Book Lore

19/05/2026

Get shop hopping 🤘😛🤘

The Canberra Bookshop Trail is an illustrated guide map designed by book lovers for book lovers. This map features all 22 of our participating stores. Current at May 2026. Hard copy maps can be collected at each participating store or downloaded via our Instagram & pages ...

18/05/2026

In remembrance of BookTracks once travelled but now forgotten…..here is the new Canberra Bookshop Trail! 😍
Looks fantastic! Great job 👏

🤘😛🤘

18/05/2026

I have been tripping through the long lost mythical Canberra BookTrack this afternoon…..

The Bookery

This shop was a few doors down from Canty’s and was run by Judy, and then another lady for a short time whose name escapes me…..closed I think late 2009, maybe 2010? Not sure. 🤔 Says it opened about 10 years ago in the brochure, so late 1990s, but I thought it was around longer than that?

🤘😛🤘

17/05/2026

Decided to not ruin my morning by doing a few hours of accounting and paperwork before opening (sorry Mr. Chalmers) and instead spent it working in the rain on stage 2 of the Lyneham Botanical Gardens!
Getting close to completion, I will soon be able to hang up my plough….maybe😛

🤘😛🤘

17/05/2026

Another backroom find….the Canberra Book Track Brochure!

This was originally published in 2008 to highlight the independent new and secondhand book shops of Canberra. This is the 3rd edition of the pamphlet, so maybe a couple of years later.

Of the 22 participating bookshops, by my count there are now 8 still opening their door each day (although I am unsure if Smith’s still trade in books?🤔)

Asia Bookroom
Book Passion
The Botanical Bookshop
Impact Comics!
Smiths Alternative Bookshop
Book Lore
Paperchain Bookstore
National Library Bookshop

The brochure was launched late one Sunday afternoon early 2008 at the Asia Bookroom, with a speech by Jack Waterford from The Canberra Times about how much he loves buying books (still does!)
Not sure if a gathering of that many booksellers in one place at the one time has happened since (unless I just wasn’t invited☹️)…. booksellers are busy and shop bound so a gathering of that kind like trying to herd cats!

🤘😛🤘

16/05/2026

Another busy day comes to a close…
🤘😛🤘

15/05/2026

And here’s another throwback that I found a few days ago, Reader’s Rendezvous at old Kingston shops, near Green Square.
I remember it used to have a kids cubby house type setup in the shop that my kids used to play in when they were young. Closed about 15??? years ago me thinks.
There was a charity shop opposite it in a strange little hut that also had books….and an old service station next door that used to open and close very randomly 😂…. all now buried under the trendy new apartments and supermarket.
🤘😛🤘

15/05/2026

Just received this in the post from a customer to add to the Book Lore archive 🫡
….they didn’t know anything about this shop and either do I… all I know is that for such a small set of shops Hughes has punched well above its weight when contributing to the Canberra secondhand book ecosystem over the years…
🤘😛🤘

11/05/2026

Book lore’s new Osprey section!
One shelf aviation, the other shelf history and tanks. 🫡
🤘😛🤘

05/05/2026

Yours truly yesterday afternoon having a yarn with Rimas, the Book Lore OG and the Pride of Lithuania 🇱🇹
Rimas started the tradition of selling secondhand books at Lyneham in 1982, 44 years ago 🫡
It is an honour and pleasure everyday to keep the shop going!
🤘😛🤘

05/05/2026

‘Surely you’re joking Mr. Johnson?’

Not only has he reignited the revolution this morning, but now he rejuvenates the study of Russian History! Five shelves of brand new secondhand stock! What a day! 😅
🤘😛🤘