the bookshop, you won’t believe that the busy London traffic roars at the back of the thick door. It has prime wood-paneled walls and ceilings that make you feel that you are in a stately home rather than a bookshop. This allows you to spend many hours in this bookshop without realizing that time is running up.

The book store is located in Piccadilly, London, and Martine and Prosper Assouline founded it in 2014. The bookshop’s shelves hold over 1200 titles that consist of art and design, architecture, lifestyle, fashion, beauty, travel, photography, gastronomy, and life writing. The Swans Bar provides hot drinks and wine.

Bookmongers

This is another independent bookshop in London that specializes in selling remaindered and second-hand books. Bookmongers Bookshop was established in 1992, and it has been serving people from different regions, more so from South London and Brixton. It is located in Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8LN, UK. The book store offers a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere to the booklovers. The second-hand books you will get from this bookshop include fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books.

Heywood Hill Bookshop

Heywood Hill is one of the leading store books in London. It’s also the most trusted bookshop by collectors, generations of writers, and readers worldwide. The bookshop is located in Mayfair’s heart, and it was founded in 1936by George Heywood. The dedicated staff are determined and always ensure that they match the correct book with the right person. It stocks a vast collection of books like rare books and old & new antiquarian books that mainly emphasize travel, biography, architecture, history, guides, and literature. Youngsters are not left out as the children’s department is fully stocked with enticing classic titles. They also offer literary services, private libraries, and literary adventures.

The London Review Bookshop

This is another excellent bookshop in London that provide exceptional intellectualism. It opened its doors in 2003, and it has proved to be an integral part of the cultural life of the capital. The bookshop is situated in Bloomsbury’s heart, and this is an excellent place for booklovers since they can browse while sipping tea or coffee from the adjoining café.

The bookshop has over 20000 titles, ranging from world literature to contemporary poetry and fiction. Others include copious displays of politics, history, cooking, gardening writing, essays, philosophy, and children’s books. Other than browsing countless titles, you can also get unique, small-press books at a pocket-friendly price.

The Second Shelf Bookshop

The Second Shelf is a small bookshop in London that stocks women’s books and non-binary people. It is situated in Soho in a calm and quiet courtyard. The book store sells first editions, rare books, small press titles, new feminist press titles, manuscripts, and other new books.