Newham Bookshop logo (2015)

Open Tuesday to Saturday from
10 am to 5 pm.

We can send books by post, usually £3 in the UK.
Newham Bookshop logo (2015) The Wanstead Tap logo
Newham Bookshop events at The Wanstead Tap, Spring/Summer 2024
  • Thursday 18 April at 7.30 pm

    Sarah Wise
    The Undesirables

  • Thursday 25 April at 7.30 pm

    Andrew Whitehead
    A Devilish Kind Of Courage

  • Thursday 16 May at 7.30 pm

    Viv Groskop
    One Ukrainian Summer

  • Wednesday 29 May at 7.30 pm

    Iain Sinclair
    Pariah Genius

  • Wednesday 5 June at 7.30 pm

    Laura Laker
    Potholes and Pavements




Newham Bookshop by Pete Fallan
Newham Bookshop, Pete Fallan, March 2021.


Thursday 6 April at 7.30 pm
at The Wanstead Tap


Bike Nation
Bike Nation is published in
paperback by Yellow Jersey Press
on 6 April 2017 at £12.99.

Buy ticket online
Tickets online from
Newham Bookshop £5

The Wanstead Tap logo

Great range of beers and sophisticated soft drinks
Peter Walker
Launch event on publication day

Peter Walker
Bike Nation

How Cycling Can Save the World

Are helmets really worth all the bother? Is cycling the answer to Britain’s national health problems? Are cyclists really the danger on our roads – or is it time for drivers to give way?

In Bike Nation, Peter Walker take us on a journey around the world, exploring the varying attitudes to urban cycling. With unprecedented access to politicians and campaigners alike, he is a leading expert and a key voice in the national cycling conversation.

According to Transport for London, motorists entering central London during the morning peak in 2000 outnumbered cyclists by more than 11 to 1. By 2014, the ratio was 1.7 to 1. If these trends continue, the number of people commuting by bike will overtake the number commuting by car in 2019. And it’s not just London – councils in Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds are all making multi-million pound investments in bike paths and cycling hubs. With all this in mind, it’s safe to say that cycling is one of the hottest topics on our highways.

In Bike Nation, Peter Walker explores the idea that helmets could actually be more of a hindrance than help to cyclists’ safety; that if better provisions were made for cyclists, we could improve gender equality on our roads; looking at respected medical studies, he illustrates how cycling just three times a week could revolutionise our national health. A healthier, safer and more egalitarian nation could be on the way – if we become a Bike Nation.

Peter Walker is a political correspondent for the Guardian. In 2009 he founded the Guardian Bike Blog, which has quickly become the primary destination for cucling debate. In 2014 he was named by BikeBiz magazine as one of the 50 most influential people in UK cycling, and in 2016 he was shortlisted for the Specialist Writer category at the Cycling Media Awards.

“Peter Walker has written the book I wanted to write. It shold be compulsory reading for anyone in a decision-making role. This might be a sweeping statement but when you see the diverse and positive impact cycling could have on our lives – cyclist or not – you’ll understand.” – Chris Boardman.

“Stacked with stats and filled with stories, this book is as exhilarating as a clear stretch of highway. If we are at a turning pointfor cycling in big cities, this book is it.” – Jeremy Vine.

Watch out for online events


Family lessons for
Writing and Reading Newham
available here

On the Record logo

Interested in learning more about Newham Bookshop and some of the people connected with it? We have four lessons for classroom or family use developed from On the Record’s oral history project centered around Newham Bookshop, Writing and Reading Newham. Click here for full details.


LoveReading logo

Newham Bookshop is LoveReading’s
Bookshop of the Month

We are proud that Newham Bookshop is LoveReading’s Bookshop of the Month. The article features a Q&A with Vivian Archer, which you can read here.


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