The best used bookstore in london. scifi and fantasy

[Berthram]

Hello everyone.

Does anyone here, have an idea, of what used bookstore in London, that have the largest stock of science fiction and/or fantasy. Im going there soon, so thats why im asking.

P.S: Im all new to this forum, so if im breaking any rules with this post, im sorry.

Peace Berthram.

 

[Extollager]

I can't answer your question, but it seems an appropriate one to me.

 

[The Big Peat]

There's a second hand book shop in Greenwich which, while not fantastic for fantasy and sci-fi, does more or less have books flowing out of the door, so its not bad for it either. halcyonbooks4870-33860-sml-1 - that's their website.

Can't help beyond that I'm afraid. Uhm. I could sell you some of mine?

 

[Heir]

There's a second hand book shop in Greenwich which, while not fantastic for fantasy and sci-fi, does more or less have books flowing out of the door, so its not bad for it either. halcyonbooks4870-33860-sml-1

I've been there before. I remember they mostly had older sci-fi/fantasy and nothing I was particularly interested in, but a nice lady worked at the desk. So +1 for that!

 

[wam]

I don't know if this helps at all but there's a map at The London Bookshop Map - 118 Independent Bookshops
It's years since I last went to London but there always used to be a lot of really crappy bookshops around Tottenham Court Road/Charing Cross Road/Soho. I even remember one that had all of the usual "Adult books" signs on the outside of the windows and a good line in obscure SF in a back room.

 

[j.grey]

For new books, 'Forbidden Planet' very close to Soho. Worth a look at any point.

 

[hitmouse]

The bookshops in Charing Cross Rd are pretty uninspiring.

 

[Rodders]

There used to be a really good one in Balham near the big Sainsbury's. Alas, it has closed down. As a child/teenager, i used to spend a lot of time (and money) in Rodney's books and Games in Barking. Great memories, but again, it has closed down.

What about online second hand shops?

 

[Dave]

We had this question once before. I can't find the thread but I will search again. A SFF second hand bookshop on Caledonian Road was mentioned and I actually went there myself. This was quite a while ago. It was very good but it may have closed as I can't remember the address or find it by searching online. This Guardian article gives some independent bookshops and mentions Housemans on Caledonian Road, but I don't think it was that as it seems political and not SFF. The Balham bookshop mentioned by @Rodders was good. There is still a second hand bookshop in Camden Lock. Car boot sales and charity shops tend to compete now, and online Ebay and Abe books.

 

[Dave]

The thread I mentioned doesn't exist. It must have gone in what is known now as the Chronicles "Great Server Crash." However, I have found the bookshop. It was on Holloway Road not on Caledonian Road, and sadly, as I suspected, it has also gone. It was called "The Fantasy Centre." Good news though, it still exists as an online bookshop called "The Space Merchants."

 

[Rodders]

Thanks for the link Dave. That's a good looking on line shop and i've book marked it.

 

[WaylanderToo]

try looking for the charity shops - one of the biggies actually has a bookstore (might be Oxfam?) which while not specifically SFF do have a good selection

 

[The Big Peat]

Oxfam has a bookstore between Oxford Street and the British Museum but I wouldn't particularly recommend it for SFF. They've probably got others which may be better, but that one I definitely wouldn't bother with unless passing.

Maybe I should start my own, gods knows I've got enough spare stock...

 

[hitmouse]

If you want really good 2nd hand sf then take a time and go to Hay-on-Wye, about 3 hours drive from London. You can spend a couple of days there and not see half the stock.
Not clear where the op is coming from.

 

[Bick]

If you want really good 2nd hand sf then take a time and go to Hay-on-Wye, about 3 hours drive from London. You can spend a couple of days there and not see half the stock.
Not clear where the op is coming from.

I just google mapped Hay-on-Wye, and took a look around with street view. I want to live there now. Its twee and appealing and sufficiently out of the way, it might not be spoiled by too much modernity too quickly. The number of book stores is great. Why the focus on books in this little town?

 

[Rodders]

I just send the Space Merchants an email. I have a lot of books that i have stored away and i'm not likely to look at any more, so i'm going to donate them to his shop. It seems silly keeping hold of them for nothing. Still, i can't help but feel a little sad.

I'll keep my hardbacks and my Star Wars books, though.

 

[Dave]

Regarding Hay-on-Wye, the annual literary festival there is huge. The BBC have had live broadcasts from it. The number of second hand bookshops there is obviously related to that festival. Do you think the literary festival first arose out of the town's love of books, or did the bookshops come first, and the literary festival follow later?

It is sad that we are losing second hand bookshops like The Fantasy Centre. I picked up some books there that I would never have heard of. It is great that you can search somewhere like Abe books for a very rare book, but you need to know first what you are looking for. Only in a real physical bookshop can you randomly pick books from shelves and discover things. However, I only went there once. Maybe if I had regularly used it, and others too, then it would still survive.

 

[hitmouse]

Regarding Hay-on-Wye, the annual literary festival there is huge. The BBC have had live broadcasts from it. The number of second hand bookshops there is obviously related to that festival. Do you think the literary festival first arose out of the town's love of books, or did the bookshops come first, and the literary festival follow later?.

The bookshops long preceded the festival which has only become a big thing in the last decade or so, and which only happens for a few days each year. I remember going round Hay in the late 1970s. Not much has changed except computerisation.
@Bick The Hay bookshops were set up as a sort of alternative cooperative in the late 1960s/early 70s. Prior to that it was a sleepy little market town on the borders. It declared itself independent from the UK and twinned itself with Timbucktoo. It was pretty low-key until the festival came along. It is a lovely place and is in one of the most beautiful parts of the world; basically the Shire from LoTR.

 

[Verity]

Hay Festival started when a local actor (known as Flo, as his surname was Florence) decided it would be a good idea to invite some of his old friends to chat to an audience in a tent in a field for a weekend. Now the Festival is run by his son, Peter Florence, and there are "Hay Festivals" all over the world! The original one in Hay now has a site on the edge of town, and the Festival runs for ten days around the end of May every year.
Richard Booth started the idea of a Book Town, back in the 1960s, and declared himself King of Hay, and Hay an independent kingdom between England and Wales, on April Fool's Day 1977. He's retired now, but still has an interest in a small shop in Castle Street called The King of Hay, where you can still buy Hay Passports!
The Timbuktu thing started when the Mayor of Timbuktu held a competition to be their twin town in the UK. One of our local booksellers entered the competition, and we got to the final along with York and Glastonbury. Then the Mayor and entourage came to the UK and stayed at each town - and they liked Hay best! The link, apart from us lying on the same line of longitude, is books. Timbuktu has a huge library of Islamic books and scrolls, and one of the chaps who visited Hay conserves manuscripts during the week and is a Tuareg chieftain at weekends! When Islamic fundamentalists took over the city and threatened to destroy the manuscripts, some were hidden in the desert to save them.
I count myself very lucky to live in Hay, and to work in one of the bookshops.

 

[Bick]

Fascinating, Verity, many thanks for the post on Hay. I am, of course, rather jealous.