Yep, I just counted, and I visited 14 different bookstores while I was in London. It was a fabulous thing to do. Though the British people I talked to tended not to believe me, I nevertheless am firm in the conviction that bookstore culture is alive and well in, if not the UK as a whole, at least in London--or at least a whole lot more massive and vibrant than it is stateside. Here's where I went.
Above, Daunt Books--really just the perfect bookstore, my forever London favorite
Foyles--massive, independent, amazing (a bit like the Strand or Powell's, but more sleek)--great comics section
KK Outlet--great currated selection of art books and zines
Waterstone's the UK's main book chain has come back from the bring of near extinction by making their stores actually appealing. Go figure
Hatchards--apparently the bookstore of the establishment
Tachen--honoring David Bowie, as well they should
Blackwells--nice enough shop, good for readers, but nothing like the massive book mecca that Blackwells is in Oxford
Assouline--high end cafe plus bookshop
Artworks--great art book store
Notting Hill Bookshop--they actually have a blue plaque for being the bookshop in the movie Notting Hill
Persephone Books--another favorite--they publish and sell forgotten books by women, all in the same quietly beautiful gray covers
Libraria--very hip and cool with DIY plywood shelving and reading nooks to sit in, mirrored ceiling, books organized thematically for discovery rather than location, and no cell phones allowed
Potterton Books--used and rare art, design, and fashion books
Tenderbooks--new kid on the block, hip art bookshop in a row of old fashioned antiquarian booksellers (I wonder how they feel about that)
Waterstones, Hatchards, Blackwells, and Persephone photos borrowed from their respective websites because I lacked the presence of mind to take a good one while I was there (too distracted by books!)
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