This category has listings of London's bookshops where you can buy foreign language titles, mysteries, maps, antiquarian items and many other kinds of books.
Recommended Resources
Bookmarks: The Socialist Bookshop
Billing itself as “The socialist bookshop,” Bookmarks sells books ranging in topic from politics, socialism, trade unionism, the black struggle and the history of the labour movement. It is also a publisher and has a link to its publications on the website. Merchandise including coffee mugs, posters, and cards are also available here.
https://bookmarksbookshop.co.uk/
Displays the website of a bookshop situated in an Edwardian store with a particular strength in travel literature. The bookshop arranges materials by country of origin to suit the needs of reading travelers. In addition to single books, the store offers thematic book bundles. There is also a section dedicated to upcoming events.
https://dauntbooks.co.uk/
Dover Books is a long-lived bookshop which specializes in royalty-free and copyright-free images and illustration references. Available here as well is a full selection of hundreds of the greatest works of literature, essays, poetry, and a host of other writings, kept in stock here and ready to be sent to buyers.
https://www.doverbooks.co.uk
Grant and Cutler: Foreign Language Bookseller
Publicises the business of the United Kingdom’s largest foreign-language bookseller, Grant & Cutler share details about their wide-ranging foreign language books. The site allows customers to download catalogues, and details about the Charing Cross Road shop.
https://www.grantandcutler.com/
Aside from new books, Halcyon Books also buy and sell used books and sells coffee at their café in the shop. Well-preserved antique books can also be found here. There is also a picture gallery chock full of various parts of the shop.
https://www.halcyonbooks.co.uk/
London’s oldest bookshop, Hatchard’s, was founded in 1797 by John Hatchard. The shop sells history, fiction, gardening, and children’s books, and in fact, the site claims, “pretty well every other subject.” Additionally, the site has a section devoted to books that are signed by the author and first editions.
https://www.hatchards.co.uk
Housmans book store bills itself as “radical booksellers since 1945,” which is a reference to the fact that writer/playwright Laurence Housman, the store’s founder, opened the bookshop at the end of World War II, suggesting that he was establishing a permanent book store in order to promote the concepts of peace. The site contains details about in-store events, books, and peace resources. There is also a section devoted to podcasts.
https://housmans.com/
Features an book store which specializes in Italian books, courses, and language learning for all ages, beginning at age five, carrying books for children, young adults, and adults. An array of dictionaries as well as Italian literature are all outlined on this website.
https://www.italianbookshop.co.uk
This website contains a section where one may browse the catalogues, another section which contains books that staff deems as remarkable, another which addresses subscriptions, and another which gives information about upcoming events.
https://johnsandoe.com/
Shares details about this bookshop, including its inventory via an online tool which allows searches by category, title, or publication date. The hours and menu of the shop’s on-site cake shop are also included here, as is a current list of upcoming events as well as audio of past events. Additionally, the bookshop’s blog is accessible.
https://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk
The front page of this website displays the book store’s new acquisitions, while the About page which is linked from that page goes into the history of the store, which was established in 1815. There is another section dedicated to the prints one can buy, including military and maritime, British scenery, vintage posters, and botanicals.
https://sotherans.co.uk
Bookshop specializing in atlases and travel books offers information about the days and hours of its operation. Maritime books and charts as well as bookbags, thematic t-shirts, and tea towels are available for purchase online. This store is both online and at their Greater London store location in the form of “grab & go.”
https://www.stanfords.co.uk/
