PIN Ian Allan Books

Traditional, specialist & British Bookshop

Ian Allen Books is a specialist, independent bookshop situated in Lower Marsh Street near Waterloo. It is one of two branches (the other is in Birmingham). The store provides a ‘one-stop-shop’ for enthusiasts of transport including railways, road, transport, aviation, military and history. The focus of transport includes modern and historic and they also offer an exhaustive range of high quality models, maps and accessories.

History

Ian Allan Publishing (the bookshops forerunner) was founded by its namesake in 1942. In the same year the owner was working in the public relations department for Southern rail in Waterloo Station and decided that by publishing a book full of salient facts he could answer many of the questions he received daily about rolling stock. The result was his first book, "ABC of Southern Locomotives". This proved to be a success, leading to the emerging of trainspotting as a national hobby, and from this the company was formed.

The company has grown from a small producer of books for train enthusiasts and spotters to a large transport publisher. Each year it publishes books covering subjects such as military and civil aviation, naval and maritime topics, buses, trams, trolleybuses and steam railways, including history, preservation and modern operations.

Opening Hours

Sunday Closed
Monday 9am–5:30pm
Tuesday 9am–5:30pm
Wednesday 9am–5:30pm
Thursday 9am–5:30pm
Friday 9am–5:30pm
Saturday 9am–5pm

TripTide Thoughts

Absolutely perfect for the the average tran spotter - it is like stepping back in time - wonderful offline browsing experience.

Owner

Lucy TripTide

Lucy is a TripTide stalwart and has been with the company since inception. She is a font of knowledge of all things in our metropolis but she has a special penchant for London's historical past. She says:"London is a multi-layered confection of hi...