The Big Smoke

Charing Cross Road booksellers turned up for work on Monday morning to find that somebody had left these rather lovely plaques on the windows of shops that had previously belonged to two of their fallen comrades. The memorials, created to look like London's much loved blue plaques, were for Murder One and Shipley, two of the strip's longstanding shops which both closed down in the last few months.

Local booksellers had no idea who was responsible, although staff at Henry Pordes thought it could have been the work of the owners of Shipley, a specialist art bookshop. Further up the road at Koenig Books, another art specialist, the determinedly unsentimental young man behind the counter had another theory. 'It's probably just some bullshit art students,' he said. Well, he should know.

We think they are rather beautiful, impeccably designed and a touching way to say farewell to two literary London landmarks. If anybody knows who was responsible, please email us at bigsmoke@timeout.com.

Update For a list of independent bookshops in London that need your support, see this feature in our Books section.