Where are there some well-stocked, decently priced second hand book shops in central London?

Question

Preferably within the London boroughs of Islington, Hackney, Westminster or City of London. The books I need are either classics, like Robinson Crsoe, Tom Jones, Jospeh Andrews, Pamela, Rasselas and Clarissa, or Historical, like Goodbye to All That, Death of a Hero, Parade's End and Memoirs of an Infantry Officer. I already know of Oxfam

Answer 1

Why don't you go along to a local car boot sale? There are stalls upon stalls of second hand books. Some people throw out really good ones. You've just got to have the time to trawl through them but it will be worth it! Not on a windy rainy day like 2day though!!

Answer 2

There is a wonderfjul Amnesty BookshopinEversholt Streetabout five minutes walk from Euston and three from Mornington Crescent. Also very good Oxfam books only in Kentish Town. Waterstones in Gower Street does have a second hand departmentbut stocks are limited but you could also try the South Bank outside the Nationasl Film Theatre on a Sunday afternoon where there is a wonderful open air book market.Failing that the two best second hand books shops I know are bothout of town in Rochester (Kent) and Penn in Bucks

Answer 3

Charing Cross Road.

Several of the large bookshops, like Foyles and the London University Branch of Waterstone's in Malet Street, have second hand sections but they tend to be reselling academic books.

Look up www.abebooks.com. This is a website through which book dealers sell online. If you want a specific book it is the place to look, although of course you are likely to have to pay postage if the book is not being offered by a London seller. However, it is possible to use a facility to list bookshops in a specific area, such as United Kingdom - London, and then to browse the stock being offered by those sellers (although they are likely not to put their cheapest stock online). For some reason, the bookstore listing facility is easier to access in abebooks.com than the British version abebooks.co.uk (the books listed are the same).

Don't forget Yellow Pages!

Happy hunting.

Answer 4

Book Shops Islington

Answer 5

Hit Charing Cross Road honey, if you can't find it there, it probably doesn't exist!

If you're after something specific that's out of print or fairly elderly though, try calling Meadowcroft Books in Bognor Regis (they'll search on your behalf and will ship anywhere in the UK) or ABE Books - website - also very good.

Meadowcroft Books
Address: 21 Upper Bognor Road
Bognor Regis
West Sussex
PO21 1JA

Telephone: [phone]

Answer 6

There are lots of book shop (new and second hand) on Cahrring Cross Road.

Try a great little book stall in the Camden Lock market (by the square where lots of food places are now based). He will try and locate books for you if he does not have them. I have used this chap so many times and he is great!

Otherwise try Amazon marketplace or E-bay for 2nd hand books.

Answer 7

Try links 1 and 2 for lists of second hand and antiquarian bookshops in west and south-west London.

You may also be interested in Bibliophile, who sell new books for up to half price (see link 3)

Answer 8

Yup, Charing Cross Road, go down and explore the basements and have a browse. They can be a bit rabbit warreny but they should have what you're looking for.

Answer 9

I would recommend Foyles ... but if you wander down Charing Cross Road will find all the old second-hand bookshops you could wish for.

Answer 10

I assume you have tried Foyles.
You can also get second hand books for a few pence on Ebay or Amazon, basically just paying for the postage.