books - Stanfords

Stanfords Books - Stanfords was established in 1852 by Edward Stanford, map seller. Today, nearly 150 years on, Stanfords is the UK's leading specialist retailer of maps and travel books. Stanfords' flagship store in London's Covent Garden first opened its doors in January 1901 and today carries our complete range of maps, books and travel related goods. In addition, Stanfords has a store in Bristol and one in Manchester.

Over the past 50 years, Stanfords has gone from strength to strength and today the quality and range of our mapping is internationally acclaimed. Stanfords reputation has been further enhanced by the many famous travelers and explorers who have visited the shop over the years. Famous names such as Dr Livingstone, Amy Johnson, Cecil Rhodes, Florence Nightingale, Sir Wilfred Thesiger and more recently globetrotting celebrity Michael Palin have all started their journeys at Stanfords. Even the fictional character Sherlock Holmes dispatched Watson to Stanfords to buy a map in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Hound of the Baskervilles"

As world travel has become more accessible and affordable, the number of guidebooks has increased at a tremendous pace, providing information on all kinds of travel for every kind of traveller. In addition to maps, you'll find an unrivalled range of guidebooks, illustrated books and travel writing on our shelves. Stanfords also have stock for a number of special interest areas, from postcards to planispheres, compasses to globes, making Stanfords the UK's leading specialist travel retailer.

In order to supply the ever-increasing demand for maps and travel literature, Stanfords has continued to expand.

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