Bookstores

If you’re just visiting Moscow and want to check out a bookstore Dom Knigi is probably the best option. The gigantic store on Novy Arbat is quite a spectacle. If you’re looking exclusively for English-language material then check out Angliya British Bookshop or the House of Foreign Books. Of the major bookstores Dom Knigi, Biblio-Globus and Moskva are large, labyrinthine places with huge selections while Respublika and Bookberry are more modern, trendy bookstores. All of these places have English-language sections. Russian-language books are usually very cheap while English-language books are generally the same price or a little more expensive than what you pay in your home country.

Anglia British Bookshop.
Angliya is a fairly small store that has a decent range of fiction and non-fiction titles in English. Alongside a large range of English textbooks, a number of bestsellers are stocked. There is also a good array of Russian-themed non-fiction titles, more general reference books and travel guides. Unfortunately you won’t find many non-mainstream books at Angliya but can order them in. A great feature is that second-hand books are sold here with proceeds going to Action for Russia’s Children (ARC). The main sales are on Sundays between 1pm and 4pm but you can pick them up any time. Angliya is a great place to pick up a cheap second-hand book or offload some books you no longer want.
Address: Vorotnikovsky Pereulok, #6, metro Mayakovskaya. Tel: 299-7766. Open Mon-Fri: 10:00-19:00, Sat: 10:00-18:00, Sun: 10:00-17:00. Website: www.anglophile.ru.

House of Foreign Books.
One of the Moscow House of Books specialty outlets, the House of Foreign Books is possibly the best English-language bookshop in the city. A prime location on Kuznetsky Most Ulitsa houses plenty of novels from classics to bestsellers, along with reference books, various non-fiction titles and travel guides. In comparison to other shops in Moscow the range of English-language books is extensive but, of course, your options are still somewhat limited.
Address: Kuznetsky Most Ul., #18/7, metro Kuznetsky Most. Tel: 628-2021. Open Mon-Fri: 9:00-21:00, Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun: 10:00-20:00.

Dom Knigi (House of Books).
A massive shop, and probably the best to visit for a tourist with an interest in books, Dom Knigi on Novy Arbat is the headquarters of a dominant Moscow chain. Aside from the huge range of books you’ll find maps, souvenirs, DVDs, magazines, office supplies and an antique book section. You can also pick up genuine Soviet propaganda posters here. The English-language section is of a comparable size to the other major bookstores.
Address: Novy Arbat Ul., #8, metro Arbatskaya. Tel: 789-3591. Open Mon-Fri: 9:00-21:00, Sat-Sun: 10:00-21:00. Website: www.mdk-arbat.ru.

Moskva.
A giant bookstore on Tverskaya Ulitsa, Moskva has a limited range of English-language material – mainly classics and bestsellers. You’ll also find some textbooks for learning Russian here as well as English-language travel guides. And, of course, there is an exhaustive range of material in Russian language. There is also a section selling antique books and other items.
Address: Tverskaya Ulitsa, #8, metro Pushkinskaya/Tverskaya. Tel: 629-6483. Open 10:00-1:00. Website: www.moscowbooks.ru.

Biblio-Globus.
Similar in layout and content to Dom Knigi and Moskva, Biblio-Globus is a huge three-level complex with books, CDs, DVDs, office supplies and an antique section. There’s also a respectable repertoire of English-language material.
Address: Myasnitskaya Ulitsa, #6/3, metro Lubyanka. Tel: 781-1900. Open Mon-Fri: 10:00-21:00, Sat 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-20:00. Website: www.biblio-globus.ru.

Respublika.
A cool, new bookshop with a more modern feel than what you find in Moscow’s giant, old, rambling, confusing outlets. Along with books Respublika sells CDs and DVDs and has a cafe, sort of like a Russian version of Borders. The English language selection is decent and is more varied than you find elsewhere in Moscow. There are also French, Spanish, German and Italian language books on sale as well as a range of souvenirs. A more trendy bookstore, Respublika is a pleasurable place to peruse.
Address: 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya Ul., #10, metro Mayakovskaya. Tel: 251-6527. Website: www.respublica.ru.

Bookberry.
A chain of modern bookshops, pitching itself as the most comfortable place to browse books in Moscow. Bookberry has a good range of English-language books – bestsellers, classics, historical and art. There are a number of outlets both in and around Moscow. Check the website for other locations.
Address: Nikitsky Bulvar, #17/1, metro Arbatskaya. Tel: 202-6679. Open 24 hours. Website: www.bookberry.ru.