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



'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.'



'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.'