Saturday 22 February 2014

Homage To a Lost Generation....


We belong to a generation that has, for the most part, forgotten the sacrifices and hardships suffered by our grand-parents and great-grand parents in the 20th century. We live in the best of times, because they lived in some of the worst of times.

Nothing illustrates this more than delving into the complicated world of the history of the Spanish Civil War. The 1930s were a time when, in spite of literary works such as The Great Gatsby and Little House on the Prairie, western society was undergoing such a magnificent turmoil, it would take over half a century for things to straighten themselves out. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell has been a popular classic for over fifty years now.

Orwell’s combination of on the spot journalistic style combined with the now clichéd charm of a middle-class man espousing working-class sympathies has given many readers enjoyment and pause for thought. I’m a great believer, though, in combining reading experiences, and other media, to get a better grasp of the bigger picture. We have the advantage, of course, of buckets full of hindsight, numerous books have addressed the subject of the Spanish Civil War since its end. For my money you can’t  do much better for a wide-ranging slice of the story, than I Am Spain by David Boyd Haycock. Ernest Hemingway and Joris Ivens’ 1937 film, The Spanish Earth lends a wider perspective to the conflict which I would definitely recommend after reading about the war. Propaganda, whatever its perspective, should never be swallowed without an accompanying dose of other frames of reference.
Haycock does an excellent job of bringing together the experiences of the writers that seemed to flood Spain during the conflict. He also offers a helpful chronological approach to the narrative, essential in such a complex story. An added dimension to understanding the conflict is available with the wonders of modern technology via YouTube.

For me, the 1930s in Europe, and gradually across the rest of the world, became about the fight between two conflicting ideologies, Communism and Fascism. This fight would continue to reap a horrendous toll on human life through the decades of the 30s, 40s, 50s, and on into the 60s and 70s, to a lesser degree, as communism became the remaining threat. In many ways; the mediocre, beige world we now inhabit is the best, or at least safest scenario, when compared to the world we might be enduring without such a conflict having taken place.

Friday 21 February 2014

Bookstore Listings.....

Hello

Welcome to our listings section. This was the origin of the idea for Book Lovers Melbourne, when we realised there was no "go to" site for people who loved to spend a day trawling round Melbourne's many book stores looking for a new piece for the collection, a new read for the train, an old classic to rediscover and so on.

And this is the result! This is as yet, a far from comprehensive list, we hope you'll bear with us as we add further stores to the list.

If you are aware of any inaccuracies in the following list, please don't hesitate to let us know, but please remember this is an amateur 'not for profit' site, so any information that is incorrect we apologise in advance for, but accept no responsibility for, loss of business...etc etc etc...blah blah blah.... you know the drill.
Enjoy!! 

City Basement Books
342 Flinders Street Melbourne 3000
CBD
www.citybasementbooks.com.au
books@citybasementbooks.com.au
03 9620 0428
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 10.00am to 6.00pm
Saturday 10.00am to 2.00pm
A wonderful secondhand bookshop hidden deep beneath a kebab shop opposite the western end of Flinders Street Station.

Hyland's Bookshop
Level 1, Mid-City Arcade, 200 Bourke Street 3000
CBD
www.hylandsbookshop.com.au
neil@hylandsbookshop.com.au
03 9654 7448
Opening Times:
Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 5.30pm
Friday 9.30am to 6.30pm
Saturday 9.30am to 12.30pm
Melbourne's premier military and transport focused bookstore.

Embiggen Books
197 to 203 Little Lonsdale Street 3000
CBD
embiggenbooks.com
info@embiggenbooks.com
03 9662 2062
Opening Times:
Monday to Wednesday 9.30am to 6.30pm
Thursday & Friday 9.30am to 7.00pm
Saturday & Sunday 10.30am to 5.00pm
A well curated collection of titles, with a particularly interesting scientific bent in the heart of the CBD.

