As well as the big-name chain bookstores , most of which have branches throughout the city, London is blessed with a wealth of local , independent and specialist bookshops , many of which are located on or around Charing Cross Road. They may not have everything stocked by the chains, but they will almost certainly be more interesting to browse around, and may well have some hidden jewels on their shelves.

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Secondhand books are also sold at the Riverside Walk stalls, under Waterloo Bridge on the South Bank, SE1 (Sat & Sun 10am-5pm, and occasionally midweek); Waterloo or train.
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Any Amount of Books
56 and 62 Charing Cross Rd, WC2 tel 020/7240 8140; www.anyamountofbooks.com. Tube: Leicester Square.

Sprawling secondhand bookshop spread over two neighbouring sites, stocking everything from obscure 50p bargains to rare and expensive first editions. Especially strong on fiction, the arts and literary biography.

Arthur Probsthain Oriental & African Bookseller
41 Great Russell St, WC1 tel 020/7636 1096. Tube: Tottenham Court Road.

Connected to the nearby School of Oriental and African Studies, this impressive academic store covers all relevant aspects of art, history, science and culture.

Atlantis Bookshop
49a Museum St, WC1 tel 020/7405 2120; www.atlantisbookshop.demon.co.uk. Tube: Tottenham Court Road.

Splendid occult-oriented place with the perfect ambience for browsing through books and magazines covering spirituality, psychic phenomena, witchcraft and so on.

Blackwell's
100 Charing Cross Road, WC2 tel 020/7292 5100 (and other branches); www.bookshop.blackwell.co.uk. Tube: Tottenham Court Road or Leicester Square.

The London flagship of Oxford's best academic bookshop has a wider range than you might expect; academic stock is unsurprisingly excellent, but so is the range of recent computing, travel and fiction titles.

Books for Cooks
4 Blenheim Crescent, W11 tel 020/7221 1992. Tube: Ladbroke Grove.

Anything and everything to do with food can be found on the drooling shelves of this wonderful new and second-hand bookshop, which also has a tiny café offering cookery demonstrations, coffee for browsers, and lunch.

Books Etc
120 Charing Cross Rd, WC2 tel 020/7379 6838 (and other branches). Tube: Tottenham Court Road.

Large, laid-back and user-friendly, with an on-site coffee shop and a wide and well-stocked range of mainstream and specialist titles, and especially good on contemporary fiction.

Borders Books & Music
203-207 Oxford St, W1 (and other branches) tel 020/7292 1600; www.borders.com. Tube: Oxford Circus or Tottenham Court Road.

Enormous London flagship of the American import, boasting four floors of book, music and CD titles alongside a huge range of magazines and a coffee bar. Good range of titles, with staff recommendations and reviews, and a solid children's section.

Cinema Bookshop
13-14 Great Russell St, WC1 tel 020/7637 0206. Tube: Tottenham Court Road.

Close to the British Museum and in the heart of Bloomsbury, this small outlet has every new and second-hand cinema title you might want somewhere on its towering shelves.

Daunt Books
83 Marylebone High St, W1 tel 020/7224 2295 (and other branches). Tube: Bond Street or Baker Street.

Wide and varied range of travel literature as well as the usual guidebooks, presented by expert staff in the beautiful, galleried interior of this famous shop.

Forbidden Planet
71-75 New Oxford St, WC1 tel 020/7836 4179. Tube: Tottenham Court Road.

Two permanently-packed floors of all things science-fiction and fantasy-related, ranging from books and comics to games and ephemera.

Foyles
113-119 Charing Cross Rd, WC2 tel 020/7437 5660. Tube: Tottenham Court Road.

Endearingly (sometimes irritatingly) antiquated, this huge and famous London bookshop is best avoided if you're short of time. Pretty much everything you might want is here, but finding it is one adventure, and paying for it another; you queue once to part with your money, and again to pick up the book.

Gay's the Word
66 Marchmont St, WC1 tel 020/7278 7654; www.gaystheword.co.uk. Tube: Russell Square.

Extensive collection of lesbian and gay classics, pulps, contemporary fiction and non-fiction, plus cards, calendars, magazines and more. Known for the weekly lesbian discussion groups and readings held in the back of the shop.

Gosh!
39 Great Russell St, WC1 tel 020/7636 1011. Tube: Tottenham Court Road.

All kinds of comics for all kinds of readers, whether you're the casually curious or the serious collector. Check out the Cartoon Gallery in the basement.

Politico's
8 Artillery Row, SW1 tel 020/7828 0010; www.politicos.co.uk. Tube: St James's Park.

Mainstream political fare, new and secondhand, with plenty of big biographies. A cosy café, board games and irreverent window displays give it a more frivolous edge.

Silver Moon Women's Bookshop
64-68 Charing Cross Rd, NW1 tel 020/7836 7906; www.silvermoonbookshop.co.uk. Tube: Leicester Square.

Large, well-stocked and spread over two floors, boasting the biggest lesbian department in the country and knowledgeable staff. Good selection of magazines, periodicals, cards, T-shirts, etc too.

Souls of Black Folks
407 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 tel 020/7738 4141. Tube: Brixton.

Dedicated black bookshop specializing in African, Caribbean and African-American literature, with regular readings, a buzzing café and late opening hours.

Stanford's Map and Travel Bookshop
12-14 Long Acre, WC2 tel 020/7836 1321. Tube: Leicester Square or Charing Cross.

The world's largest specialist travel bookshop, this features pretty much any map of anywhere, plus a huge range of travel books and guides.

Unsworths Booksellers
12 Bloomsbury St, WC1 tel 020/7436 9836. Tube: Tottenham Court Road.

Good for bargains, including recent and just-out-of-print novels and academic titles. Specializes in the humanities, and features an interesting antiquarian selection.

Waterstone's
121-123 Charing Cross Rd, WC2, tel 020/7434 4291 (and other branches). Tube: Tottenham Court Road.

Flagship store of the huge, quality book chain, with technical and travel titles as well as fiction. The Waterstone's Arts store, at 8 Long Acre, WC2 (tel 020/7836 1359; Tube: Leicester Square or Covent Garden) covers all aspects of the graphic and fine arts, media and music.

Zwemmer Media Arts
80 Charing Cross Rd, WC2 tel 020/7240 4157 (and other branches); www.zwemmer.com. Tube: Leicester Square.

Specialist art bookstore with a fantastic and expert selection across several neighbouring branches. This branch specializes in film, design and photography