Tipped

Best Bookstore in London

December 05, 2007

Hatchards is a bibliophiles dream. It's easy to get lost in this shop for hours, strolling from section to section and perusing all manner of books along the way, from popular fiction to computer manuals to travel guides and photography books. The store is broken up over four (or five?) floors, with a splendid fiction section in the basement - including subsections for classic works, historical fiction, science fiction and mystery among others. Although the description says that it specializes in foreign titles, and it does stock them, I have found Hatchards to be best for British books.

On each floor there is a help desk and the employees are great resources for suggestions and introductions, as well as for helping you locate a specific book, although most of the sections are pretty easy to navigate on your own. Hatchards also has a ton of coffee table books and other gift options, and would certainly be a great place to look for a holiday gift for your bookworm friends.

If I had to complain about anything, I would say it's that Hatchards has a relatively philosophy/critical theory section, which is tucked away within the religious texts section on the top floor. It has a nice smattering of titles with a decent selection, but it is too small. If you are hoping to find an extensive collection of heady books, you might want to call ahead to see if they are carrying what you are looking for, otherwise Hatchards is great.

Tags: books, gifts, christmas