Robinson's Bookshop Emporium
Shop 3001 Emporium 3000
287 Lonsdale Street
CBD
www.robinsonsbooks.com.au
emporium@robinsonsbooks.com.au
03 9783 6488

Opening Times:
Monday to Wednesday 10.00am to 7.00pm

Thursday & Friday 10.00am to 9.00pm
Saturday & Sunday 10.00am to 7.00pm
A number of branches across the region with a great collection of new titles.

Theosophical Society Bookshop
126 Russell Street 3000
CBD
www.tsbookshop.com.au
enquires@tsbookshop.com.au
03 9650 3995

Opening Times:
Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 6.00pm
A bookshop that engages with the 'left field' of ideas. For the esoteric reader.

Readings At State Library
State Library Of Victoria Swanson Street 3000
CBD
www.readings.com.au
slv@readings.com.au
03 8664 7540

Opening Times:
Monday to Sunday 10.00am to 6.00pm
Readings is legendary Victorian bookseller with various branches across Melbourne selling an extensive range of new titles.

Hill of Content
86 Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000
CBD
www.hillofcontentbookshop.com
melbourne@hillofcontentbookshop.com
03 9662 9472
Opening Times:
Monday to Thursday 9.00am to 6.00pm
Friday 9.00am to 8.00pm
Saturday 10.00am to 6.00pm
Sunday 11.00am to 5.00pm
New books in a very well stocked shop with an extensive range and friendly staff.

The Paperback
60 Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000
CBD
www.paperbackbooks.com.au
03 9662 1396
Opening Times:
Monday to Thursday 9.30am till 10.00pm
Friday 9.30am till 11.30pm
Saturday 11.00am till 11.30pm
Sunday and Public Holidays Noon till 7.00pm
New releases and back-listed titles. Very long opening hours with great coffee sold next door!


Reader's Feast Booksellers
20, 492 Little Collins Street 3000
CBD
www.readersfeastbooksellers.com
readers@readersfeast.com.au
03 9662 4699
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6.00pm
Saturday & Sunday 10.00am to 3.00pm
A stunningly presented bookstore with a great selection of new books, passionate staff and an interesting history. Ask the staff about the store's history and they'll enthusiastically tell you all about it.


Kay Craddock Antiquarian Bookseller
156 Collins Street 3000
CBD
03 9654 8506
Opening Times:
Monday to Thursday 10.00am to 6.00pm
Friday 10.00am to 7.00pm
Saturday 10.00am to 4.00pm
Sunday Closed
Rare and fine quality second-hand books.

Federation Square Book Market
The Atrium Federation Square 3000
CBD
www.fedsquare.com/events/book-market/
Opening Times:
Saturday only 11.00am to 5.00pm
A variety of stallholders bring the Atrium to life every Saturday with a range of new and used books.


Books For Cooks
129-131 Therry Street Queen Victoria Market 3000
CBD
www.booksforcooks.com.au
shop@booksforcooks.com.au
03 8415 1415
Opening Times:
Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
As the name suggests this is a one stop shop for everything the culinary reader could need.

The Sun Bookshop
10 Ballarat Street 3013
Yarraville
www.sunbookshop.com
info@sunbookshop.com
03 9689 0661

Opening Times:
Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 9.30pm
Sunday 10.00am to 7.30pm
Set within the Art Deco Sun Theatre, the bookshop also has a separate children's book section over the road that is open for slightly shorter hours.


Book And Paper
36 Douglas Parade 3016
Williamstown
www.bookandpaper.com.au
bookandpaper@bigpond.com
03 9397 7784

Opening Times:
Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 5.30pm

Sunday 11.00am to 3.00pm
An extensive range of children's and young adult's literature as well as general titles.

Robinson's Bookshop Highpoint
Shop L2 2156 Highpoint Shopping Centre 3032
120 to 200 Rosamund Road
Maribyrnong
www.robinsonsbooks.com.au
highpoint@robinsonsbooks.com.au
03 9783 6488
Opening Times:

Monday to Wednesday 9.00am to 5.30pm
Thursday & Friday 9.00am to 9.00pm
A number of branches across the region with a great collection of new titles.

