Rik's reviews
Review of Waterstones
15 Jul 07, 23:30
No long tail 
Apparently this is the biggest bookshop in Europe, and with 7 large floors, you can see why. It covers subject you could possibly think of, from modern art to sports. The main problem that I had with Waterstones is that even though they do every subject imaginable, the range within the subject is not particularly wide. For instance, their computer book section is only about ten bookcases big, compared to Foyles's same section which is about a quarter of a floor. If you're looking for something even slightly specialist, then you probably won't find it here.
The store is laid out pretty well, it's very nice to just leisurely browse around and you can easily go and get a coffee from Costa in the basement. However, if you compare this place to Foyle's, which is smaller, you have to wonder where all the good books went.
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Review of Magma
04 May 07, 15:37
Too small and too busy
I love Magma, it's a great place to find books and magazines on art and design. There's 3 Magma shops, two being in London (the other in Manchester) and this place is where it all began. Despite the great range of books, the problem is the shop itself. It's far too small and is always packed full (usually with Nathan Barley types, like myself). I may be far too used to bookshops with some room to actually look at the books, but now I always end up either staying two uncomfortable minutes in the shop or looking in the front door and deciding not to bother. I would recommend the Clerkenwell shop though, it's a lot more roomy and quiet, or if you are ever in the north, the Manchester shop is far better than the London shops.
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Review of Foyles
02 May 07, 13:24
Best bookshop in town 
Foyles is possibly the largest bookshop in London with five floors of shelfs. With all these books, you'd think that it could get a bit disorganised. Luckily, it's one of the most organised and well laid out bookshops that I have visited. The range of books is huge and even the most specialised of subjects are well organised. The staff obviously know what books should be grouped together. The place never seems to feel too busy which is perfect for browsing books. Highly recommended.
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