Persephone Books Ltd
Persephone Books Ltd
5
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Bloomsbury
Snuggly nestled within Central London is academic and leafy Bloomsbury, an area that boasts walking distance access to many of London's most popular attractions. It is also home to some of Britain's most celebrated museums, including the must-see British Museum. Despite an understandable popularity with students, tourists and day trippers, vast sections of Bloomsbury retain a quiet, residential feel year round and throughout the week.
How to get there
- Russell Square • 5 min walk
- Holborn • 7 min walk
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5.0
37 reviews
Excellent
32
Very good
3
Average
0
Poor
2
Terrible
0
Amy A
Green Bay, WI12 contributions
Mar 2014 • Solo
Persephone, a quaint little bookshop dedicated to women, was a total surprise for me on this Trip Advisor Self Guided Tour. Its simplicity helped enunciate its powerful theme. Having been to London several times, I was looking for things off the beaten path that reflected the culture and the people. I would highly recommend this shop, even though the shop keepers were polite and they didn't go out of their way to welcome me as one had reviewed. I wasn't looking for that and it allowed me to browse freely. I bought a Tea Towel talking about Spring as a hostess gift to celebrate the Iranian New Year and the beginning of Spring. It couldn't have been a more perfect gift, especially knowing the significance of the Greek myth of Persephone. After this stop, the tour took me through the neighborhood to the Charles Dickens Museum.
Written 23 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
solo-reader-wanderer
Chicago, IL429 contributions
Sept 2017 • Solo
A must-visit for book lovers, especially for readers who appreciate the need for feminist presses and for bookstores that prioritize selling female authors. Persephone Books sells mainly books by female authors that have gone out of print, in their signature grey, minimalist covers, with bright and exciting endpapers. I came all the way from Chicago with this store as one of my destinations, and I wasn't disappointed.
To those reviewers criticizing their reception at the shop, I'm not sure what you're referring to. I wonder if it's that any bookseller might be a bit shy and humble if someone came up just to rave about their press, because there isn't much to say in response. If you ask for a recommendation, however, or engage them in conversation about their books, the booksellers are happy to talk with you and give you tips and recommendations for quite a long time, as they did for me as well as for another visitor while I was there.
The store is aesthetically gorgeous and there are excellent sales—buy 3 for a certain price, for example. It was full of books I'd never heard of before, and there were notes under every single one with small summaries, which was very useful. I came there for a copy of A WRITER'S DIARY by Virginia Woolf, but I left with much more. Their iconic gray covers, careful curation, personalized recommendations, and character of resistance makes this bookstore a must-stop if you’re a book lover in London.
To those reviewers criticizing their reception at the shop, I'm not sure what you're referring to. I wonder if it's that any bookseller might be a bit shy and humble if someone came up just to rave about their press, because there isn't much to say in response. If you ask for a recommendation, however, or engage them in conversation about their books, the booksellers are happy to talk with you and give you tips and recommendations for quite a long time, as they did for me as well as for another visitor while I was there.
The store is aesthetically gorgeous and there are excellent sales—buy 3 for a certain price, for example. It was full of books I'd never heard of before, and there were notes under every single one with small summaries, which was very useful. I came there for a copy of A WRITER'S DIARY by Virginia Woolf, but I left with much more. Their iconic gray covers, careful curation, personalized recommendations, and character of resistance makes this bookstore a must-stop if you’re a book lover in London.
Written 20 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan D
Cranston, RI21 contributions
Nov 2017 • Family
I have been ordering Persephone books online from the U.S. for years and have loved everything I've bought. The books are gorgeous in their dove grey covers with wallpaper pattern liners to complement the period of the books. When I visited London recently, one of my "must see's" was this tiny bookshop in Russell Square.
Like another reviewer, I was somewhat disappointed by my reception. There was one bookseller on duty, and I explained how much Persephone Books have meant to me and that I'd come all the way from New England to shop at the store. She was certainly cordial but did not engage me in conversation at all. I wondered: Is this a case of a shy American encountering an equally shy Brit? I did go away with three new novels and some lovely postcards, but I wish I had been able to engage more with the bookseller.
Nevertheless, the shop is lovely. Of all the neighborhoods I visited in London, Bloomsbury seems the most unchanged since I visited 35 years ago -- I could imagine Virginia Woolf and her set strolling through the squares, visiting bookshops, the British Museum, tea rooms, and lectures at the university. Definitely both the area and the shop are worth a visit if you are interested in literature by and about women and almost forgotten classics.
