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London is home to some of the most beautiful bookshops in England and I get asked for recommendations for where to shop for books in London all the time.

So, I thought it was about time I shared some of my favourites and the crème de la crème of London bookshops on the blog!

I’ve rounded up the the best independent bookshops in London, which also happen to be amongst the most beautiful.

Some sell new books, some sell second hand books, but you can be sure you’ll find something for you on this list. Have a little scroll.

Independent Bookshops, London

Daunt Books, Marylebone

Daunt Books is the number one suggestion whenever anyone talks about beautiful bookshops in London.

Although there are actually six Daunt bookshops in London, the store on Marylebone High Street is the original and undoubtedly the most iconic.

It boasts a large gallery lined with books and at the end there is an amazing stained glass window, which is why it’s one of the most instagrammable bookshops in London.

Here you’ll find old and new books, fiction and non-fiction, as well as a huge selection of travel-related books. Each purchase comes with a Daunt bookmark and you can also purchase a Daunt Books tote bag, which is very popular.

Address

84 Marylebone High Street

Marylebone, W1U 4QW

Opening Hours

9am – 7:30pm

Foster Books, Chiswick

Foster Books has a beautiful bright green exterior that you can’t miss as you walk down Chiswick High Street. You can see from a quick peek in through the window that the store is full to the brim with old books. When the weather’s good these books will spill out onto the street as they set up numerous tables outside the store.

Foster Books mostly stocks old and rare books so this is a good place to browse if you’re looking to pick up a first edition of your favourite title.

Address

183 Chiswick High Road

Chiswick, W4 2DR

Opening Hours

10:30am – 5:30pm

Hatchards, Picadilly Circus

Hatchards bookshop has one of the most luxe interiors compared to the other beautiful bookshops featured, which is fitting because of its location on Piccadilly.

Hatchards is actually now a branch of Waterstones but it claims to be the oldest bookshop in the United Kingdom having been founded in 1797.

This is the place to come if you’re looking for the latest releases in both fiction and non-fiction or you want to pick up a particularly beautiful edition of one of your favourite reads.

They frequently host author events here so you might even find a signed copy of that new release you’re after!

They’ve also launched their own annual book subscription service with six different categories to choose from, which could make a great gift for a bookworm.

Address

187 Piccadilly

London, W1J 9LE

Opening Hours

9:30am – 8pm

John Sandoe Books, Chelsea

John Sandoe Books is located just off Sloane Square and is made up three adjoining eighteenth-century shops. It’s a general book shop with a bias towards the humanities so expect general fiction, classics, poetry, history, biography and more.

I fell in love with it for its broad collection of books from Everyman’s Library, which I found tucked away in a corner. John Sandoe Books stocks lots of beautiful editions of important books and it’s the sort of bookshop I want to take my Dad to browse on a Sunday afternoon.

Address

10 Blacklands Terrace

Chelsea, SW3 2SR

Opening Hours

9:30am – 6:30pm

Persephone Books, Bloomsbury

Persephone Books is one of the most unique bookshops in London because it specialises in women’s fiction. More specifically, women’s fiction that has been overlooked over the decades. They reprint neglected fiction and non- fiction by mid-twentieth century women writers, which is a very cool concept.

You can instantly recognise a book that has been printed by Persephone Books because of the simple light grey covers which lack illustrations and fancy add ons. It’s a small store, I suppose because of its niche stock, but it’s one that is well worth exploring and investing in.

Address

59 Lamb’s Conduit Street

London, WC1N 3NB

Opening Hours

10am – 6pm

Libreria, Shoreditch

Libreria is a bookshop I discovered a few months ago and it has quickly risen to be one of my favourite bookshops. What’s unique about Libreria is that they organise books by theme and it’s a great way to discover new books.

One of my all-time favourite books is The Course of Love by Alain de Botton and I managed to find other books written by him and some further reading thanks to Libreria’s recommendations.

The mirrored ceiling gives the illusion of the bookshelves going on forever, a book lover’s dream! There’s also some comfy seating so you can pull up a chair and pull out a book.

Address

65 Hanbury Street

London, E1 5JP

Opening Hours

12pm – 7pm

Word On The Water, Kings Cross

Word On The Water, aka London’s Floating Bookshop, is definitely the most unique bookshop on the list. This second-hand bookshop is a 1920s Dutch barge which sits on Regent’s Canal very close to King’s Cross Station. It used to wander up and down the canal but now its permanent home is by Granary Square.

RELATED: 15 Second Hand Bookshops in London

It stocks second hand books at a very reasonable price and some beautiful special editions too. On the day I wandered by, there was even a live acoustic guitar and singing performance going on onboard.

You never know what you’re going to find here but that’s all part of the experience!

Address

Regent’s Canal Towpath

Kings Cross, London

Opening Hours

12pm – 7pm

Jarndyce Antiquarian Booksellers, Bloomsbury

I came across Jarndyce Antiquarian Booksellers after a visit to the British Museum – it’s located on the street just outside!

The building dates back to the beginning of the eighteenth century and the bookshop inside retains many of the period furnishings, which give it its charm.

They specialise in 18th and 19th century English literature and history and you can be sure to find some amazing editions of Dickens’ work here. They also stock books by William Gladstone and William Hazlitt, who both now have literary hotels named after them!

Read all about my stay at Gladstone’s Library here.

Read all about my stay at Hazlitt’s Hotel here.

