The best bookshops United Kingdom

Our favorite bookstore! You can spend whole afternoons in this splendid independent bookshop specialized in travel books. Guidebooks, logbooks, photos, maps, fictions or reports, everything here revolves around travel. The woodwork creaks gently underfoot, the light filters peacefully through the beautiful glass roof and the armchairs welcome you to swallow page after page of adventures. Its setting gives us the impression of being immersed in one of the Harry Potter sets. One forgets the passing of time.

One of the largest bookstores dedicated to travel. Two floors are entirely dedicated to guidebooks, fine books, travelogues, maps, atlases and other travel necessities. If you forgot your UK/France adapter, or are looking for a travel scale after walking down Oxford Street, this is also the place to come. Lots of gift ideas, including a very popular world map poster where you can scratch off the countries you've visited. A small café on the first floor allows you to take time to think about your next destination.

More than just a bookshop, it's a veritable city institution, in operation since 1879! In fact, it's the largest specialist university bookshop in the UK. It's made up of several stores, each with its own speciality: children's literature, paperbacks, music, art... You can find everything here, and spend hours browsing. If you're a bibliophile, plan to spend some time there. And don't miss the original book shelves crowned with a gold plate: they've been supporting the weight of knowledge since 1879!

Here you are in THE bookshop specializing in science fiction books. The store has "simply" kept a copy of every book and comic book on the theme, thus possessing a gold mine. There's also a wealth of merchandising from well-known series and films, as well as a vast collection of toys, DVDs, game cards and clothing. From Star Wars figurines to Harry Potter wands, it's a must for fans!

Until 2011, this bookstore was twice as large and included The Travel Bookshop, a library for globe-trotters and travel enthusiasts. Unfortunately, the place closed, much to the dismay of many locals and writers who desperately tried to save it. The travel selection (a small part) has been folded down in the remaining bookstore panel. We are going there today mainly because this store inspired Hugh Grant's bookstore in the film Coup de Foudre à Notting Hill, with Julia Roberts. And we dream of falling in love there too.

An address that allows you to obtain books in different languages and to find the necessary foreign authors.

The famous brand founded in 1879 in Oxford has several stores in the UK.

Design and visual arts enthusiasts will find everything they need here. This independent boutique is one of the prettiest bookstores in the district, which has many. It also serves as a creative space, specializing in arts and culture. Other items created by designers will seduce you: T-shirts, accessories, posters by illustrators. An original address that puts you in a good mood! And at Magma Books, you'll always find a great gift idea.^2nd address: 29 Shorts Gardens.

This feminist bookshop has been archiving literature on the Women's Lib Movement, the political and intellectual feminist movement of the Western second wave, since 1975, and has a wider collection on feminism. It is one of the UK's most comprehensive and complete bookshops on the subject, capturing the richness and plurality of the movement. A real goldmine, run mainly by volunteers, who are always on hand to chat with you and recommend further reading!

An excellent bookshop (English only) specialized in all subjects related to nature: encyclopedias on fauna and flora, technical books for fishing or mushroom picking, geology books, atlases, travel books... You are welcomed here by real enthusiasts and to find a book that goes off the beaten track, they will be very good advice! And for those who can't make the detour, you can see the books and order them via the website.

A small independent bookstore, managed by a very nice man who travels the world in search of art books, on Broadway Market where you will find rare books or special editions on art, photography and everything related to the counter-culture. Ask if you have a particular request, they will gladly help you and there are really gems in the stocks that are not displayed. It's a quiet escape on market days when the market is in full swing. This bookstore is very popular with eastern artists.

This is Brighton's comic book lover's paradise. From manga to Tintin, from Calvin & Hobbes to the latest releases from the world of the ninth art, this store, run by an enthusiast, is a real goldmine. You'll find everything from toys and figurines to role-playing games, board games and posters... You can't miss the store, with its comic-book front and Batman awning. This is one of North Laine's must-visit stores, typical of the Brighton atmosphere!

Hatchards claims to be the oldest bookshop in the UK, located right next to Fortnum & Mason. It was opened in 1797 at 173 Piccadilly by John Hatchard. It is also present in St. Pancras station. Since then, it has been moved to 187. We like its old-fashioned green façade with bow windows and carpeted stairs. It's a real paradise for readers of all kinds. There are even signed editions and first editions. It's a pleasure to stroll through its many floors and leaf through its rare gems.

Located under the arcades facing the castle, this second-hand bookshop is a labyrinth in which to lose yourself. On three levels, you'll find books in English on every subject. Collectors of old books and fans of thrillers and comics alike will be delighted. There's something for everyone here! It's a pleasure to wander between the shelves, but a headache to find your way around. The bookseller will be delighted to help you find your way through the maze of books and advise you on your next read.

This library is a real London institution, which offers all possible genres on nearly 8 floors. It's so big that you can get lost in it, it's even one of the largest bookstores in the United Kingdom. The travel selection is one of the most important in the capital. In all, you will find here more than 200,000 varied works. As is often the case in London, the bookshop also has its own small café, where you can take a literary break. A true temple of reading to visit as much as any other monument in the city.

A bookstore in the Soho district where you can admire old books and rare editions. Don't be fooled by the appearance of its ordinary facade, it hides treasures. You can dream of the first editions of the English classics in the window and spend hours looking at the precious vintage works. It contains everything: art, photography, biography, cinema, military and naval history, design, decoration... An entire wall is even dedicated to Jane Austen's novels, presenting several magnificent editions. It is one of Londoners' favourite booksellers.

When you take the Path Thames from the Waterloo side, you will see a few trestles and several people gathered around. These are a few stalls selling second-hand books, postcards, posters and lithographs. You can find a little bit of everything, but you can sometimes get a good deal if you are lucky! We come there rather for the atmosphere and to see the last arrivals.

The originality of the shop lies in its theme: socialist bookshop, it has a very wide choice on socialist theories, thoughts and thinkers. The committed travellers will therefore take the direction of this shop. New and used books on politics, trade unionism, the environment.... Readings and conferences are also organized. It is the largest socialist bookstore in Britain. She sends books all over the world.