Book shopping in Melbourne
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A
Metropolis
Lovely bookish eyrie with a particular focus on art, architecture, fashion and film. It also has some very special kids books and a desert-island discs selection.
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B
Brunswick St Bookstore
A Fitzroy fixture with contemporary titles, art, literature and design tomes, plus cosy seating.
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C
Chronicles Bookshop
It's elbows in and neck out while looking for books among Chronicles' walls of tightly crammed titles. Contemporary fiction is the thing here, particularly Australian literature and crime fiction. Nonfiction specialities include travel and cooking. Savvy staff at this compact store can help find your perfect read. Or grab a card and pen and scrawl a greeting home from the recessed courtyard café next door.
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D
Architext
Architext’s stock covers the gamut of design and architecture-related titles, including environmental architecture, urban design, photography, theory, journals and magazines. It also stocks the best range of Melbourne-specific books: look for titles by author Philip Goad or the work of local photographer John Gollings.
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E
Collected Works Bookshop
Melbourne’s only dedicated poetry bookshop is hidden away in the suitably bookish Nicholas Building. It specialises in the work of Australian poets but also has a large stock of international writers and poetry in translation. Staff will happily order in the most obscure of titles for you too.
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F
Kay Craddock Antiquarian Bookseller
In the basement of a neogothic building, Kay Craddock has an impressive collection of antiquarian and secondhand books, from the 15th to the 21st centuries. There’s a hoard of local curiosities as well intriguing books about books and book-collecting.
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G
Artisan Books
This moody-looking shop keeps a wonderful range of books, periodicals and exhibition catalogues on art, craft, design and material culture. It also hosts exhibitions of local craftwork from beanies to baskets to ceramics. Staff are knowledgeable too.
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H
Coventry Bookstore
A fab independent bookstore with a good travel section as well as titles that appeal to the designers, architects and ad-land creatives that work around here. It’s warm and woody and there’s also a special children’s area.
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I
Sticky
If you’re after a little tram reading, head underground to Sticky, where local zinesters staple and photocopy together their latest minibooks about local indie music, crap temp jobs or bleeding-edge comics.
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J
Polyester Books
Take kinky and rude and then go several steps beyond. This unapologetic shop specialises in literature, magazines and audiovisual materials on topics from satanic cult sex to underground comics, and everything in between.
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K
Avenue Books
Everyone needs a neighbourhood bookshop like this one, full of nooks and crannies to perch with literary fiction, cooking, gardening, art and children’s books. Cluey staff make spot-on recommendations too.
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L
Hill of Content
Old-fashioned bookshop with a wide range of general books as well as an extensive stock of arts, classics and poetry. It showcases covetable visual-arts titles from publisher Thames & Hudson.
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M
Hares & Hyenas Bookshop
A well-resourced and welcoming gay and lesbian bookshop, which regularly features readings by visiting authors.
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N
Reader’s Feast
Extensive range of titles across all genres, with friendly service and an author reading program.
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O
Paperback Books
A small space jam-packed with carefully selected titles; great when you need a novel fast.
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P
Readings
A potter around this defiantly prospering indie bookshop can occupy an entire afternoon if you're so inclined. There's a dangerously loaded (and good-value) specials table, switched-on staff and everyone from Lacan to Charlie & Lola on the shelves.
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Q
Foreign Language Bookshop
Foreign-language books, dictionaries, magazines and even board games.
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