I am not religious but I am forever looking for good reference books -and so I came upon the Quaker…read moreBookshop by chance. I admit my knowledge of the Quaker religion is little -and I had no idea what I would come across. What I found was a comfortable if not a little dowdy bookshop with a surprisingly very well stocked Fair trade cafe in the middle. No glamour here - but an impressive selection of good coffees, flapjacks and chocolate goodies mixed with religious books of many faiths ! - supporting the Quaker's tolerance and acknowledgment of other religions. What surprised me most was amongst the religion was a section on green issues and in particular "food issues." Books and leaflets such as how to cook and eat and even grow locally plus numerous fair-trade information sources are all available. In retrospect I suppose my own ignorance is to blame here - the Quakers anti-war and antiviolence beliefs require peaceful solutions for the bigger picture - and these all neatly interlace with fair-trade. Interested in fair trade -?? this is a good place to look for information -me - still looking for those obscure reference books with pictures.....

Religion really does not have to enter the conversation here when a quick, (fair-trade) coffee and…read morecaramel slice is in order. I cannot comment on the bookshop per se, as I have not browsed the shelves- normally for me the Quaker Meeting House functions as a delightful, quiet study environment. There is plenty of space, a multitude of nooks and crannies to nestle within, and for a bit of exercise there exists an enjoyably circuitous route around the recently renovated building to the WCs (which, I must add are very nice indeed). This peaceful haven is truly a complete world away from the cantankerous Euston road that it sits upon!

Dear Yelp People. Please get this right. The Big Green Bookshop is in Wood Green NOT Alexandra…read morePalace.

Anyone familiar with the depiction of the small independent bookshop in the (excellent) comedy…read moreseries Black Books will find the Big Green Bookshop a bit of a shock to the system. For the uninitiated, the main character of the TV show, Bernard Black, spends most of the time slouched behind his book-strewn desk, clutching a fag and bottle of cheap wine, and shouting at customers. I was delighted to discover that this is far from the case here. The owners of the Big Green Bookshop are chatty, friendly, polite and helpful and the shop is clean and extremely well ordered. There's also a coffee machine and some water on the side provided for browsers Their inventory, whilst limited by the size of their premises, is packed with interesting books that you might actually want to read. The co-owner I spoke to last time I was there also said they can order most things in in a day or so. What clinches the 5 star rating for me is that the same co-owner managed to guess the name of a book I had seen reviewed but had forgotten, from the two things I did remember: the word frog and the fact that I vaguely remembered that the author was sort of Hungarian. Not only this, but he pointed me in the direction of another book by the same author, and ordered the one I'd asked for in because he wanted to read it himself. What a legend.

I discovered this bookshop since I was visiting Houseman's Bookshop and it was recommended by Yelp…read more So happy I was able to stop by while visiting London. I picked up some "Rebel Guide" series books to take back to Texas with me and a few items from the sales counter (impulse buys) too. There was also a nice shelf of older books to puruse if you are looking for a classic or out of print book. I will be visiting again this autumn when we return to London. Highly recommended worth seeking out and supporting.

I've been here twice now. The first time was an exploratory trip, when I was literally going…read morethrough the list of independent bookshops in London. After spending a couple of hours here I felt they had a fairly good collection but it was by no means extensive. There were, as the other review mentions, plenty of titles, authors and regions which are under-represented. Nonetheless, I found what I was looking for - which was a history of Cuba. The book was (surprisingly) cheaper here than on Amazon as well. The second time round it was for a friend who wanted to read about Russia (or the USSR) from beginning to end. Its a massive length of time to cover in 1 book but they did well to find a book out of the collection which was non-research/non-text-booky and cheap as well (5 quid). They have a few second hand books as well though its a very disorganized collection. The staff is friendly, though they get irritated with customers who stuff books into shelves and bend their covers (as they should be).

I am one of the few Yelpers who seems to have come here for the books, not the cakes. In fact, upon…read moreentering the shop, I was so immediately attracted to the very many excellent and intriguing books, I missed the cafe entirely. (I have no doubt the cafe is excellent, as the reviews here confirm.) The sales staff was absolutely top-notch, and while the staff person was busy identifying several of the books by John Berger that were available, he and I had a nice conversation about Berger. As it turns out, London Review was involved in the publication of one of Berger's recent books, so of course they had it in stock. A truly superb bookshop, for new books, stocked with a highly discerning eye.

