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A ladder flanking shelves packed with books.
Photograph: Alice's Bookshop

The best second-hand bookshops in Melbourne

Fancy a well-thumbed read? We've rounded up the best bookshops for bargains and rarities

Adena Maier
Written by
Adena Maier
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The last few years have been tough on Melbourne's second-hand bookstores, as they've contended with lockdowns and the rise of ebooks. But as the cost of living rises and it gets more and more expensive to get your kicks for cheap, these merchants of pre-loved stories are on the rise again. Whether you're a bibliophile after rare books to add to your collection or an avid reader out for a bargain, our city has a wealth of second-hand stores to choose from — and we reckon the ones below are the best. 

Looking for more ways to save a buck? Here are 25 things to do in Melbourne for less than $25. And just in case you're after a newer tome, check out our guide to Melbourne's best bookstores.

Where to buy second-hand books in Melbourne

This quirky warehouse space in the heart of Fitzroy has had several past lives, including serving as a furniture factory, Aboriginal art centre and textile printing shop. In 2002, it was reborn as Page Two, a second-hand bookshop housing thousands of vintage, pre-loved and out-of-print titles in a wide range of genres. Explore the vast range, chat with Pamela — who has a knack for finding that book you've been after for years — and hang out with the shop's two resident Burmese cats. 

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If you stumble upon a table of books on the path of Sydney Road, head through the adjacent and unassuming doorway and up the stairs. Here, you'll find what is essentially a large apartment, where each room is filled with neatly organised shelves dedicated to specific genres. The space always smells incredible because the store is constantly burning Siddha meditation incense, and there are sofas scattered throughout where you can lounge while flipping through your potential picks. 

For 35 years, Alice's occupied a heritage storefront in Rathdowne village where it became a go-to spot for locals in the market for rare, out-of-print and second-hand books. Unfortunately for Carlton North residents, Alice's made the move to a storage unit in Preston in November 2020 — but it's not all bad news. The bookshop, which has a collection of approximately 18,000 books, is still operating by appointment.

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This cosy shop in Coburg has a little bit of everything, but it mainly specialises in classic fiction, cookbooks and children's books. So if you're on the hunt for new recipes to spice things up in the kitchen, or you have a few well-read tots hungry for new books, pop in to freshen up your collection. 

  • Things to do
  • Melbourne

Ask Tim White at Books for Cooks anything about food and he’ll think for a moment, scour his collection and pull out the one book you never knew you needed. Tim’s a food lover’s oracle, with a collection respected among Melbourne’s restaurant heavyweights. Into nose-to-tail cuisine? Want to sharpen your knife skills? Fancy trying out tripe recipes from vintage cookbooks circa 1850? There's sure to be a newly printed or second-hand book here that meets your criteria.

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Kay Craddock Antiquarian Bookselllers
  • Things to do
  • Melbourne

Kay Craddock’s isn’t so much a bookshop as a place to find leather-bound pieces of history or rediscover once-treasured books you had long forgotten. Opening up on Bourke Street in 1967 and then on Collins Street since 1990, the shop brims with titles across a range of categories, from Antipodean literature and other assorted Australiana to bound volumes of complete works by Dickens, Shakespeare and Byron dating back to the 1800s. Even if you’re not a cashed-up collector, there are many affordable books for sale, including a $5 discount table and shelves full of children’s books where you can find much-loved titles no longer in print. 

City Basement Books
  • Shopping
  • Melbourne

“We don’t specialise, we just make sure there is a book for everyone,” says Verity Mathews, whose family owns City Basement Books. She’s not exaggerating. The shop has a huge range of fiction and nonfiction to choose from, including large selections on military history, transport and maritime affairs. It also has an extensive second-hand engineering section, increasingly in demand since the closure of Melbourne’s Technical Bookshop many moons ago.

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Syber's Books
  • Things to do
  • Caulfield South

David and Penny Syber first opened Syber's Books in Windsor back in 1991, and since while the original location is no longer in operation, the beloved second-hand book shop now has two locations in Malvern and Caulfield. In each store, shelves are laden with books, with a special emphasis on military history, children's books, science fiction and crime. 

Still after the perfect read?

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