All Bookshops

Here’s everything you need to know about book shopping in the UK’s historic university city, Oxford.

One of the UK’s historic university cities, Oxford is a cultural hub with a plethora of museums, libraries and bookshops.

While many of the libraries are only open to University of Oxford students (with a few exceptions), there are many fantastic bookshops that the general public can visit.

Here’s everything you need to know about Bond Street’s only rare and antiquarian bookshop.

Located just a short walk away from London’s bustling Oxford Street, Shapero Rare Books stocks both fiction and non-fiction titles across a variety of genres.

The company was founded by CEO Bernard Shapero, who is a renowned international dealer in rare books and works on paper.

I visited the brand new branch of BookBar, located in the Chelsea borough of London.

First launched in north London in 2021, BookBar is a fabulous bookshop, wine bar, coffee shop and social space that recently opened its second branch in Chelsea.

As I live outside of London, this was great news for me as their new branch is much easier for me to get to during a trip into the city!

Located in the heart of London’s Mayfair, Heywood Hill is a prestigious literary establishment that first opened in 1936. Named after the founder, Heywood Hill, the shop is spread across two floors of a Georgian townhouse, with the ground floor open to the public for browsing.

I first came across the bookshop while writing an article for Sail Away Magazine about cruise ship libraries.

For bibliophiles, there’s no better feeling than reading about the places we love the most - bookshops.

Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, these bookshop books allow characters to find themselves, build empires, spark magic and learn about their history. They span not just genres, but transcend languages, and are set in countries and cultures around the globe.

Here are some of the best books about bookshops - including some that I’ve read, and others from my TBR. Enjoy!

With over eight miles of shelves, six floors, two cafes and a bar, Waterstones Piccadilly is officially Europe’s largest bookshop.

More than just a bookshop, Waterstones Piccadilly stocks more than 150,000 books, runs events with world famous authors and even hosts its own annual book festival.

I used to visit regularly while living in London in my early twenties - affectionately referring to it as ‘the mothership’ amongst my friends.

I explore Portugal’s historic bookshop, Livraria Lello, which is frequently named the world’s most beautiful bookstore.

Established in 1906, the Livraria Lello is a bookshop and publisher known for its stunning neo-gothic interiors.

The shop takes its name from founder Jose Pinto De Sousa Lello, who opened his first bookshop in 1881. The Livraria Lello came along 25 years later, opened in collaboration with Jose’s brother.

One of London’s most recognisable bookshops, Daunt Books has occupied its iconic premises in Marylebone since it was first opened by Richard Daunt in 1990.

The shop now forms part of one of the largest independent bookshop chains in the UK, with ten branches located across London and the south of England.

Here’s my review of London’s historic branch of Waterstones on Gower Street in Bloomsbury.

Known to be the second largest bookshop in Europe that sells both new and used books, Waterstones Gower Street is based in a beautiful grade two listed building in Bloomsbury.

Here you’ll find five miles of books to browse, spanning across five floors - four of which are non-fiction. There’s thought to be around 200,000 titles available in the shop as well as records, board games and art supplies.

I visited Elephant and Castle’s brand new bookshop, The Book Elephant.

Opening for a soft launch in January 2025, The Book Elephant is located in Elephant and Castle, making it the first bookshop in the area since The Kennington Bookshop closed in 2015.

Here’s everything you need to know about London’s oldest bookshop.

Founded in 1797, Hatchards claims to be the oldest bookshop in the whole of the UK, and is held in high regard as the bookseller to several generations of the royal family.

Their flagship shop is based in Piccadilly Circus, in the same premises that it’s occupied since 1801. The shop has a gorgeous dark green facade, with dark wood interiors and five floors filled with books.

As one of England’s historic university cities, Cambridge has a wide variety of fantastic bookshops to explore.

Heffers is one of those - a vital and well regarded part of the literary scene in Cambridge, having been present in the city for over 100 years.

Formerly owned by the Heffer family, the shop was founded by William Heffer in 1876, initially selling stationary and later adding books. Heffers was eventually sold to Blackwell’s in 1999, but retains its independent charm.

A city beloved by bibliophiles, Paris is packed with stunning bookshops, libraries and literary cafes.

For those interested in literary history, you really are spoilt for choice. Follow in the footsteps of Hemingway by dining at Brasserie Lipp, and sip coffee with Oscar Wilde at Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots. You can even visit the home of the famous French author Victor Hugo, who penned The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Misérables.

Paris has continued to embrace and champion the written word, and you’ll find dozens of bookshops to visit around the city. There are even a number of booksellers that specialise in English language books, making these shops a must visit for English speakers.

I explored Paris’ famous English language bookshop and literary meeting place, Shakespeare and Company.

I arrived at the bookshop on one of those cold yet sunny winter mornings as part of an excursion with Viking Cruises. The tour guide had allocated us an hour of free time to spend as we liked, and as most of the tour group pottered off to peruse the nearby Christmas market, I rubbed my hands together with glee, knowing that I was about to visit one of my bucket list bookshops.

Although many people report having to wait in line to enter Shakespeare and Company, I was fortunate and ended up walking straight inside.

Located in Paris’ Latin Quarter, The Abbey Bookshop is an independently owned Canadian bookshop specialising in English language books.

I was excited to finally visit this iconic shop during my recent visit to Paris, where I embarked on an exciting press trip with Viking Cruises, which involved sailing down the Seine on a roundtrip from the capital.

Located in West Port, above Edinburgh’s colourful Grassmarket, Armchair Books is one of the city’s most beloved secondhand bookshops.

Of course, there’s huge competition in Edinburgh when it comes to bookshops.

The city has more than 20, spanning books used, new and antiquarian, with some shops specialising in specific genres such as science fiction and romance. I like to think that there’s room for all of them, and I never leave the city without a new (to me) book in hand.