Foyles

Probably the single most impressive independent bookshop in London, Foyles built its reputation on the sheer volume and breadth of its stock (with 56 specialist subjects in the flagship store) and, going against the tide of bookshop closures, now boasts four stores in central London. Its five hugely comprehensive storeys accommodate other shops too: there's Ray's Jazz and café and a fine concession of Unsworth's antiquarian booksellers.

Fiction at Foyles should be lauded along with an impressive range of teaching materials, computing software and the comprehensive basement medical department. Elsewhere, there's an extensive music department, a large gay-interest section, an impressive range of foreign fiction, law and business, philosophy and sport. The shop hosts regular events featuring well-known faces like Billy Bragg, Sophie Dahl and John Gray (visit the website for more details).

Branches Southbank Centre, Riverside, SE1 8XX (7440 3212); St Pancras International, Euston Road, N1C 4Ql (3206 2650); Westfield, W12 7GE (3206 2656).