About The Guide

Hello! We are Sonja and Ivan. And this is our Bookstore Guide - an amateur guide to book shopping throughout Europe. We hope this Guide will help you find the book(stores) you are looking for. Unfortunately, the bookstores are no longer uploaded and may be out of date

My Back Pages, London

My Back Pages London logo
Where? London, England, UK


Recommended by
Jodie from London

Jodie said: "You MUST visit 'My Back Pages' in Balham, opposite the station. It's my favourite bookshop, I spend at least an hour a week in there and I live round the corner."

Located in what is known as 'Greater London', My Back Pages is definitely worth taking the trip with "the tube". Get off at Balham Station (located less than 100 meters away) or Tooting Bec Station (some 200m) and you certainly won't regret it. The neighborhood is also known for its small restaurants, grocery stores and cafes. But apart from them all, there is this little singular bookstore - a perfect hide-away for all book lovers.

My Back Pages is an independent store and mostly holds secondhand books but you can also find some new ones and even those rare and out-of-print antiques. Make sure you check out the shelves thoroughly as sometimes there are several rows of books stacked on one shelf. Used fiction is divided into different geographic areas, together with travel writing, while new books have their own space right near the entrance. New stock comes in almost every day and apparently, the prices are more than fair (favorable even), as the owner always makes sure to compare the prices of the books online. With categories ranging from history, social science, art, and even an extensive selection of cook books, you'll surely be bound to find something that interests you. We only managed to find one tiny drawback to this almost-perfect book haven: considering that the store has an online book service where a book can be ordered for you, it makes it kind of strange for My Back Pages not to have a website of its own (do let us know if we're wrong).

My Back PagesMy Back Pages
Address:
8-10 Balham Station Road
London SW12 9SG









Website:
none
FaceBook page:http://www.facebook.com/mybackpagesbookshop

Phone and Email:
020 8675 9346
douglasjeffers@aol.com

Working Hours:
Mon-Sat 10-19
Sun 11-18



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The Book Exchange, Amsterdam

the book exchange logo
Where? Amsterdam, The Netherlands


Recommended by
Kasper Nijsen

Kasper: "Located just off Dam Square and close to the famous red lights district, The Book Exchange is undoubtedly Amsterdam’s best second-hand store for English books. The owner has packed his small grachtenpand (‘canal residence’) with a widely varied range of English titles: up front there is an excellent (if rather pricey) selection of hard back novels, as well as a considerable collection of poetry and literary criticism. The fiction section continues in the back, where the walls are lined with affordable paperbacks of all sorts. Below there are some more specialized sections, including many psychology books, some biographies, travel books, and lots of fantasy stuff. Apparently as a side-thought, some French and German books are on offer as well.

Add to this the welcoming owner, some intriguing literary photographs behind the cash desk (including one of Henry Miller), and it is clear that there’s no better place to go in Amsterdam to buy English used books – or to sell your own. And last but not least: as of today (January 2012), The Book Exchange also has the best selection of Bob Dylan books you will find in a long while – sold in one batch by one of his biggest fans…"

We have to say that our first reaction after reading this recommendation was huge disappointment - disappointment for having missed this bookstore during our visit of Amsterdam. The Book Exchange has been in business since 1978, which is even more impressive and inspiring since, as the website states, it's a one-man business. Although its history counts more than three decades, it not only has a website but also a lively Facebook page where the owner posts recommendations from his stock on daily basis. Thousands of books are neatly arranged into categories and you can even check the the different sections of the bookstore on their website along with photos. Considering the number of books on stock and the fact that they're spread over three floors, the level of organization and the neatness of the interior are really amazing. All in all, it's a place we definitely want to see when we get a chance to be in Amsterdam again.

the book exchange bookstoreAddress:
The Book Exchange
Kloveniersburgwal 58
1012 CX Amsterdam
the book exchange amsterdam










Website:
http://www.bookexchange.nl/

Phone and Email:
0206266266
sales@bookexchange.nl

Working Hours:
Mon-Sat 10-18
Sun 11:30-16


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Hurlingham Books, London

hurlingham books logo
Where? London, England, UK


Recom
mended by Claudio Sansone

Claudio said: "Hurlingham books is my latest discovery in London bookshops and in one visit it has easily outweighed the long travel (long story, don't ask) I had to undertake to reach it. It is situated in Fulham right next to Putney Bridge tube stop, and is generally (read: when not being stupid like I was) very accessible from anywhere in the center of London in less than 20 minutes. The shopping starts outside the store with stacks and stacks of wonderful paperbacks being placed in 10foot piles with their spine showing against the window! Inside, the amount of books in a relatively small space is staggering, and the loosely organized feel actually makes shopping more of a pleasure because of the constant surprises (the presentation of the books is done in such a way as to somehow be intuitively clear...). The shop has a whole host of fiction, poetry and general interest books but unlike most London bookshops the shopping doesn't end there!

By request/arrangement one can ask to be taken to the warehouse (I was actually picked up and driven by the kind owner, Ray, but the walk would have been brief and pleasant through Fulham). Once there you are escorted below ground to 5 or 6 rooms stacked (walls and center, creating interesting labyrinthine shopping patterns) with the widest selection of books I have ever seen -- perhaps rivaled in quality/quantity only by Skoob. And these are not just rooms, a few of them are veritable halls! There are huge selections of everything; just to name the most impressive sections; modern firsts, classical lit, poetry, psychology/sociology, painting, 18thc/19thc novels...I could go on and on...essentially a huge treat of a trip. There's even the possibility of having your own "box" in the warehouse where you can keep books you're not entirely sure you want to purchase for a future visit! Highly recommended!"

It is difficult to add anything to the wonderful and most informative recommendation by Claudio, so we'll just stick to the bare facts. Hurlingham Books has been a part of the Fulham bookshop scene for almost four decades and their stock counts more than a million books! Currently, they are working on updating their website which should soon feature a full database of their stock (an based on Claudio's description, this is not an easy task...). They have a special 'book finder' so in case your looking for something specific, and hard to find, this might be the right place. Also, this is very likely the only bookshop where you can spend an hour browsing without actually entering - just check their window display...

hurlingham books bookshop londonAddress:
Hurlingham Books
91 Fulham High Street
London, SW6 3JS
hurlingham books fulham







Website:
http://www.hurlinghambooks.com/

Phone and Email:
+44(0)777 553 1590
+44(0)207 736 4363
Warehouse: +44(0)207 371 5426
ray@hurlinghambooks.com
hurlinghambooks@gmail.com

Working Hours:
to be added


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