Second Hand Bookshops Melbourne

I learned from experience that when you visit a city for the first time it is not always easy to find the bookshops that may be of interest. I was in Paris a few weeks ago and wanted to visit a few shops, heaven knows they have enough of them. Everybody knows about Shakespeare and Company but how many would be eager to visit San Francisco Books, which was my favorite book store in the whole city.


I have a friend who is off to Melbourne soon and she asked if I knew of any good second hand bookshops there. Of course she thought that since I run The Bookshop Blog that I knew about every great bookstore in every city. Unfortunately beyond Montreal and Paris – things get a little thin. We did write up a post on a second hand book in the UK recently and I thought it wouldn’t be so tough to jot down a note about second hand bookshops Melbourne then give her the link. Of course if you know of some others, please include them in the comments.

If you are into books and cooking then you are in for a treat as Melborne has one of the best wine and cookbook shops around. You’ll not only find many of the great cookbooks but also a nice selection of culinary magazines. Books for Cooks is run by folks who really know their food, you won’t leave with only a nice book but, if you’re lucky, some indispensable tips as well.

…new & second-hand cookery book store; run by cooks & lovers of good food, with over 30,000 new, out-of print, second-hand & antiquarian cookery books & food & wine titles in stock (five rooms, floor to ceiling jam-packed).

Second hand bookshops Melbourne has its very own Haunted Bookshop. Sitting at 15 McKillop Street – it’s certainly worth a visit.

For a more established company there is always Angus & Robertson. They’ve been around for over 100 years and have evolved into Australia’s largest bookseller.

The Angus & Robertson story began in February 1882, when a young Scotsman named George Robertson started work at a Sydney bookshop just four days after arriving in Australia. Eleven months later, fellow Scot, David Angus joined the team but after two years decided to branch out on his own. In 1884 he opened his first store in tiny premises at 110 Market Street, Sydney. From this humble start, David Angus established an enterprise that was to grow in size and influence far beyond his conservative expectations.

Finally if you prefer supporting a smaller independent shop or just a need a pocket book for the train ride to Sydney then consider The Paperback Bookshop. They have been in business since the sixties and carry a nice selection of fiction and non-fiction titles. If you have your own favorite second hand bookshops Melborne then please tell us about it in the comments.