Stanfords

Stanfords, a map and travel bookshop with over 170 years of history

Stanfords is a bookshop specialising in cartography and travel publications operating in the United Kingdom. According to its own presentation, it describes itself as the world's largest and best map and travel bookshop, a claim the company attributes to its history and its catalogue. With over 170 years of activity, it presents itself as a reference for explorers, travellers and adventurers seeking specialised maps.

A catalogue focused on cartography and travel

The bookshop's offering is organised into several main categories. In the maps section, the catalogue includes custom maps, road maps, street maps, wall maps, walking maps, cycling maps, thematic maps and children's maps. It also has reference atlases, road atlases and street atlases, as well as globes.

The books section covers travel guides, travel writing, dictionaries and phrasebooks, works on the environment, geography and current affairs, history, natural history, outdoor pursuits, trains and transport, and world reference. In addition, the bookshop has a fiction section.

In the accessories section it offers flags, gifts, puzzles and games, stationery and travel accessories. For children it has maps, books and toys. The maritime section includes books, paper charts and maritime instruments.

Recommendations and featured selections

The Stanfords website includes various recommendation lists, such as the top ten atlases for children, the top ten rail maps, the top ten London maps, the top ten France maps, the top ten illuminated globes and the top ten London walks guidebooks. It also offers a map locator with tools such as National Geographic Map Locator, OS Map Finder and Map Grids.

Among the brands and publishers featured in its catalogue are Ordnance Survey, IGN, Harvey Maps, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Cicerone.

Featured products from the catalogue

The site shows a selection of new releases and featured titles. Among the bestselling travel reads are titles such as Domesday: 1,000 Miles On Foot Through The England Of The Norman Conquest, Moonlight Express: Around The World By Night Train, Conquering Dreams, Free Ride: Heartbreak, Courage, and the 20,000-Mile Motorcycle Journey that Changed My Life and The Postal Paths: Rediscovering Britain's Forgotten Trails And The People Who Walked Them.

In the favourite maps selection, products include the Stanford's New Two Inch Map of London (1913), the Cambrian Way North (Devil’s Bridge to Conwy) - Harvey Map XT40, the Northern Spain: Camino de Santiago [3306] 1:380,000 travel map, the New York 1962 • Bollmann Bildkarten wall map, the Cortina d'Ampezzo · Dolomiti Ampezzane [03] 1:25,000 topographic hiking map, the Tromsø - Kvaløya [3010] 1:50,000 Nordeca Topo 3000 map, the Philip's Navigator Britain, the World [70048] 289 x 143cm Physical Laminated 3-Sheet wall map, The Adventure Map of Ireland, the Madeira [WKP 1] 1:30,000 hiking and leisure map, the Alps map inspired by Tolkien by Joshua Tabti Art, the Europe 1:4,150,000 Collins Rail Map, the Iceland [3302] 1:465,000 travel map, the London Pop-Up Tube Map by VanDam, the Historic Ways Road Map of England and Wales in the Late Middle Ages, the Brighton & Hove - Lewes & Burgess Hill OS Explorer OL11 map, the World Peters Projection political wall map, the Triglav 1:25,000 hiking map, the Antarctica and the Arctic BAS map, the World 1:17,361,316 Upside Down Pacific-Centred map, the Toronto NGS City Destination map, the Japan Marco Polo map, the Europe 1:4,000,000 / 1:1,500,000 rail map, Frida Kahlo's Mexico City, the wall map of the historic counties of the United Kingdom, the Albania - Michelin National Map 807, the World 1:37,213,000 Reference Map with Flags and Facts, the France Culture and Nature [925] 1:1,000,000 map, the London Premier A-Z wall map, the Central London Footways map, the Jungfrau Region [3323T] 1:33,333 hiking map, the Green Link Walk Footways map, the Japan [802] 1:1,500,000 national map and the Bedmap3 Bed Topography of Antarctica BAS wall map.

The new releases and notable titles section includes The Finest Hotel In Kabul: A People's History Of Afghanistan, The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2027, 31 Inventions that Built Our World, The Ghost of the Mountains: Unravelling the Secrets of the Snow Leopard and This Way Up: When Maps Go Wrong (and Why it Matters).

As travel inspiration, the bookshop suggests titles such as More Brilliant Maps: An All-new Atlas For Curious Minds, Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2027: The 50 Best Destinations and Experiences for the Year Ahead, Great Rail Journeys: 36 Adventures From Across The World, Lonely Planet Where To Go When: Hiking and Lonely Planet Don't Hike Naked in Switzerland: And 101 Other Travel Etiquette Tips.

In maps and atlases for 2027, titles announced include Britain AA Big Easy Read Atlas 2027, 2027 Collins Road Map of Scotland, 2027 Collins Road Map of Ireland, Philip's 2027 Britain & Ireland Road Atlas, France AA Traveller's Atlas 2027 and Great Britain A-Z Super Scale Road Atlas 2027.

Among the popular globes are Amber Crystal Light Solar System, Scratch Globe Large, Optimus Illuminated Gyromatic Globe 30cm, Safari Plus Kids Animal Globe with Wooden Base, Maximus Illuminated Gyromatic Globe 37cm, The Bradley Junior Globe and Columbus Duo 26cm Wooden Base Illuminated.

Services and programmes for customers

Stanfords offers services such as click & collect, delivery options, returns policy and FAQs. It has a business programme (Stanfords For Business), a trade account, gift cards, signed editions and a Stanfords passport. It also has an affiliate scheme, an Inntravel Map Finder service and a blog, as well as organising events and the Stanfords Awards.

The company maintains a corporate information section that includes its history, licensing, press information and an impersonation fraud alert.