Good bookshops are dangerous places, and Daunt Books is one of the most dangerous of all. You can…read morelose yourself for hours, browsing through the recommendations temptingly laid out on tables. And while you're queuing to pay, there are more temptations on your way to the till - for book junkies this is worse than the sweet counters in supermarkets! Daunt Books is a small chain of independent booksellers with an emphasis on travel and literature. I like the way they curate their shops and always succeed to find a gift here - but not without buying one or two books to keep myself.

A trip to Holland Park is in order when I feel like I want to treat myself to a view of upscale…read morehomes, eat fancy deli foods, and, a recent discovery, peruse the Daunt bookshop outpost tucked into the main drag there. Compared to the Marylebone locale--the only other Daunt that I've visited--this shop is smaller, quainter, and, on my trip, super quiet. Ahh. I found an interesting-looking book, 'Mendelssohn Is on the Roof', quickly bought it and went on my merry way. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/05/books/trying-to-murder-a-statue.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Visited The Notting Hill Bookshop during our trip to London and we loved the selection of books…read morethey offer. If you love the idea of "blind date with a book", this bookshop offers it and they have a lot to choose from and we were very pleased with the books we ended up getting. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommend visiting this bookshop.

You won't be the only one trying to snap a photo in front of the store! What I love about this…read moreplace is that the shop is actually cute on the inside and although a popular tourist spot thanks to Julia and Hugh, it's a great bookshop on its own. What I was surprised about was that a number of other book shops have popped up in Notting Hill trying to catch the tourists, but this is the OG.

going London to see a show rang on Friday to see if buyer would be in on Monday they didn't so rang…read moreSunday oh yes he will be in Monday so carted a back pack full of book guess what not in till Wednesday what a waste of my time will never go there again, as I was there though I buy a few books don't bother there to dear for second hand books. what a crap place

An amazing gem. They seem small and obscure but a visit is well worth it. An interesting collection…read moreof both mainstream and older more unknown comics. Staff are very helpful polite talkative and cheerful and the comics are super cheap and yet in good condition so it's saved me a lot of money. Also they have comics I haven't found anywhere else (and at great prices) so check it out.

After seven years in the bookselling chain I must love similar stores!read more

Easily the best bookstore/cafe experience that I have ever had. Although I normally prefer small,…read morehole in the wall, second-hand bookstores, and this is exactly the opposite of that- I absolutely loved it. The design of the library as well as the decor and atmosphere made it feel much less like a department store styled bookstore, and like a public library. The staff were very friendly and helpful as well and seemed to be very enthusiastic about their job.

This is a reasonably sized branch of W H Smiths, hidden away in the Kings Mall shopping centre in…read moreHammersmith. (There's a very small one in the shopping centre next to the underground station, but that's too small to be of use for anything beyond sweets and newspapers.) This branch has the full range of magazines, with an audio and DVD section, as well as an extensive range of the expected stationery and cards. I fled there after fighting in vain with the excitable 14-year olds in the adjacent Clinton's for a Valentine card for my other half, and here found both better choice and a comparative oasis of calm. The only criticism is that they didn't have enough staff on the tills.

Small but perfectly formed. Not a full selection of the usual WH Smith stuff but a good selection…read moreof chocolate, books and a tiny tiny selection if cards. There is a scribbler if you need stationary or cards so this WH Smirh fills in when you need something as a gift or some chocolate :-)

Books for Amnesty are a small chain of well-stocked secondhand bookshops. Through the sale of…read moredonated books they raise money for Amnesty as well as generating awareness of Amnesty's work and campaign. Hammersmith is home of the London shop, their books are generally in a very good condition and they stock everything from a mix of easy reading and literature, new writers from around the world, foreign language fiction and non-fiction. They have hardbacks and paperbacks ranging from £1-£5, also interesting to check out their eclectic section of collectable books and vinyl records. The large biography section is particularly popular. They receive donations of books, dvds, and vinyl records on a daily basis, which means their stock is constantly renewed with new titles. Also bring any donation you would like to make and contribute to their cause.

Charity bookshops can be a bit hit-and-miss, but this one is excellent: it's well-organised by…read moresubject and they have a big table of particularly interesting or unusual books in the middle, as well as a cabinet of first editions and other higher-value items. Their philosophy and religion sections are quite impressive, with some lovely old copies of the classics for very reasonable prices. And they always pop a bookmark into your purchase on the way out.

There are several very good book shops in this neighbourhood but this is my absolute favourite…read more Packed with gems you never knew you wanted and oftentimes could never have afforded at a mainstream outlet. I don't think I have ever dropped in without buying something.

Note: When wanting to attract people to your shop, place tables outside with a taster of what you…read moresell. The shop is not massive which is good, as I insist with small shops, you can really take your time to have a look at what is inside. Small sections of everything with quality books. Fashion, Design, Interiors, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Travel, History, Geography, Classic Literature, Photography and one off calendars (and more!). It was a walk down memory lane, they have all the MR.MEN and LITTLE MISS books! at £1 each, and this is the other great thing about this bookstore, the prices. For those of you who know TASCHEN publications you must also know that they tend to be a bit pricey, here you can find a full range of ART NOW editions at 2 for £10 and 100 all-time favourite movies (2 volumes) for £30. Unexpected books are a must in this shop for instance, The book of Butts, or a book that gives you a project to do everyday. As you go deeper into the shop it can get more disorganized, but I guess this why the children's section is at the back.

Well I've been by this place quite a few times when I used to visit my girlfriend when she was…read moreliving in East Putney so I'll get off at Putney Bridge and always noticed this place that was absolutely chock full of books. I suppose it is a bookshop but this place takes the biscuit. There is an insane amount of books here and their warehouse apparently has over 1 million books. You can go and view but with prior arrangement with the owners. However, that said this place is amazing next to us to the Osterley bookshop, which I've also written a review about. It's one of the best book shops in London, no doubt at all, the prices are incredibly reasonable. The selection is insane, finding the book you want. May be a bit difficult because it is absolutely rammed. I think only three or four people at a time to get in there and brows, but the guys who run it are really nice chaps. Imalso have the unusual habit of leaving Brookshill overnight and letting people put money through the letterbox when they pay for them all in the hotel out of 10 or should I say five outside if you're looking for something a bit rare trying here I'm sure you'll find it but it might take some time

It's just by Putney Bridge tube this one and it's got a really lovely old fashioned exterior. This…read morewindow display is the rows of books cramped together on the inside and it's pretty obvious this is one of those buying and selling second hand book shops that require patience and a little bit of time dedicate to the search. I love these kind of places anyway and I especially like them as an antidote to Waterstones, WH Smith and all those. The stories have stories somewhere like this and they've got the coffee and tear stains to show for it. And for all that compromise there is a significantly reduced price, especially if you have a look on the shelves outside you can get some really good bargains. Especially, worthwhile considering how many books you just read once and never really look at again.

This is a quirky little bookshop at the end of the Kings Road. It smells really musty because the…read morebooks are so old but that smell has a strange effect on me. It sort of brings up memories of my old library in Ireland in a nice way. There is a pretty good selection of books here from cooking, performing arts to travel, history and politics. These days I get most of my books on amazon but it's nice to visit places like this to just switch off and enter into another reality.

Prices are a *little* high relative to other used bookshops. But they do have a very good selection…read moreindeed--I'm primarily interested in photography books, and they did have several interesting volumes last time I stopped in, but they have loads of other topics as well. Charming old space, this is a genuine, old-school, attractive London bookshop that you'll happily spend hours browsing.