Hving read Andrew M's review, I think that I can see a pattern. I too was lured here on the promise…read moreof London's best carrot cake and like him, I was to be disappointed when we arrived as they had run out of said cake. It must be good! My friend Sharon brought me here and she is an avid reader. If you love interesting books, this is a treasure trove with books covering a whole multitude of subjects. The staff are excellent at recommending and finding specific books for you There's a little cafe next door to the bookshop - reading can induce an appetitie, don't you know? We snagged one of the little tables and went for alternatives to the disappointingly absent carrot cake. We chose the intriguing courgette and lemon curd cake as well as the mixed berry cheesecake The courgette and lemon curd cake was great - a subtle hint of courgette so as not to be too vegetabley but lovely and moist with more dominant lemon flavour. The mixed berry cheesecake was nice but more conventional Sharon was intrigued enough to try and recreate the courgette cake at home, always a sign of a good dish. Perhaps one day, Andrew and I may get the chance to try teh famous carrot cake

The Works is in Arndale centre, in Luton. It has got books, stationary, greeting cards, craft items…read moreand gifts I really like this shop sometimes the books are on sale. The books are normally high in price but not all the time. Sometimes they are on sale. The Works has really interesting books some that will that will keep children busy. Sometimes there are really good bargains. Recently we bought a set of three Disney photo albums for just £5, whereas it was for at least £10 elsewhere. We need to keep an eye to grab the bargains. The shop is bit narrow to move around.

The Works is the Lidl of the bookshop world. You never know what you're going to find, it's…read moregenerally reduced, and the store tends to run to a comfortable level of chaotic. I tend to stop in quite frequently just to see what their latest offers are. I've only ever bought one book, although their cookbook selection is often quite good. I generally get most of my craft supplies (work with children) here as they tend to be considerably cheaper.

I've stopped at this book market every time I'm in the area, but I've never bought a single book…read more(and for someone like me, that's really strange as I belong to the compulsive book-buyer category) I think part of the reason, is that the books that I have seen at this market, tend to be a bit yellowed and more than gently used and those don't appeal to me at all. I've never really "found" something amazing here, but it could be because I haven't browsed for long enough. I like the vibe of the place, and I keep stopping by, but eyeballs haven't converted into a sale where I'm concerned.

I love this little book fair on the Southbank. It's so inspiring to see so many great books - old…read moreand new, big and small - on sale for mostly under a fiver, although you can buy more expensive books too. I bought "Journey to Ixtlan" here, it was a random purchase. I was so intrigued by what had been written inside the book - a note to a friend and a quote "Do what thou whilst *is* the law..." and then some astrological symbols. This intrigued me so much, I bought the book and found out it mixed sci-fi and philosophy - perfect. It was like buying a little piece of history, this book was loved once, that's what I liked. All for £3! Do come and visit this book fair and support orphaned books. There's something for everything, you may even find a little hidden gem as I did!

I like this branch, it is small and compact and you do feel they make the best of the space, but I…read moredon't feel it is cluttered. I really like upstairs, I can whittle away the time in their just by looking at books on travel and spirituality etc. They have provided soft furnishing their its almost meditative up their. I have not bought anything from their yet so I cant comment on customer service. I'm glad their is still a Waterstones not to far from me since they closed the big one in Watford a couple a years ago.

Originally an independent bookshop it was bought out by Otakar's who then sold it to Waterstone's…read more The layout always feels messy to me, as you walk in your ay is obstructed by a series of tables with new books or those which are part of a "three for two" offer. Broadly speaking non fiction is upstairs (some sections here are poorly stocked- I've always found the languages section especially poor). The most positive factor in the store are the staff; this is definitely the store to go to if you are not sure about a title, etc. as they will go out of their way to track down what you are looking for. If however you are buying a best selling book they will usually be much cheaper at Sussex Stationers about 200yards further down the shopping precinct.

Despite occupying an extremely tiny room above a sex shop on Charring Cross Road, you'll have to…read moretake my word for it that I had initially found Claire De Rouen Books (specialising in photography and fashion) through by-chancing upon the window display and noticing the Robert Frank book "The Americans" in the window. As you walk up the narrow stairwell, you are greeted by a little gallery display some contemporary art prints. It's worth having a look through; even though I though most of it seemed a little overly-stylised, there were still some prints that caught my attention. After rummaging around in here for a while, you should go and check out the bookstore. Although quite expensive (as most art bookstores are), they have a broad selection of books that are often quite hard to find. The shop assistant was able to help me out with my query in a friendly and adequate manner, and I was pleased in general with this quaint little find.

I have been to bookshops all over the world and nothing makes me smile as much as seeing the grand…read moredame Claire De Rouen in her tiny little attic shop surrounded by artistic wonders. Claire is so knowledgeable and worldy. She has great style and that aristo kind of face where you know that in her day men used to whisk her around the globe and fall at her feet. She was born in Alexandria, Eygpt - with that great library its no wonder she turned to books and she used to work at Walter Koenig down the road before setting up her own shop. I know all of this because everytime I go in there we have a great old natter, even though she never remembers me! I love her fashion/art edit and her brilliant window displays, which are on the street level at the Soho Bookshop. Although it is expensive (arent books worth it!?) I've bought some great cheap fanzines here (including a Valerie Phillps one!) and they keep a varied stock of international fashion and art magazines (including Kids Wear which is full of Bruce Weber pics...), useful as the world renowed fashion school Central St Martins is a few doors down...There are also a lot of back issues of magazines, in case you missed your favourite rag. Another London hidden gem... great for that special gift.