A Notting Hill Carnival city. A rock city. A rave city. A reggae city. A city of deep soul and funky jazz. A city where, from the Rolling Stones to Stormzy, cutting-edge music has constantly been created … London rules the game.

London's Record Shops celebrates the greatest vendors of recorded music in the world's foremost record-shop-city. From Brixton dub shacks and Hackney vinyl boutiques to Camden's rockabilly ravers and Soho's feted jazz and dance shops, through Rough Trade and Honest Jon's to Sound of the Universe – these brilliant (sometimes eccentric, always engaging) emporiums are documented with striking photographs and incisive interviews. Anyone who loves music and/or London will find this book engaging and informative.



Garth Cartwright is a freelance journalist and author of 5 books, including the 2018 title Going for a Song: a Chronicle of the UK Record Shop. His writing has appeared in all the leading UK broadsheets and many magazines and websites. He is a regular guest on BBC London and Radio 6 Music. He is an authority on all kinds of music, London history and record shops. He lives in Peckham.

Quintina is an award-winning photojournalist whose photos have appeared in The Observer, Sunday Times and others.



- Cover

- Title

- Copyright

- Contents

- Foreword By Cornershop

- Introduction

- Introduction: 2026 Edition

- Soho



- Reckless Records

- Sister Ray

- Phonica

- Sounds Of The Universe (Sotu)

- Ray's Jazz



- Camden Town



- Sounds That Swing

- Rock 'N' Roll Rescue

- All Ages Records

- Out On The Floor Records

- Let It Roll



- Ladbroke Grove



- Honest Jon's

- Rough Trade West

- People's Sound Records



- Brixton



- Supertone Records

- Lion Vibes

- Container Records

- Universal Roots

- Pure Vinyl



- Peckham & Camberwell



- Rat Records

- Maestro

- Rye Wax

- Peckham Soul



- Hackney



- Eldica

- Ecstatic Peace Library

- Hidden Sounds

- Atlantis Records

- Jelly Records

- Tome Records

- Bbe Music Store

- Stranger Than Paradise



- Whitechapel



- Rough Trade East

- Flashback Records

- World Of Echo

- Crypt Of The Wizard

- Yo-Yo Records

- Love Vinyl



- Final Note

- Acknowledgements



'Full of facts, fantastic photos and heaps of social history of the areas and stores depicted in the book.'



'London's record shops - especially those on our patch - have a special place in music lovers' hearts.'



'The lovely thing about the book is that the shop isn't the focus. Instead it's a love letter to the culture of these small shops to good music, and the passion, knowledge and enthusiasm of the characters that exist within their orbit.'



'The attractive hardback offers a profile of no less than 36 of the London's finest vinyl emporiums.'



'Beautifully illustrated throughout with colour photos of shop exteriors and interiors.'