When researching yesterday's map of independent London bookshops, it soon became apparent that there were several independent London bookshops I'd never heard of, let alone visited. In fact they might not have existed at all. Several of them didn't have a website, and it's hard to prove that things exist without a website. So I thought I'd visit a few, just to check. I could have visited loads more, except that touring London orbitally took absolutely ages.
1) The Roundabout Bookshop: 370 Mare Street, Hackney E8 1HR What was I expecting? Hmm, a bookshop on Hackney's main shopping street. Let's say that my hopes weren't high. What did I find? A newsagent, with a few books in the window. Not best sellers, but some local interest stuff. And inside? Definitely a newsagent, and not a particularly friendly one. "This is not a library. Please do not read here." And up the back, past the counter, a few shelves filled with not terribly up-to-date books. Including a Rupert Bear annual. And a big sign saying "Closing Down Sale". I can't say I was surprised. What was the service like? Brief. What did I buy? A newspaper.
2) West End Lane Books: 277 West End Lane, West Hampstead NW6 1QS What was I expecting? Not sure. The website is mostly blank pages, and for some reason I've never visited this part of town before. What did I find? Ooh, a lovely compact bookshop, all wooden surfaces and temptingly-stocked shelves. The selection is just the right side of mainstream, with some intriguingly oblique volumes, and a nod towards books that make you think. A fair scattering of Jewish themes too. This felt a friendly place to browse and flick and peruse, and there was a definite come-back-again atmosphere. Recommended. What was the service like? Smiley and charming. What did I buy?The English Year by Steve Roud (£9.99)
3) Willesden Bookshop: Willesden Green Library Centre, 95 High Road NW10 4QU What was I expecting? A multicultural children's bookshop. That's how the website makes it sound, anyway. What did I find? A rather modern ambience, in a corner of Brent's main brick-y block-y library. Some carefully-selected bestsellers around a central table, plus several neat shelves on diverse topics. Quite a lot of worldy wise fiction, a fair amount of travel stuff, and a whole rack of spiritual, mystic and paranormal paperbacks. And the children's section lived up to expectations. What was the service like? Indifferent. What did I buy?Pies and Prejudice by Stuart Maconie (£6.99)
4) World's End Bookshop: 357 King's Road, Chelsea SW3 5ES What was I expecting? "An extensive variety of new and second hand books." Which is all that any of those spammy listings websites could tell me. What did I find? A claustrophobic second hand bookshop, not first hand in any way. Two wings, utterly rammed with piled-high old books, including plenty of ex-library stock. I had to mind where I walked, there were piles on the floor too. When I knelt down to inspect the lower shelves of British travel guides, I accidentally trapped the elderly gentleman perusing the historical books behind me. I think he escaped without knocking everything over. What was the service like? A cheerful but distant bloke sat behind the central desk, jotting down every purchase in a ruled blue ledger. I wonder if the strange poetry in the free (photocopied and tippexed) copy of "The World's End Mag" was his. I suspect so. What did I buy? London's Churches by Elizabeth & Wayland Young (£3) (ex Battersea Library, 1986)
5) My Back Pages: 8-10 Station Road, Balham SW12 9SG What was I expecting? A second hand book shop with some first hand books. What did I find? An even more crowded shop than the last one. Closely packed shelves, topped with precarious stacks, squeezed into a long thin split-level space. When other customers stopped to scan the shelves I was unable to move around. Plenty of proper old books - including those red/blue-spined hardbacks much beloved of mid 20th century publishing. And, yes, the odd new paperback scattered around in the relevant section as a tempting treat, but not many. What was the service like? The cash desk was so well screened and camouflaged that it was easy to miss. My purchase had a £6 sticker on the front cover but, as it turned out, the intended £9.95 pencilled inside. The owner charged me six quid anyway. That's my sort of shop. Let's hope it survives. What did I buy?A Guide to the Small Museums of Britain by Christine Redington (£6)
