Marchpane Books is small, compact and specialist. To open the door on this small book shop is like opening the door to a treasure chest as you are magically transported back to your childhood.
Marchpane is London’s premier specialist bookseller of childrens collectable and illustrated books. The shelves are stacked with a collection of vintage and rare books. If you are a collector of children’s books or just like to take a little trip down memory lane then Marchpane should be on your visit list.
Inside you will find books worth hundreds of pounds along side those which are a little more affordable. Outside the shop sits a table with boxes filled with books to browse. It is always worth stopping here to revisit those stories and authors which were part of growing up for so many of us.
“We stock all the best British collectable children’s books and nearly always have first or early editions of great classics such as: Winnie-the-Pooh, Peter Pan, The Wind in the Willows, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Wizard of Oz, Pinocchio, Nursery Rhymes, in addition to beautifully illustrated editions of Andersen, Grimm and Perrault etc. “
Marchpane is situated in Cecil Court, an intriguing street which has been at the heart of London since the 17th century. The first evidence of booksellers in Cecil Court goes back as far at 1718. By the first world war a number of booksellers and publishers had moved into Cecil Court and it became known as Booksellers Row. Here you will also find the well known Alice Through The Looking Glass shop and a whole selection of specialist shops selling books, music, antiques and other collectibles.
Christmas is a lovely time to visit particularly if you are looking to capture a bit of Dickensian London. Shops are prettily decorated and shop windows display images of Christmas past. And, If you are looking for a very special bookish gift then Marchpane might just be the bookshop for you
“A whole street of uncommonly good independent shops’ very much worth a browse”
