It seems the best book shops hide behind a tough, gritty and casually cool exterior. Think Out of Print Books on battered Canterbury Road or the piles and piles of paperbacks at Goulds'.
All Arts Book Shop is no exception. An artistic oasis in an intensely industrial estate.
The store caters to the fanatic art fiend as well as the casual collector, definitely favoring the former.
Nestled amongst a bakery, newsagent and several boarded-up shop fronts is arguably Australia's best anthology of out-of-print and collectible books. Co-owner Anne prefers to call the shop a 'storage facility' rather than a retail store, explaining that 90 percent of sales are made online from local and international customers.
Amidst Little Italy's grinding espressos, warm trattorias and Soprano-style suits, lies the quiet pages of Shearer's Bookshop. It would seem like your av-er-age purveyor of fine paperbacks, with a languid mix of the latest release fiction and DIY guiding you through the kitchen to the computer, but like all good Italians, Shearer's has a few cards up its sleeve.
Search our guide to Sydney
Browse our guide to Sydney by interest


Browse our guide to Sydney by keyword
Sydney Events Calendar
Select a date to see what's on in Sydney
Browse our guide to Sydney by weekly issue