45 Brilliant Bookshops in London

London is a bookworm’s paradise. With a literary history even older than the printing press, the city has been a home and an inspiration for Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens, Virginia Woolf, Zadie Smith, and countless other titans of the written word. Scrooge, Holmes and Potter are just three of the fictional heroes to have trodden our streets. And then, of course, there are the bookshops.

I’ve visited dozens of London booksellers, from Richmond to Crouch End, and I’m delighted to report that the rise of online retailers hasn’t put a dent in the city’s characterful, welcoming bookselling scene. Instead, bookshops have upped their game, offering personalised recommendations, readings, book clubs and cosy cafés where you can enjoy your purchases over a steaming cuppa.

Whether you’re after novels, comics, antiquarian tomes, or just somewhere beautiful to curl up with a good read, you’ll find it here in one of the many shops dedicated to the printed word. Ready to get turning pages? Here’s our guide to the best bookshops in London, whether you’re in central, north, east, south or west London. And if you’re more of a borrower? Head to these lovely London libraries.

James Manning is the co-author of An Opinionated Guide to London Bookshops, and Time Out’s content director for Europe.