Spaces & Places: Wandering Around Bloomsbury in Search of Books

Spaces & Places is a collection of well-curated bookstores, cosy secondhand shops, inspiring libraries, and cafés where you can feel at home with a good read – starting in London.

A bust of Virginia Woolf at the Tavistock Square Gardens. Someone had left a very autumnal ‘floral’ arrangement.

London is one of the most storied cities in the world for all things literature—and quaint commerces. As such, it's an incredible haunt for second-hand bookshops. Lovers of literature should do what I did last autumn and spend a day wandering around Bloomsbury, a central (yet surprisingly quiet) district, home a century ago to the eponymous Bloomsbury Group and its forerunner, Virginia Woolf, but also to Charles Dickens, Mary Shelley, and Oscar Wilde among others. (Readers of Jane Austen will also appreciate strolling along very Austenesque Regency buildings.) 

On the left: A bad picture of Skoob, which has the look and feel of a university library, but is full of treasures you can buy. On the right: I loved this edition of Rimbaud’s A Season in Hell, which I found at Black Books among other treasures.

Today, Bloomsbury hosts some of the most special second-hand bookshops I have come across. Underground gem Skoob is my favourite—its employees seem to have heard of every author in every genre, so maybe start there. Around the corner, you'll find Judd Books, where I spotted some surprisingly recent releases at unbeatable price tags. If you're in need of a coffee break or a hearty lunch, I recommend a break at the Pitted Olive Cafe Restaurant. For a more focused dig, make your way to The Maghreb Review & Bookshop, purveyor of all publications related to Africa and the Middle East, and, if you price yourself in being a highbrow first-edition collector, stop by Black Books. British people have a knack for high-quality charity shops, and the neighbourhood's Oxfam Bookshop is proof. For recent releases and occasional talks and signings, keep an eye on the London Review Bookshop. Its next-door neighbour, Present & Correct, is the best stationery shop in the world—my gut tells me all readers love stationery. 

Fellow readers (or are they looking at their phones?) in one of Bloomsbury’s gardens.

Once you're finished with the purchases, find a spot at one of its numerous squares to sit down and read (I liked the Brunswick Square Gardens), or, if you're in the mood for a moderate splurge, enjoy a heartwarming, and chic, meal at Café Deco.

Enjoy exploring these bookshops the next time you're in London, and feel free to share your own tips in the comments :) 

– Andrea

---