Book shopping in Sydney
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A
Bookshop Darlinghurst
This outstanding bookshop specialises in gay and lesbian tomes, with everything from queer crime and lesbian fiction to glossy pictorials and porn. A diverting browse, to say the least (hmm…which would look better on my coffee table: the Big Book of Breasts or the Big Penis Book?).
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B
Gould’s Book Arcade
Possibly the world’s scariest secondhand bookstore: the floor-to-ceiling racks and stacks threaten to bury you under a tonne of Stalinist analysis. All manner of musty out-of-print books are stocked, with the owner’s leftie leanings displayed along one very large wall. Cassettes, records and video tapes, too (VHS and Beta!).
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C
Gleebooks
Generally regarded to be Sydney’s best bookshop. The aisles are packed with politics, arts and general fiction, and staff really know their stuff. Check its calendar for author talks and book launches. Children’s and secondhand books are at their other store.
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D
Better Read Than Dead
This just might be our favourite Sydney bookshop, and not just because of the pithy name and the great selection of Lonely Planet titles. Nobody seems to mind if you waste hours perusing the beautifully presented aisles, stacked with high-, middle- and deliciously low-brow reading materials.
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E
Berkelouw Books
Six generations of Berkelouws have specialised in secondhand books and printed rarities since setting up shop in Holland in 1812, but its contemporary stores are just as good for new releases and coffee sipping. There are also branches in Paddington and Newtown.
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F
Gertrude & Alice
This shambolic secondhand bookshop and cafe is so un-Bondi: there’s not a model or a surfer in sight. Locals, students and academics hang out reading, drinking coffee and acting like Americans in Paris. Join them for some lentil stew and theological discourse around communal tables.
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G
Kinokuniya
This outpost of the Japanese chain is the largest bookstore in Sydney, with over 300,000 titles. The comics section is a magnet for geeky teens – the imported Chinese, Japanese and European magazine section isn’t. There’s a cool little cafe here, too.
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H
Ariel
Furtive artists, architects and students roam Ariel’s aisles late into the night. ‘Underculture’ is the thrust here – glossy art, film, fashion and design books, along with kids’ books, travel guides and a queer-lit section.
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I
Zabriskie Booksellers
Do bushy-bushy blonde surfies read books? If the crowds at Zabriskie’s are anything to go by, the answer must be yes. This tiny cultural oasis in Bondi’s literary desert has more books than space – staff scramble up ladders to the top shelves.
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J
Lesley McKay's Bookshop
This independent bookseller stocks an excellent range of fiction, biography and history titles. There's an especially good selection of children's books, too, and the knowledgable staff won't let you down.
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Berkelouw Books, Newtown
Six generations of Berkelouws have specialised in secondhand books and printed rarities since setting up shop in Holland in 1812, but its contemporary stores are just as good for new releases and coffee sipping.
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K
Dymocks
Heavy on the bestsellers, this mammoth, mainstream bookstore has more than 250,000 titles spread over three floors (including a helluva lot of Lonely Planet guides). Stationery and a cafe, too.
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L
Map World
For a great selection of travel maps (and Lonely Planet guidebooks), visit the delightfully nerdy Map World. For touring maps of country areas, see the NRMA.
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Berkelouw Books, Paddington
Six generations of Berkelouws have specialised in secondhand books and printed rarities but its contemporary stores are just as good for new releases and coffee sipping.
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N
Gleebooks, Glebe
Gleebooks is generally regarded as Sydney’s best bookshop. This branch has children’s and secondhand books.
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