Basement Books is a dangerous place on many levels…read more Danger number one: It's in Central. It is right in Central. Central is a place you meet people, so you might say, meet you in central at 4pm and then you get there at 3.30pm and you have to wait. So what do you do? You go to Basement Books and peruse their countless books with bright yellow stickers advertising their low and affordable price. Danger number two: Because these books that you're perusing are cheap, you can justify the price even if you're not sure whether you even need the book. 'Oh, a history of Physics' I've always been interested in Physics, and it's only $9.95 I should probably buy this and learn about Physics. Danger number three: Their range is gigantic! I almost said 'ginormous', but that's not a word. What I meant was Hugantic! There are literally thousands upon thousands of books and they're always receiving new stock. They have art sections, computer sections, history, film, personal growth, science fiction, literature, even books like the dictionary, which, had I purchased a copy last I was in, would have saved me the embarrassment of using a non-word like 'ginormous'. So beware of Basement Books. You have been warned. The bookshop is in a great location, the titles are cheap and the range extraordinary. I have a pile of books in my room almost as tall as I am that I have yet to read, opportune purchases that came at me as I strolled amidst the aisles killing time. A book on deadly diseases for $4.95, I'm not going to find that bargain again. Buy! Buy! Buy!

In this day and age of Kindle and Kobo and Nook, a solid read (and I mean one that you can…read moreliterally hold and turn pages beneath your fingers) comes pretty cheap. You really do need to head in to see what they've got because I find their online catalogue lacking and sometimes the staff don't even know what they're stocking. The outside disguises how big this place really is, as it has sections for anything from classic fiction to travel books and bios. It has a pretty decent selection of art supplies as well (I'm no art student, but it does cater for scrapbooking hobbies or the amateur artist if you're after it). Right in the back corner they have a little children's section which I found perfect for my six year old sister who's going through her first reading phase. I bought her a collection of these tiny Winnie the Pooh classics, and a special anniversary edition of Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and Friends stories which averaged around $4 and $12 respectively. They have tons of different hard cover books (some of which are pop up!) which were surprisingly cheap, but more importantly, were invaluable in keeping kids (of all ages) entertained for hours.

Lots of books. There was a large amount of bilingual books although it was hard to findread more

After I was done with having lunch at The Galeries, I went upstairs to floor 2 to check this place…read moreout. They're a Japanese chain bookstore. I've been to their locations in Los Angeles, CA and Seattle, WA. My goodness, they had quite the extensive manga selection! Of course all of the super popular ones were available. If I had one of these bookstores closer to where I live, I would be giving them a lot of my money! Everything was so well organized, so everything was very easy to locate.

This was a little comic store from the 80s and 90s run by the lovely Terry Brown since deceased in…read moreabout 2016. A high point in my youth was seeing Terry and his girl Ruth during each Saturday morning run into town. Now sadly gone since the mid to late 90s I am surprised the name still turns up on a search. - David R 27/5/2018 davidrlandofoz@gmail.com

I am pretty solidly connected to parts of the Japanese community in Sydney. As such, being able to…read morefind the staples of life like supermarkets, community organisations and even bookstores is a must. Well Hondarake (meaning nothing but books) covers this in spades. Formerly in a shop closer to the King St wharf, this little bookstore either has or can get whatever Japanese related book or manga you require. More importantly, the prices are such that you wont need to sell your first born as with some Japanese bookstores that may or may not be located in the Victoria's Gallery .... Check it out. It is just upstairs.

Hondarake is a gem in an obscure location (it has moved to the corner of Liverpool st and Sussex St…read moreat the commerce building) The whole store is literally filled with books. While it may not have the classy ambiance of Kinokuniya, Hondarake has a pretty decent collection of cheap second hand reads which all look almost new. Would definitely recommend if you are looking for raw manga/novels. Value for money 5/5 Selection 3/5 Ambiance 2/5 Service 4/5