Like another reviewer, I was somewhat disappointed by my reception. There was one bookseller on duty, and I explained how much Persephone Books have meant to me and that I'd come all the way from New England to shop at the store. She was certainly cordial but did not engage me in conversation at all. I wondered: Is this a case of a shy American encountering an equally shy Brit? I did go away with three new novels and some lovely postcards, but I wish I had been able to engage more with the bookseller.
Nevertheless, the shop is lovely. Of all the neighborhoods I visited in London, Bloomsbury seems the most unchanged since I visited 35 years ago -- I could imagine Virginia Woolf and her set strolling through the squares, visiting bookshops, the British Museum, tea rooms, and lectures at the university. Definitely both the area and the shop are worth a visit if you are interested in literature by and about women and almost forgotten classics.
Written 29 November 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rosa J
London, UK2 contributions
Jan 2016 • Solo
There is something new to discover in Persephone Books on every visit. The atmosphere in the shop is restful and inviting. Since Persephone is a publishing house, and the publishing work takes place in offices which make up part of the shop, the staff do double duty as both publishers and booksellers. As a result they are incredibly knowledgeable about the 100+ books for sale in Persephone's shop and always willing to assist in picking the perfect title to read.
Written 24 February 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tony S
Leicestershire, UK9 contributions
Dec 2014 • Solo
I have made several visits to Persephone Books in the last couple of years. The service every time, was nothing less than superb. The shop is well laid out, welcoming and the product itself (their books) are beautifully printed, and a wide choice of excellent reading matter. Well, well worth a visit.
Written 30 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LJH24
Massachusetts15 contributions
Nov 2014 • Solo
A small, unassuming book shop as cozy as your own den at home. The first words out of my mouth were "What time do you close?" Upon being told 6:00 PM (aka 18:00), I said "then I'm going to take my coat off and have a ball for myself." Persephone Books reprints neglected literature by mostly women writing between the two world wars. A knowledgeable staff and a catalog that's a piece of literature itself makes Persephone an oasis to seek out on a rainy day in London. Enjoy!
Written 5 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeslyn R
Palo Alto, CA53 contributions
Nov 2014 • Solo
I've been ordering books from Persephone online for some years now, and was delighted to stop in at the shop on this visit to London! The staff were friendly, engaging, and helpful, and it was great to make my selections from the stacks of beautifully bound grey covers. Love the free tote bag I received with my purchases, and they carefully packaged everything for shipping to the US so I didn't have to ding anything up in my luggage on the way home. Shop is also easy walking distance from Holborn Tube station, will definitely return in the future - the titles and subjects have been consistently great, and they've done a terrific job in resurrecting out-of-print works that are still so worth reading.
Written 25 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2crumblies
Berkshire87 contributions
Jun 2014 • Solo
As a devotee of their publications I first visited this shop about 4 years ago. What a wonderful surprise, quite unlike any other bookshop. Have a look at their website to see the books. Re-published gems, originals often unobtainable. Go and pick up a catalogue, take it with you to browse while you have a coffee in one of the many coffee shops, and then come back and make your purchases, having made your selections.
I warn you - you'll become addicted! Nothing has ever disappointed.
They also sell cards, pieces of fabric, and other items related to the books. The volumes come in grey covers, and the endpapers are decorative - wonderful. They are reproductions of fabric or wallpaper patterns of the era in which the book was originally published.
I warn you - you'll become addicted! Nothing has ever disappointed.
They also sell cards, pieces of fabric, and other items related to the books. The volumes come in grey covers, and the endpapers are decorative - wonderful. They are reproductions of fabric or wallpaper patterns of the era in which the book was originally published.
Written 29 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie_W462
London, UK1 contribution
Feb 2014 • Solo
What a discovery this was! Persephone is a beautiful little shop where the vintage posters on the walls and many vases of flowers make you feel as though you have stepped back in time. The dim lighting gives such a cosy feel and the staff are so friendly and knowledgable. I could happily spend hours in this shop.
Written 14 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brendan N
New England195 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
What a great little bookstore. We have a book called Quiet London and this bookstore is one of the shops featured in the book. Was sitting outside the cafe next door and looked up to see Persephone in front of me. I didn't even know the store was there. But lucky for me I chose that particular cafe to get a coffee. Went into the bookstore and was really impressed by their shop and choice to reprint and publish out of print books by British female authors. Some really neat stuff in there. Where else can you find that sort of thing? Nowhere I imagine.
Written 12 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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