Readings Carlton
309 Lygon Street 3053
Carlton
www.readings.com.au
Email: customerservice@readings.com.au
03 9347 6633

Opening Times:
Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 11.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 9.00pm
Readings is legendary Victorian bookseller with various branches across Melbourne selling an extensive range of new titles.

Alice’s Bookshop
629 Rathdowne Street 3054
North Carlton
03 93474656
Opening Times: 
Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 6.00pm
Sunday 11.00am to 5.00pm
Alice’s is a general second-hand bookshop with a strong emphasis on literature, the arts, the humanities, philosophy and psychology.

The Little Bookroom
759 Nicholson Street Carlton 3054
CBD
www.littlebookroom.com.au
leesa@littlebookroom.com.au
03 9387 9837
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 10.00am to 5.30pm
Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 3.00pm
Children's books since 1960, based in cool and trendy Carlton.

Red Wheelbarrow Books
https://www.facebook.com/Red-Wheelbarrow-Books-568841589816204/105 Lygon Street 3057
105 Lygon Street 3057
Brunswick East
0402 538 668
Opening Times: 
Tuesday to Sunday 11.00am to 6.00pm
A great selection of second-hand books with it's own in-store novelist! Who could ask for more!

Pictures And Pages 
400 Sydney Road 3058
Coburg
03 9041 6398
Opening Times: 
Monday to Wednesday 9.30am to 5.00pm
Thursday & Friday 11.00am to 5.00pm
Saturday & Sunday 11.00am to 3.00pm
Pictures and Pages opened in December 2014. It specialises in children books but also has a section for the grown ups!

The Searchers
93 Smith Street 3065
Fitzroy
www.thesearchers.com.au
thesearcherssecondhand@gmail.com
03 9939 0096
Opening Times:
Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 6.00pm
Sunday 11.00am to 5.00pm
Second-hand books and second-hand records all under one roof! As well as some great turntables, friendly staff and awesome tunes while you browse.

The Brunswick Street Bookstore
305 Brunswick Street 3065
Fitzroy
03 9416 1030
Opening Times:
Monday to Sunday 10.00am to 9.00pm
New release and backlist fiction and non-fiction, extensive sections of art and design, architecture, cooking, gardening, kids books and travel.

Grub Street Bookshop
379 Brunswick Street 3065
Fitzroy
03 9417 3117
Opening Times:
Monday to Sunday 11.00am to 6.00pm
An excellent second-hand bookshop that epitomises the traditional, slightly beautifully chaotic experience second-hand book shopping ought to be.

Already Read
98 Scotchmer Street 3068
North Fitzroy
http://www.alreadyreadbookshop.com.au/
alreadyread@bigpond.com
03 9489 1092
Opening Times:
Monday closed
Tuesday to Saturday 10.00am to 5.00pm (6.00pm AEDT)
Sunday 11.00am to 5.00pm
Cash only, but there is an ATM just around the corner, the nicest smelling bookshop in Melbourne!

Allsorts Books
275 High Street 3070
Northcote
03 9482 7930
Opening Times:
Monday to Sunday 12 noon to 6.00pm
A wonderful second-hand bookstore perfect for fossicking.

Brown & Bunting Booksellers
237 High Street 3070
Northcote
email via website only
03 9481 3388
Opening Times:
Sunday to Thursday 11.00am to 6.00pm
Friday to Saturday 11.00am to 9.00pm
A second-hand bookshop that feels like a new bookshop!

Fully Booked
824 High Street 3071
Thornbury
Website: none
Email: none
Phone: none!
Opening Times:
Tuesday to Friday 10.00am to 6.00pm
Saturday 1.00pm to 6.00pm
In spite of a complete lack of ways to communicate with this shop other than by post, or actually walking in off of the street (and do, you won't regret it) this is one of my favourite bookshops in the city. Your hosts are husband and wife team Tadhg and Rallou, great names and great, friendly, knowledgeable, service. These guys seem to pretty much know everything that's in the shop and the very best thing to recommend if you're looking for something on a specific topic. 

