Bookshops of London

South Kensington Books

Luytens & Rubinstein 

John Sandoe

St. Pancra's (Hatchard's small shop)

Foyle's

Just as the neighbourhoods of London are so different and each have their own style and personality, each bookshop also has a mood and vibe of its own, and I love to explore all the different shops. On this trip, I managed to visit 5 different London bookshops. Every shop organizes their books differently, lays out the shop differently, has a vibe in the shop where some might be cosy and messy, while others might be clean and very structured (organized). It's really fun to step into a bookshop and figure it out. Wander the shelves to discover what topics they carry the most, and what focus they might have in the shop. Conversations can be overheard as I browse. The world of bookshops is a wide open world, and the strangest questions come along that sometimes make me grin as I listen and browse at the same time. I bought at least one book in each of these shops. 

Here are the London bookshops I visited on this recent trip:
1. South Kensington Books
A small, but varied shop with plenty to browse. Within steps of the South Kensington Underground Station, it has easy access to come and go, and I might have come out of there with a solid 4 books under my arm.

2. Lutyens & Rubinstein 
In Notting Hill, this was the most organized, clean, and beautifully designed shop. The flying books, dangling from the ceiling takes your eyes up and away into the imaginative realm of books. It's the smallest of all the shops, I think, but with plenty to browse. Besides a book, I bought the shop's tote bag, because it was beautifully designed, and a thick well-made tote.

3. John Sandoe Books
In Chelsea, this is a beautiful shop, but be warned, it is organized by genre, in general, but not really alphabetized, so it's a bit of a treasure hunt. If you are looking for something particular, best of luck to you. Many of the books are in stacks on tables, too, so you need to dig. But oh how I loved the old creaky wooden floors, cosy rugs, and the narrow, worn wooden stairs going up to more books. I didn't have any difficulty in finding a few books to take home with me.

4. Hatchard's (small shop in St. Pancra's Train Station)
I didn't get a shot of the shop itself, but it was a small one inside the St. Pancra's Train Station. We just stumbled upon the shop as we explored the train station, which is well worth a visit, even if you are not taking the Eurostar train into France. 

5. Foyle's
On Charing Cross Road, a very busy area of London with theatres, restaurants, and tourists, this is a massive bookshop, spanning 5 floors. I just had to go to each floor and check out the sections that interested me. I limited myself in this shop, because it was still the beginning of the trip, and there were so many more shops to go. It was delightful to just wander and browse.