The Southbank Book Market is located beneath one of the many bridges which line Southbank, sitting just to the left of the National Theatre. While the location could not be better, the selection and pricing of the books available are sadly lacking. The inventory has a decided garage sale-feel to it, with most of the books partially shredded or missing covers entirely. Most of the pages also suffer from water damage, given the riverside location of the market. While there are a few rare golden finds, most of the books could be just as easily found on Amazon for a few extra pounds in much higher quality. The biggest disappointment, however, is the Harry Potter prints available for sale. Most of these prints are pages taken from one of the Harry Potter novels, with a watercolor image depicting a scene or character painted onto the page itself. While these at first appear intriguing, upon closer inspection these prints are clearly stolen artwork printed onto the page. Not only do the images still contain the signatures and watermarks of the original artists, but in some cases, the image itself was distorted in order to fit properly on the page. One particular image of the Golden Snitch had been widened in order to fill the page, making the image pixelated and distorted. These prints are £10 each or higher, and yet could be made at home for the price of one sheet of paper. In this case, it might be a better use of your time to visit one of the many independent bookstores throughout London and teach yourself how to paint with watercolors.
- Kaley Whipple
This little “market” is set up almost every day (weather permitting) under the Waterloo Bridge, just before the National Theatre. Though the Southbank Book Fair’s stock varies greatly depending on the season — their collection just barely lining the edges of the few rows of tables they have during the winter months, while during the summer they manage to cover every inch of them — they always have a quirky selection of books across every genre and age group. When you first approach the fair you see a row of just children’s books, and as you make your way through you can see pieces of classic literature; those mom, supermarket romance novels; mainstream fiction; and science fiction — one side of a table is even dedicated to solely Doctor Who books. Though there is no guarantee you’ll find a book that pulls at your heartstrings, they always have a few intriguing titles — and worse comes to worse there’s a Foyles (one of the two prominent bookstore chains in London) only a block away.
Almost all of the books are “used,” but many of them are in “like-new” condition — with a few “new” copies scattered throughout — allowing the vendors to sell them at a severely discounted rate from their original ticket price. The 75th Anniversary Edition of Winnie the Pooh: Complete Collection of Stories and Poems, for example, which is for sale at Foyles for £30, was priced at £15 at the Southbank Book Fair — the only sign of its “used” status, being the slightly tattered bookmark ribbon sewn into the binding. So while it may not be on your must-see list for your time in London, if you deem yourself a bookworm, it's certainly worth stopping by on your stroll down the bank.
- Emerald Stewart
In most local libraries, if you look hard enough, you’ll find a small bookstore tucked away in an unused room or behind the YA section. The books which are available for purchase here are mostly old paperbacks that were donated to the library or collected at garage sales. You’ll find a surprising number of Star Trek novels. The few hardcovers in the collection cost $2. The paperbacks are 50 cents. The Southbank Book Market is essentially a glorified library bookshop. Here, you’ll find the same tattered paperbacks, the same garage sale copies of old children’s books, the same Star Trek novels. The Book Market is larger than your library’s bookshop, of course – rows of books are sprawled out under Waterloo Bridge – but in exchange for a larger selection, the price of a single paperback can range from two to seven pounds. You’re likely to find a few bookstore staples, such as only books five and six of the Harry Potter series and a copy of The Silmarillion, but none of Tolkien’s more well-known novels. Though the market might seem underwhelming, there are a number of hidden gems among the table of books, and it’s worth spending the time to search for old favorites or new reads. The market sits on the Queen’s Walk, and it’s open daily from 10am-7pm, though its website warns that it may close earlier in the winter. Though it may not live up to other bookstores around London, the Southbank Book Market is a nice place to visit; after all, it’s always wonderful to spend some time outdoors and looking at books.
- Anneliese Gelberg
The Southbank Book Market is a small used book venue. The market is made up of several folding tables with books laid out on them. At first glance, this market seems a little bit shabby, but some of the books for sale there are actually quite interesting.
London being as old as it is, books from the 19th century do not really draw a Londoner’s attention the way they would in a place like Florida in the United States, where I’m from, a place only declared part of the Union in 1845 and some popular areas not developed until the 1940s. So for me, a book printed in the 1800s is something I would take great joy in handling and read through. If you are a history buff or a bookworm, consider stopping by this market. If you are looking for a particular book, don’t hold out hope that you’ll find it here, and as it is not organized very well, and some part not at all, so trying to find something specific may prove difficult.
This market, as its name suggests, is located in Southbank, London, right on the Thames. Both the London Eye and St. Paul’s Cathedral can be seen from here, along with other famous London attractions. It’s open daily until 7 pm, although as their website warns, it may close early in the winter months. If you’re touring London and you find that you have a minute to spare, Southbank Book Market is a fun place to visit.
- Garland Ward
Underneath the Waterloo bridge, there is a troll. It goes by the name Southbank Centre Book Market. Each morning it awakes at 10:00, and every evening it begins its slumber at 7:00. It is not recommended that one attempts to pass underneath the bridge between these hours. The troll will stop you. It will present you with tables filled with books, and it uses this to lure you in. Certainly, it would seem that there is a wide variety of books to choose from. Don’t be fooled by this. Only the luckiest of passersby will find a book they truly love. They would have to be some type of deity to find one that is also in good condition. A significant portion of these books are based on science-fiction television shows. If that is what you enjoy, then it is quite likely you will be one of the lucky ones. Others will be entrapped by the torn covers and missing pages of the grimy, dust-covered books. Books that they likely won’t ever truly desire to read.