I put an order in online from the US and never received my product. While I placed this order in…read moreOctober of 2011. Sometime has seriously passed- without a word since March. While I do not want to slander the person handling (or the lack of) handling my case. I do have email correspondence that died off with no follow-up. I would like a refund for my product that never was shipped. I'm sure this company is not bad, but the folks in-charge are just too busy or can care-less. Leaving customers hanging and ripping them off is not the way to do business, period. www.nationstate.com.au

A disclaimer before I start. I love magazines. One of my absolute all-time favourite books concerns…read moreHarold Hayes, the 1960s editor of Esquire magazine. So it should be clear then where I'm going to go with this. I am going to tell you, dear reader, that I love this place. Mag Nation is a magazine store. That is to say, they only sell magazines - no clear-lined writing books, no greeting cards, no pens and pencils and pencil sharpeners, no newspapers, no Archie comics (they do sell some comics but not Archie), they don't sell bus travel tickets, they don't sell cigarettes, no newspapers, no cold drinks. Magazines. That's it. And it's on two levels. That's two levels of magazines. You'll need more than pocket change. The magazines all vary in price and if you're literate and you have hopes, dreams, curiosities, interests, you will likely want to go out the store with more than one so be prepared to come in with a semi-fat wallet.

As an American exploring Paddington for the first time I came across this awesome cafe on Oxford…read more My flat was close by and the purple exterior was a happy purple that made me curious. Then I saw things that sparked joy. Coffee, books, art, food, Australian wine. And the outside tables were occupied by chill patrons of the intellect hip kind. My kind of people enjoying the warm Sydney weather. Add to this 3 floors to explore. I loved this place so much I came a few times. I loved looking through all the books and trying items off their menu. Rose' excellent. Flat white perfect. Chai very nice. The food is made from scratch so I cannot give this place enough Yelp stars. It would be 5 stars for each category. Their wifi works great too. I tried to order things I wasn't familiar with. They also have specials of the day so give that a go if you find your way here. I tried a Caramel Slice coz I've never seen that before. It's a posh layered dessert snack type a thing. So glad I ordered and would order that again. This cafe / bookstore encourages you to grab a book and relax. So I found a few and ordered the Tapas board. Keeping with a variety theme. I had a variety of books and paired it with a variety board of food. They serve breakfast lunch dinner and good Aussie vibes. Mel M Yelp 22:10

As you walk down Oxford St, Sydney in Paddington, you'll find yourself passing by Ampersand cafe &…read morebookstore. Downstairs, it looks like a familiar cafe, with indoor and outdoor seating, but make sure you head upstairs in one of the three levels and find a seat amongst the floor to ceiling bookshelves. Set into three rooms, consisting of books aplenty, organised into their themes with comfortable seating, this is somewhere you could absolutely sit for hours. Order your food at the front, and it will be delivered to you as you immerse yourself in the books. Whilst it is only a small menu, the food is interesting and they also have some daily salads, sandwiches and pastry goods. A couple of options using black rice, we chose the brekky bowl with Bircher and sticky black rice with figs, cinnamon and fresh fruits. We really liked this as it was quite different to your normal Bircher. French toast is an option, baked or poached eggs and smoked salmon is on the menu but we opted for a familiar favourite - the eggs Benedict with crispy bacon and creamy hollandaise. We were hungry so we also shared one of the fresh Reuben Bagels. It was filled with a super flavoursome pastrami, cheese and sauerkraut and this was the winner on the day. For those wanting lunch, there's a burger, steak sandwich and even a black risotto or polenta chips. Coffee is by Little Marionette and the mocha was a good drop, complete with Lindt chocolate. We also had a cold drip which we certainly enjoyed. Smoothies and teas are also available. Pop in for a nice meal and a good read.

I always love a good second hand bookshop, and this place I have to say was huge. In fact it was…read moremore like a second-hand book warehouse than a simply bookshop, probably because it happened to be located in an old warehouse. Honestly, you could spend ages digging through here for little gems (though of course a lot of the hard to find books tend to disappear pretty quickly). Oh, and they also have a large selection of DVDs and CDs, so that is also a huge bonus.