Address

46 Great Russell Street

Bloomsbury, WC1B 3PA

Opening Hours

11am – 5:30pm

London Review Bookshop, Bloomsbury

The London Review Bookshop is located in the heart of Bloomsbury, an area known for its literary connections to Virgina Woolf, E M Forster and more.

They’ve got everything here from classics to contemporary fiction, including sections for poetry, history, politics, cookery, philosophy and even children’s books.

This earns its place as one of the best bookstores in London because of the coffeeshop and outdoor seating area attached to it. Come here with friends to browse the shelves and then move to the coffeeshop to discuss your latest reads over tea and cake.

Address

14-16 Bury Place

Bloomsbury, WC1A 2JL

Opening Hours

10am – 6:30pm

Lutyens and Rubinstein, Notting Hill

I loved Lutyens and Rubinstein from the moment I stepped inside because of the magical flying books they’ve got hanging from the ceiling.

It’s not a particularly large store but they have a carefully curated selection of fiction and non-fiction books here so you know you’ve picked up something good when browsing these shelves.

Oh and if you’re looking for that bookshop from the film Notting Hill, you can find that just one minute away. Sadly The Notting Hill Bookshop is a regular bookshop and it does not specialise in travel books as it does in the film with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.

Address

21 Kensington Park Road

London, W11 2EU

Opening Hours

10am – 6:30pm

Hurlingham Books, Fulham

It was love at first sight with Hurlingham Books in Fulham. As I walked up Fulham road from Putney Bridge tube station, I spied rows of books lining the outside window ledge and the outside of the store. Then I arrived outside the store and saw the huge window displays with piles and piles of books.

I know all the books on this list are beautiful but Hurlingham Books might just take the top spot for me. I thought to myself, could this be London’s most beautiful bookshop?

I made my way inside and was even more delighted to find that the shop is full to bursting with books all the way from the floor to the ceiling. There are bookshelves everywhere so you’ll need to breathe in to squeeze through these narrow stacks.

This is one of the best second hand bookshops in London if you’re looking for general fiction and it reminds me very much of The Abbey Bookshop in Paris.

Address

91 Fulham High Street

Fulham, SW6 3JS

Opening Hours

9am – 6pm

The Bookshop on the Heath, Blackheath

The Bookshop on the Heath is one I stumbled upon by accident when exploring the area and how could I miss it with that gorgeous bright blue exterior? Upon entering, I was delighted to find they have a wide selection of beautiful second hand editions here.

If you’re ever exploring Greenwich in South West London then hop on a bit further down and add a trip to The Bookshop on the Heath to your itinerary. They’ve got a whole shelf dedicated to the iconic blue and orange Penguin books as well as lots of other old classics.

Address

74 Tranquil Vale

Blackheath, SE3 0BW

Opening Hours

11am – 5:30pm

Pages of Hackney, Hackney

Pages of Hackney is one of the newest bookshops on this list as it only opened ten years ago in 2008. On the inside, you’ll find an eclectic mix of titles on these colourful shelves with everything from literary fiction and feminism to children’s books and natural writing.

Their bookshop aims to be welcoming to all the community, evidenced by the cosy seating area found in the corner of the shop. They also try to give a platform to marginalised voices in publishing, which is evident from the titles they stock.

Address

70 Lower Clapton Road

London, E5 0RN

Opening Hours

11am – 7pm

Goldsboro Books, Soho

Goldsboro Books is located in Cecil Court, which is also thought to be the street that inspired Diagon Alley from Harry Potter.

The whole street is lined with quirky shops and second-hand bookshops but Goldsboro Books is just a notch above the rest. The drawbridge style ledge outside is what brought me to its doors as I couldn’t resist those lines of books!

Goldsboro Books specialise in first editions and signed books so this could be a good place to pick up a gift for the bookworm in your life. You can see from the window display pictured below that they’ve got copies of books by J K Rowling, as well as her alias Robert Galbraith and even George R R Martin!

Address

23-27 Cecil Court

London, WC2N 4EZ

Opening Hours

11am – 7pm

Heywood Hill, Mayfair

Heywood Hill is situated in a beautiful Georgian townhouse in Mayfair. The bookshop is not very big, but every book there has earned its place.

They sell old, new and antiquarian books in the categories of literature, history, architecture, biography and travel.

It’s rise to becoming one of London’s best bookshops is largely due to the fact that author Nancy Mitford worked here during the second half of World War II.

At Heywood Hill, they’ve tried to keep her sense of fun and wit alive through today’s bookshop and they’ve even created a special boxset of her five best books.

Address

10 Curzon Street

Mayfair, W1J 5HH

Opening Hours

9:30am – 6pm

So there you have it! These are the fifteen most beautiful bookshops in London according to moi.

Some of these are well-known as the best bookshops in London but some others are hidden gems that I hope you will enjoy.

If you’re looking for even more bookshops, check out this post on the best second hand bookshops in London you need to visit.

As this list focuses on independent bookshops in London, I’m afraid that excludes Foyles bookshop and Waterstones Piccadilly, though they are both amazing bookstores in London too!

All fifteen of the above are widely spread out across London but I’ve added them all to the map below so you can see where they all are. Happy book shopping!

Pin now, read again later!

For more UK bookshops, check out these guides:

Bookshops in Oxford

Bookshops in Cambridge

Bookshops in York

Bookshops in Bath

Bookshops in Edinburgh

Bookshops in Hay-on-Wye

Second-Hand Bookshops in London

Specialist Bookshops in London