Biblio-Text: Woolfson & Tay

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 162 months ago
Biblio-Text: Woolfson & Tay
Outside Woolfson & Tay
Outside Woolfson & Tay
Special W&T cakes for opening day
Special W&T cakes for opening day
Plenty of room to browse in
Plenty of room to browse in
You can also pick up gifts and stationery
You can also pick up gifts and stationery
The cafe gets stocked with drinks and delicious cakes from Konditor and Cook
The cafe gets stocked with drinks and delicious cakes from Konditor and Cook
We like how the travel section contains travel writing rather than guides
We like how the travel section contains travel writing rather than guides
Overview of the shop and cafe / gallery area on opening day - the seats will be in a more conventional cafe layout on normal days
Overview of the shop and cafe / gallery area on opening day - the seats will be in a more conventional cafe layout on normal days

Continuing our amble round London's independent bookshops

A new bookshop has appeared in the corner of Bermondsey Square. It's a beautiful, calm environment where you can sip a drink and nibble on a Konditor and Cook cake and admire the latest exhibition, but none of this crowds out the books. Shivaun Woolfson and Frances Tay also run the non-profit Living Imprint, which is dedicated to "harnessing the transformational power of life stories to educate and enlighten". As such, there's a strong focus on biography and autobiography, but an excellent selection of non-fiction and literary fiction (we were very pleased to see a case packed with Vintage Classics titles) and they'll be making sure you can get your hands on the Booker shortlist and the latest Richard and Judy book club title.

They only opened on Saturday and they're hitting the ground running with events. Tonight sees the launch of a series of Jillian Edelstein's photographs around South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, and there are author readings lined up into next year. Bang Said the Gun's Dan Cockrill hosts a monthly poetry night, there are storytelling sessions for the kids and a series of creative writing workshops.

Woolfson & Tay, 12 Bermondsey Square SE1. Images author's own. Know a good bookshop? Email us at londonist (@) gmail.com.

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Last Updated 13 September 2010