Robinson's Bookshop Greensborough
Shop 308 Greensborough Plaza 3088
25 Main Street
Greensborough
www.robinsonsbooks.com.au
greensborough@robinsonsbooks.com.au
03 9783 6488
Opening Times:
Monday to Wednesday 9.00am to 5.30pm

Thursday 9.00am to 8.00pm
Friday 9.00am to 9.00pm
Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
A number of branches across the region with a great collection of new titles.

Tim’s Bookshop
129 High Street 3101
Kew
03 9853 5634
Opening Times:
Monday to Thursday 9.00am to 5.30pm
Friday 9.00am to 7.00pm
Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
A well stocked store for new books.

The Merchant of Fairness
237a Whitehorse Road 3103
Balwyn
03 9696 6545
Opening Times:
Tuesday to Sunday 11.00am to 7.00pm
Closed Monday
A slightly chaotic book fossickers’ dream. Also holds a regular stall at South Melbourne Market.

Avenue Bookstore
91 Swan Street 3121
Richmond
richmond@avenuebookstore.com.au
03 8456 0627
Opening Times:
Monday to Sunday 9.00am to 7.00pm
A massive selection of new books over a large premises, the staff here are incredibly helpful and well-informed.

Readings Hawthorn
701 Glenferrie Road 3122
Hawthorn
www.readings.com.au
Email: hawthorn@
03 9819 1917

Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 8.00am to 8.00pm

Saturday 9.00am to 6.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 6.00pm
Readings is legendary Victorian bookseller with various branches across Melbourne selling an extensive range of new titles.

Sainsbury’s Books
534 Riversdale Road 3124
Camberwell
Email: john@sainsburysbooks.com.au
03 9882 7705
Opening Times:
Monday to Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
A varied collection of both rare and less rare second-hand books. One of my personal favourite Melbourne book stores.

Novel Idea
452 Toorak Road 3142
Toorak
03 9826 3186
Opening Times:
Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Sunday 11.00am to 4.00pm
New books with an online purchase facility.


My Bookshop
513 Malvern Road 3142
Toorak
03 9826 4807
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Saturday 8.30am to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
New books with an online purchase facility.


My Bookshop
430 Toorak Road 3142
Toorak
corrie@mybookshop.net.au
03 9826 4807
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Saturday 8.30am to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
New books with an online purchase facility.


Robinson's Bookshop Chadstone
Shop F9C Chadstone Shopping Centre 3148
1341 Dandenong Road
Chadstone
www.robinsonsbooks.com.au
chadstone@robinsonsbooks.com.au
03 9783 6488

Opening Times:
Monday to Wednesday 9.00am to 5.30pm

Thursday & Friday 9.00am to 9.00pm
Saturday 9.00am to 6.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
A number of branches across the region with a great collection of new titles.

Belgrave Book Barn
1630 Burwood Highway 3160
Belgrave
03 9752 5404
Opening Times:
Monday to Thursday 10.00am to 5.30pm
Friday 10.00am to 9.00pm
Saturday 10.00am to 9.30pm
Sunday 11.00am to 9.30pm
New books and art supplies in the Dandenongs.

Between The Covers
250b Glenferrie Road 3144
Malvern
No website
No Email
03 95095797
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 9.00am to 6.00pm
Saturday and Sunday Sometimes!
A wonderfully eccentric outlet for second-hand books, predominantly paperbacks, everything $5.00, tucked upstairs between two other shops. Don’t blink as you pass, you’ll miss it!

Readings Malvern
185 Glenferrie Road 3144
Malvern
www.readings.com.au
malvern@readings.com.au
03 9525 3852
Opening Times:
Monday to Saturday 9.00am to 6.00pm

Sunday 10.00am to 6.00pm
Readings is legendary Victorian bookseller with various branches across Melbourne selling an extensive range of new titles.

Jeffreys Books
140 Glenferrie Road 3144
Malvern
Open Times:
Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm
Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
One of Melbourne’s longest standing outlets for new books.

Books In Print
100 Glenferrie Road 3144
Malvern
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm
Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
New books, serving Malvern for twenty five years.

