Judd Books

is not just a bookshop, it’s a quiet act of resistance. Shelves packed tight with thought, history, photography, politics, philosophy. No algorithms, no trends, just books that have something to say and are waiting for the right hands. You don’t browse here, you dig. And you always come out with more than you planned. Prices are honest, the selection is deep and unexpected, and the atmosphere invites slowness in a city that rarely allows it. A place where books feel used in the best possible way: read, carried, underlined, lived. If you love bookstores that feel like conversations rather than shops, this is one of those places you’ll remember long after you leave London.

This is lovely to peruse if you’re looking for more niche books and literary fiction. I recognised a lot of titles but I prefer mystery and fantasy fiction books and there weren’t many on the shelves to choose from. However I was pleased to find books from the rivers of London series half off and in perfect condition - it’s a series I’ve been meaning to pick up so it was great to get them in paperback. Shops like this can be hit or miss so I think it’s best to visit with the hope of finding a good book rather than the expectation - I can safely say there’s a huge range of books to explore here though :)

Still among the best of London’s secondhand and remainder bookstores. It’s been almost 15 years since my last visit and the shelves are just as they were. Not a problem with Judd but reflection of the (unfortunate) course of evolution of the academic books market. Less and less serious monographs are properly published in hard copy - even when they do, often in ugly digital print format. Hence less and less new books can be found. Still it is an EXCELLENT place to visit if you are looking for good books that were published until around 2010s (and earlier).

Having embarked on a self-guided literary tour, I happened upon Judd’s and whelped in delight. The shop is packed to the brim with the classics, architecture, poetry, philosophy, theatre, politics and history books. Theres a book for any frame of mind. The magic of Judd’s is to go in and let the mind take over. They may not have the book you thought you wanted, but you’ll end up leaving with something you needed instead. The bookseller is a kind and knowledgeable guy and I enjoyed interacting with him. Its places like these that make independently- owned shops a superior experience. Many thanks for the excellent service 🙏🏽

Loved wandering around here, as it’s like going on a treasure hunt for books! The wall map makes it even more fun. Highly recommend!

Gem of a bookstore which I visited three times in my 6 day stay in London. You can browse there for hours. Books are well organised and there’s a fabulous range. The basement floor has a nice underground feel to it, is well ventilated and lit. I bought as much as I cld as a tourist! Helpful staff who don’t talk or smile too much, Just super comfortable being there.

This is an excellent second hand bookstore. It is basically a treasure trove of old books. Apart from fiction, they have many titles from the humanities and social sciences. It is definitely worth while perusing the shelves as one is certainly bound to stumble upon a treasure. There are very few second hand bookstores left in the area and this one maintains the tradition. It is definitely worthwhile checking it out when you are in the vicinity

Unsuspecting, eclectic and reasonably priced book store. The type of place you'd go to fill your library with reasonably priced old books. Spent over an hour perusing through non mainstream titles. Superb book shop.

I'm surprised this very good used bookstore doesn't get better reviews and a higher placement among London used bookshops on Yelp. I found the prices excellent, display tables attractive, and staff to be very helpful. Heard of it myself, though, by word of mouth. Much of the stock seems to be remainder titles, but titles that are interesting and unusual. Very definitely worth a visit.

It is not often in London that you can stumble on true hidden gems, but this is definitely one of them. So happy to have found it by accident 2 weeks ago, and worth the 50min journey back again today! The books are either new or like-new but at heavily discounted prices. This does mean that some of the books are slightly dated which can impact their relevance a little. However, I have picked up fantastic novels and insightful non-fiction books for a fraction of the price that I would be able to find elsewhere. I love this place and will keep coming back. I hesitated between 4 and 5 stars for this one, but have eventually settled on 5 because of the quality of literature you can find for a miniscule price. The slight drawbacks are the leaving your bag upstairs thing ( accidentally, I actually didn't do that with my handbag, but it was pretty quiet and I didn't have any issues), and the fact that it is not the biggest bookshop in the world. I think that makes this more of a browsing bookshop (like all the best are) rather than a place to search for something in particular. In saying that- I got both of the books I went in to get so... 5 stars!

Used and new books galore! Boxes and towers of books greet you.. The different types of books are creatively shelved, piled and arranged as well as they can be. Nice for everything from travel to literary criticism. Lots of nice new coffee table books if you gifts.. Worth a stop and lovely to see places like Judd's full of people on a Saturday afternoon.

Over the past three years, I have often bought books from Judd. They seem to have much better titles than some of the other second-hand bookshops in the area.

Judd books is a good discounted bookstore in Bloomsbury. Nice collection of books, I like their philosophy section the most, very wide selection of titles. Well, they have all many areas too such as travel books, history, art etc. Every thing is reasonably priced. In addition to their good prices, they have an awesome student discount of 10% or so. The only thing you should notice is that they put the tag price (before the discount) in US$ and not in GB£ so you have to do the math yourself and see if the book is really a bargain.

