Archive Bookstore

You know those big, corporate bookstores with massive selection, an internal coffee house and comfy seating for hours of browsing?
This is the exact opposite. It’s small, cramped and organized like one of those places in a hoarding TV show. I thing there is some semblance of order, but really you need to ask. And there are some sections where you’re not quite sure you are allowed to enter without safety equipment.
But in a way, book are about discovery and that’s exactly why I like this place. You have no idea what fills the shelves until you actually comb through it all. It’s like going on a archeological expedition. There are brand new books, others that look centuries old (and might turn to dust if touched) and a whole lot of other random stuff like sheet music from the 1800s.
Most of the books seem to be non-​fiction and a significant amount are about history and art. Will they have every volume of Harry Potter? Probably not. Maybe not any copies of any part of the series. The point being is don’t come here expecting to find the expected. Come here to stumble across something you didn’t know you’d want.
This place defines organized chaos.
Oh, and there’s a coffee shop on the opposite corner.

Brilliant treasure trove of a book shop, discovered it on my lunch one day and bought some fantastic 1960s childresn books at a very reasonale price! Its stacked full of second hand books with a lot on display out the front of the shop.

I love second-​hand book stores and was delighted to find this one hidden away down Bell St, between the Edgware Rd and Bakerloo tubes.
It specialises in sheet music, of which there is a huge stash downstairs, and the ground floor is stacked with books like most second-​hand book stores. Most of the fiction is in Penguin Classics in the likes of Austin, Dickens and Twain.
There are heaps of travel books from every country imaginable, as well as a hearty supply of cook books. But my favourite is the boxes stashed out the front. They have a few more modern fiction books like Marion Keyes and Bill Bryson, and videos, cassettes and children’s books.
The seller, Tim, was keen to introduce himself and his love of music and books. I took away a Bill Bryson novel for 30p — and I will be going back!