Syber’s Books
668 Glenhuntley Road 3161
Caulfield South
03 9523 6686
Opening Times:
Thursday to Tuesday 12.00 noon to 5.00pm
Closed Wednesday
Sister shop to Syber’s Books in Windsor, this branch holds stock that doesn’t fit in, either physically or categorically to Windsor.

Syber’s Books
38 Chapel Street 3181
Windsor
03 9530 2222
Opening Times:
Monday to Sunday 12.00 noon to 5.30pm
A wide selection of second-hand books, as well as resident cats!

Readings St Kilda
112 Acland Street 3182
St Kilda
www.readings.com.au
stkilda@readings.com.au
03 9525 3852

Opening Times:
Monday to Sunday 10.00am to 9.00pm
Readings is legendary Victorian bookseller with various branches across Melbourne selling an extensive range of new titles.

Avenue Bookstore
434 Glenhuntly Road 3185
Elsternwick
elsternwick@avenuebookstore.com.au
03 9523 6405
Opening Times:
Monday to Sunday 9.00am to 6.00pm
A massive selection of new books over a large premises, the staff here are incredibly helpful and well-informed.

Thesaurus Books
29 Church Street 3186
Brighton
info@thesaurusbooks.com.au
03 9591 0811
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 9.00am to 6.00pm
Saturday 9.00am to 7.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
Operating since 1978, also with online shopping facilities via the website above.

Top Titles
Shop 3 Dendy Plaza 26 Church Street 3186
Brighton
email via website
03 9553 8033
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm
Saturday 9.00am to 7.30pm
Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
Operating since 2001, Nicole & Jean-Eric Menard are your hosts for a wide selection crammed into a small space.

Grant’s Bookshop
4/91 Tulip Street 3191
Sandringham
rarebooks@grantsbookshop.com.au
03 9585 4181
Opening Times:
Wednesday to Saturday 1.00pm to 5.30pm
Second-hand books including rare books.

Robinson's Bookshop Frankston
Shop 3/11 Station Street Mall 3199
Frankston
www.robinsonsbooks.com.au
enquiries@robinsonsbooks.com.au
03 9783 6488
Opening Times:
Monday to Wednesday 9.00am to 5.30pm

Thursday 9.00am to 6.00pm
Friday 9.00am to 8.00pm
Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
A number of branches across the region with a great collection of new titles.

Benn's Books
437 Centre Road 3204
Bentleigh
Email via website
03 9557 3969
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 9.00am to 6.00pm
Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 4.00pm
A local family run business of thirty years standing.

Coventry Bookstore
265 Coventry Street 3205
South Melbourne
03 9686 8200
Opening Times:
Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5.30pm
Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 4.00pm
Excellent selection of new books. A rare find in South Melbourne.

Avenue Bookstore
127 Dundas Place 3206
Albert Park
03 9690 2227
Opening Times:
Monday to Sunday 9.00am to 7.00pm
A massive selection of new books over a large premises, the staff here are incredibly helpful and well-informed.

Further Afield:

Barwon Booksellers
2 James Street 3220
Geelong
Email via website
03 5221 8388
Opening Times:
Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 5.00pm.
A little further afield but an excellent source of second-hand books, also with a branch in Queenscliff.

Paradise Bookshop
46 Vincent Street 3460
Daylesford
03 5348 1288
Opening Times:
Monday to Saturday 10.00am to 5.00pm.
14 rooms jammed with new and secondhand books and ephemera, in beautiful Daylesford.

Antipodes Bookshop & Gallery
138 Ocean Beach Road 3943
Sorrento
www.antipodesbookshop.com
antipode@nex.net.au
03 5984 4217
Opening Times:
Monday to Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm.
As the name suggest a combined bookstore and art gallery in sunny Sorrento!

Forge Bookbarn
100 Main Street 3340
Bacchus Marsh
info@cottageandforge.com
03 5367 0481
Opening Times:
Friday 12.00 noon to 4.00pm
Saturday 10.00am to 2.00pm
Sunday 12.00 noon to 4.00pm
A non-profit second-hand book store, run entirely by volunteers and situated in Bacchus Marsh's historic Blacksmith Cottage & Forge.