Skoob Books

“browse for hours, find some old muriel spark you’ve never heard of, and then park up at one of the many bloomsbury cafes or squares and get started. repeat.”

“Happened upon this subterranean gem on my way to the Aby Warburg Institute to catch a show of Tarot cards. The photo of Bertrand Russell stepping out charmed me, but the booksellers won my heart by chatting with my son about antique padlocks (he collects them, and they rootled some old ones out of a drawer to give him) and suggested that we go to a gallery on the second floor of the V&A to see some fantastic specimens in person. I came away with a Philip Pullman fairytale and a play about Gwen John, but left behind books on ant architecture and the Leveller revolution that I am still regretting.”

“Incredible secondhand bookshop in Bloomsbury, tucked away down a side street, Skoob takes up a huge basement space. It's best not to go looking for something specific; instead, just browse through the shelves for Orange Penguin Classics, art books, fiction, non-fiction, and even a few in different languages. Lots of hidden gems.”