Skoob Books

About

At present Skoob Books has a secondhand bookshop in Bloomsbury, London and a large internet business in Didcot, Oxfordshire (PsychoBabel). It was originally established in 1979 by a group of redundant staff of Poole’s, the first shop was in Long Acre. The locations have changed over the years, including Bury Place (now LRB Bookshop), Sicilian Avenue, and during the 1980s and 1990s there were branches in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. Chris Edwards, the present CEO, purchased Skoob Books in 2006. Skoob Books also provides books for theatre, film and photo sets – projects include work for the National Theatre, ITV, James Bond and Martin Scorcese. It was awarded ‘The Best London Bookshop’ by Time Out in 2010 and ‘Highly Commended’ for Small Business of the Year 2015 by Business Camden Awards. It also became the first London bookshop awarded the Living Wage Employer accreditation. Skoob Books is a long-time member of the Booksellers Association and PBFA.

At a glance

• Typical visit: about 1 hour 30 minutes