Judd calls itself the biggest academic used bookstore in London, which may very well be true, but I absolutely never can find anything I'm specifically looking for here. Perhaps Londoners are particularly eager to read medieval literature . . . I often find myself browsing around the ground floor books, but, because of the rule that you must leave your bags at the counter before descending to the basement, I forgo browsing in the basement on many a visit because I just can't be bothered. I understand that Judd wants to discourage shop lifting with this rule, but it immediately puts me on the defensive and makes me feel as if my patronage is mistrusted. When I have been downstairs for a browse, I've found that the critical theory texts are terribly dated and therefore don't even encourage a browse. I've purchased some fiction from the ground floor section and presented my student card for the requisite 10% discount only to find upon leaving that the sales person must have completely ignored it despite hearing me say aloud, 'I have a student card', taking it from my hands, studying it closely, and returning to the transaction itself. Sure, it would have only saved me 5p, but it's the principle of the matter!

This store is too high brow for me. The feminist section downstairs is frightening. There is no smut or well written smut. Judd has no humour section and the LGBT section is a total yawn. I checked my bag here and received a clothes pin in return. There may be some decent fiction but I could care less about fiction. There was one interesting book about how the government is trying to melt us all into one entity. I would have been interested but the price at 4.50 didn't entice me. That is sad. Outside there are books for 2.00 which was more up my street. I just don't like this store. It takes itself too seriously.

If you like to spend hours looking for a book you really want to read then you will love Judd Bookshop in Bloomsbury. The shop is filled to the roof with possibly every genre both fiction and nonfiction new and second hand from Orwell to Jackie Collins through to photography and knitting. The clientele are as varied as the books, a mixed bag of students, intellectual looking tourists and elderly eccentric Londoners (a good tip if you're not in the mood to talk is to avoid eye contact and pretend to be completely immersed in your book unless you want to hear the full details of a hip replacement). The best time to visit is weekday afternoons when the tiny shop is less busy and you have a chance to soak up the old fashioned and charming atmosphere.

Judd Books is a great second-hand and antiquarian bookshop located 3 minutes walk from Russell Square underground station. The bookshop specialises is social and political sciences though covers almost all subjects and genres and includes both fiction and non-fiction. The shop has a great atmosphere and is literally rammed with books, in my own experience it is a great place to find a new book and offers a much more diverse selection than any waterstones even though it is a small and independent retailer. The staff are friendly, very knowledgeable and are more than willing help and this allows for the great laid back browsing atmosphere. Books in the outside section are priced at around 50pence which offers unbeaten value.

This second hand bookshop has a basement area full of academic books, with lots on philosophy and art and architecture. The fiction section upstairs often has interesting works of more recent literature. Its partner shop is Judd Books on Judd Street, round the corner. I noticed that this one often has quite up to date travel books (unusual for a second hand shop) and decent cookery books. They do a student discount.

Used and new academic books, history, philosophy, arts, literature... There is a bit of everything at Judd. I never know what I'll find when I am there and yet somehow manage to find the perfect thing every time. Leave bags with the owner before you venture downstairs and browse for days.

The last two times I've been in London I've stopped in here and had a good look around. I've bought a book on each occasion. This strikes me as primarily a remainders bookstore, but with a good representation from university presses. Definitely aimed at the higher intellectual end of things. I've found it best for history books.

When I lived in the area, I was a frequent visitor to this shop. This shop is the reason I have so many books on my shelves just waiting to be read. I love sifting through old books, and finding little treasures. This shop was a great help in finding books for my dissertation, but they do specialise in academic books. I have never been downstairs in all the times I have been in, because I refuse to check my bag. Everything I want to read about is upstairs anyway. They sell used books, however they do not buy used books from the public so I don't know where they get their stock... so mysterious. The paperbacks are around £4, which isn't bad. Its not the kind of shop where you could go in and ask for a book and the clerk know where it is. Its more of a browse about and see if anything interesting jumps into your hand. They do give a 10% discount but with such small prices that is usually a savings of 5p.

I enjoyed browsing in this bookshop and their range seems good but I will never go back as I found the proprietor extremely rude. I went to the counter proposing to buy three books but queried the price on one of them as I thought it was a bit steep. In my experience, many second-hand bookshops are willing to negotiate on price, or give you a special deal if you are buying multiple items. If he had politely said that no reduction was possible that would have been the end of the matter, but he seemed to take offence at the question and wanted to argue with me about whether the price was a good deal or not (his argument was that the book had originally retailed at a much higher retail price, which in the circumstances seemed irrelevant, not to mention that the only evidence for this hypothetical original price was the store's own price sticker). Basically he seemed to have no interest in whether I left the store a satisfied customer or not he just wanted to take my money and not have to interact with me. What a missed opportunity, as had the service been good I would likelyhave become a regular customer. I also found it really bizarre that when I went downstairs into the basement area I was immediately accosted by a staff member who insisted that no bags were allowed in that area I was carrying a small handbag. Surely if they can afford to pay someone to hang around in the basement, that person could keep a eye on things rather than enforcing a policy that makes everybody out to be a potential thief.