To the others who enjoy different genres, escape the troll while you can. Do not approach. It will expect you to pay a toll in the form of purchasing a book. Likely you will not wish to make a purchase, and yet somehow you will find yourself staring at the rows upon rows of books, suddenly desperate to find one that seems decent. You won’t, but the troll will keep you there for as long as it can. So do not approach the troll. Wait until it is definitively asleep to pass because though you will not want to pay the toll, you will not escape the grasps of the Southbank Centre Book Market.
- Avery Tananbaum
- Kaley Whipple
This little “market” is set up almost every day (weather permitting) under the Waterloo Bridge, just before the National Theatre. Though the Southbank Book Fair’s stock varies greatly depending on the season — their collection just barely lining the edges of the few rows of tables they have during the winter months, while during the summer they manage to cover every inch of them — they always have a quirky selection of books across every genre and age group. When you first approach the fair you see a row of just children’s books, and as you make your way through you can see pieces of classic literature; those mom, supermarket romance novels; mainstream fiction; and science fiction — one side of a table is even dedicated to solely Doctor Who books. Though there is no guarantee you’ll find a book that pulls at your heartstrings, they always have a few intriguing titles — and worse comes to worse there’s a Foyles (one of the two prominent bookstore chains in London) only a block away.
Almost all of the books are “used,” but many of them are in “like-new” condition — with a few “new” copies scattered throughout — allowing the vendors to sell them at a severely discounted rate from their original ticket price. The 75th Anniversary Edition of Winnie the Pooh: Complete Collection of Stories and Poems, for example, which is for sale at Foyles for £30, was priced at £15 at the Southbank Book Fair — the only sign of its “used” status, being the slightly tattered bookmark ribbon sewn into the binding. So while it may not be on your must-see list for your time in London, if you deem yourself a bookworm, it's certainly worth stopping by on your stroll down the bank.
- Emerald Stewart
In most local libraries, if you look hard enough, you’ll find a small bookstore tucked away in an unused room or behind the YA section. The books which are available for purchase here are mostly old paperbacks that were donated to the library or collected at garage sales. You’ll find a surprising number of Star Trek novels. The few hardcovers in the collection cost $2. The paperbacks are 50 cents. The Southbank Book Market is essentially a glorified library bookshop. Here, you’ll find the same tattered paperbacks, the same garage sale copies of old children’s books, the same Star Trek novels. The Book Market is larger than your library’s bookshop, of course – rows of books are sprawled out under Waterloo Bridge – but in exchange for a larger selection, the price of a single paperback can range from two to seven pounds. You’re likely to find a few bookstore staples, such as only books five and six of the Harry Potter series and a copy of The Silmarillion, but none of Tolkien’s more well-known novels. Though the market might seem underwhelming, there are a number of hidden gems among the table of books, and it’s worth spending the time to search for old favorites or new reads. The market sits on the Queen’s Walk, and it’s open daily from 10am-7pm, though its website warns that it may close earlier in the winter. Though it may not live up to other bookstores around London, the Southbank Book Market is a nice place to visit; after all, it’s always wonderful to spend some time outdoors and looking at books.
- Anneliese Gelberg
The Southbank Book Market is a small used book venue. The market is made up of several folding tables with books laid out on them. At first glance, this market seems a little bit shabby, but some of the books for sale there are actually quite interesting.
London being as old as it is, books from the 19th century do not really draw a Londoner’s attention the way they would in a place like Florida in the United States, where I’m from, a place only declared part of the Union in 1845 and some popular areas not developed until the 1940s. So for me, a book printed in the 1800s is something I would take great joy in handling and read through. If you are a history buff or a bookworm, consider stopping by this market. If you are looking for a particular book, don’t hold out hope that you’ll find it here, and as it is not organized very well, and some part not at all, so trying to find something specific may prove difficult.
This market, as its name suggests, is located in Southbank, London, right on the Thames. Both the London Eye and St. Paul’s Cathedral can be seen from here, along with other famous London attractions. It’s open daily until 7 pm, although as their website warns, it may close early in the winter months. If you’re touring London and you find that you have a minute to spare, Southbank Book Market is a fun place to visit.
- Garland Ward
Underneath the Waterloo bridge, there is a troll. It goes by the name Southbank Centre Book Market. Each morning it awakes at 10:00, and every evening it begins its slumber at 7:00. It is not recommended that one attempts to pass underneath the bridge between these hours. The troll will stop you. It will present you with tables filled with books, and it uses this to lure you in. Certainly, it would seem that there is a wide variety of books to choose from. Don’t be fooled by this. Only the luckiest of passersby will find a book they truly love. They would have to be some type of deity to find one that is also in good condition. A significant portion of these books are based on science-fiction television shows. If that is what you enjoy, then it is quite likely you will be one of the lucky ones. Others will be entrapped by the torn covers and missing pages of the grimy, dust-covered books. Books that they likely won’t ever truly desire to read.
To the others who enjoy different genres, escape the troll while you can. Do not approach. It will expect you to pay a toll in the form of purchasing a book. Likely you will not wish to make a purchase, and yet somehow you will find yourself staring at the rows upon rows of books, suddenly desperate to find one that seems decent. You won’t, but the troll will keep you there for as long as it can. So do not approach the troll. Wait until it is definitively asleep to pass because though you will not want to pay the toll, you will not escape the grasps of the Southbank Centre Book Market.
- Avery Tananbaum