Gould's Book Arcade is a mainstay of King St. Has there ever been a time when this imperious,…read moredusty, crusty old gent has not propped up Newtown's poor, her tired, her huddled masses...? Not since the 80's and quite possibly long before that. If you are after anything I mean ANYTHING that has gone out of print, is hard to find, or just so random that you have no idea where to start looking for it, head straight to Gould's. Do not pass go. Granted, you will have no idea where to start looking for it once you're inside either but I can guarantee you it's there... somewhere... Here you will find the best collection of Australian political and history books on the planet, as well as old vinyls, a priceless magazine collection, and videos. Yes, videos! I struggled not to put "old" in front of each of those items. Gould's bookstore is old, yes, and extremely beloved.

At Newtown's Modern Times bookshop, you can purchase an interesting range of books with particular…read morefocus on art, their have a selection of Art books you may not find in other book shops, the pop culture focus really appeals to me. Also on offer is an extensive collection of cult comics and graphic novels (I saw a Tank Girl art book there) they also have really odd toys for sale and they have wrapping paper, which has a fun pop culture style, they had Thunder Birds paper! Also they have a Doctor Who section with all kinds of books DVDs and a great collection of collectibles for sale. I must resist. If you are looking for children's books or a gift for kids, their children's section is truly excellent. The shop has an excellent set up as it is directly connected to Art on King (there is no diving wall) although they are two lots of businesses, so it is an artist's dream shop.

This Newtown store is actually two stores in one, the arts craft supply store, Art on King and the…read moreBookshop/stationary store. They don't have a large stock and mostly carry new and popular titles, but their comic book and graphic novel section is quite nice. They also offer 15% discount off new releases. Since the shop isn't too large it is easy to browse quickly through the titles. I bought The Decision Book by Mikael Krogerus on a whim since it was displayed ever so valiantly next to the cashier (I used the Swiss Cheese model and SWOT to make this decision). The stationary portion of the shop is well stocked with all sorts of creative tools and Art on King is one of the best art supply shops in Sydney.

An awesome dream factory where the past is created in the present. Toys for, not only for boys…read more Just White Toy Shop on the top level of the QVB in Sydney is a mountain of great quality toys not just for kids either. It's a crowded carnival of boxes, sounds and ambient memories from toys come to life. Many of you may not even recall how amazing recreated wind up robots, cars, tanks, people can take you back to a place where only your memories are. It's a tight fitting space and if it gets crowded, which it does you have to be careful not to knock toys of their shelves (not knock off as in steal people). There is something here for every occasion. My boys love just exploring the shelves and screaming in excitement whenever they discover some item of curiosity. Look I'm a big fan of branded products and enjoy watching my lovely boys interact between the movies, books, and activities of branded merchandise, however at Just White Toy Shop it's the freedom from branding (well mass branding as Just White offers quality branded products we don't buy as often as we might otherwise. There is a fantastic range of boys and girls toys but it's the expanded diversity of non gender specific toys that makes the store even more of a jewel. Prices for the hundreds of awesome toys cover all budgets and there are some lovely well made products that when you're looking for a present for one of your children or a children's friend will always bring total surprise. Games, books, wind up robots, cars, characters and tanks, creativity sets, soft toys, collectibles, jigsaw puzzles, problem solving toys, nota computer game in sight. Though I may be wrong in that statement because when I go to Just White Toy Shop it never occurs to me to look for computer games. This space is magical and worth the visit, even simply to enjoy the curiosity of your kids and yourself.

'Queen Victoria's Toy Shop' it claims. Better have plenty of stock then, Victoria sure knew how to…read morebreed. There is a bit of an old-fashioned vibe to this literally and spatially upmarket toy shop. Old fashioned wooden toys and mechanical windup robots, golliwogs. Hang on a sec, golliwogs? Really? Since when did they resit the PC exam and pass? If you're shopping for toys in the QVB you've obviously got a few coins to spare, so we're talking pricey here too. And I have to wonder, a lot of the toys seem more aimed at nostalgic adults than kids of today. French flash cards? Hmm... Even the dollshouse furniture is Swedish and uber-designed. The staff seemed friendly enough, but eyed me carefully. Or maybe it was just all the dolls. I hate dolls. Beady, beady eyes...