“This is definitely the most beautiful Waterstone’s I’ve ever seen. I had a great time browsing the photo and knitting books – and the selection for both was very generous.”
Waterstone's - Gower Street, London
Although not an independent bookstore, the Waterstone’s located on Gower Street, London is still a one of a kind bookstore, and is Europe’s largest academic/specialist range bookshop. It occupies a five floor building, which stocks more than five miles of shelving, and around 130,000 titles! On each of the five floors you will find a combination of new and second-hand/out-of-print titles – to locate the latter look out for orange dots on the spines of the books.
The basement is home to the Rare and Antiquarian department, as well as the travel department which is home to “the room less traveled” where you will find the popular “pin where you’ve been” map.
The ground floor is then dedicated to fiction of every genre and is managed by a team of fantastic booksellers, who are happy to recommend and guide your purchases. Among this floor, you will encounter remainders, classics, sci-fi and fantasy, graphic novels, crime, poetry, drama, humor, indoor games, essays, newspaper and magazines. It really is music to the ears of any fiction lover, and unlike some independent or second-hand bookstores, you will find the newest releases!
Upstairs on the first floor, you will then find an extensive array of children’s books and a world class education departments – the books are perfect for teachers, parents and pupils alike. On this floor, you will especially find DVDS, cards and stationary, GCSE and A-Level textbooks, books on cookery, gardening, natural history, health and well-being, MBS and self-help, pregnancy and childcare, interior decorating, fashion and design, photography and art.
The second floor is then dedicated mostly to the medical department, stocking everything that a medical professional or student might need – as well as books, there are also stethoscopes, scrubs and skulls on sale. Additionally, this floor also caters for those studying computing, chemistry, physics or biology, maths, biology, geology, economics, business, finance and accounting, and law.
Finally, the third floor covers foreign languages and literature, religion, Greek and Roman classics, psychology, sociology and social sciences, and philosophy.There is also a Costa coffee, free Wi-Fi and a Ryman’s concession, with plenty of armchairs and sofas. It is the perfect place to spend your Sunday afternoon, or a break between lectures to refresh. So whether it is to pick up your next fiction read, to learn about a new skill such as cooking or gardening, to pick up your latest textbooks or just to relax in the cafe in a bookish environment, this Waterstone’s is certainly the place for you!
Address: 82 Gower St, London, WC1E 6EQ
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 8:00pm, Saturday 9:30am to 7:00pm, Sunday 12:00pm to 6:00pm
Telephone: 020 7636 1577