Archives Fine Books

«Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it» — Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind.
It’s an enchanting feeling & sense of wonder, walking inside one of the biggest & oldest second hand book stores in Australia, Archives Fine Books. Located in Brisbane’s CBD (40 Charlotte St), in the John Mills Himself heritage listed building. Every nook & cranny, every hallway, is lined & crowded with books; with that perfectly familiar old smell filling the air reminding you of the wonderland you have been transported to. Where stories & ideas have been captured on every topic possible; if you are looking for it, chances are, Archives Fine Books has it in store.
The building itself was built in 1919 by Printer John Mills, & was used by US General MacArthur during World War 2. Archives Fine Books was established in 1985, but since 2008 has been the baby of owners Hamish Alcorn & Dawn Albinger.
Speaking to Hamish, we love his passion & love for books as it is refreshingly infectious. Archives Fine Books is truly unique & special when you consider the challenges of surviving as a traditional bookstore, in an age of e-​books & all things «digital».
Archives Fine Books is also an antiquarian of sorts, as they acquire rare, unusual & collectible books. They’ve just recently taken hold of a true first edition of H.G. Wells «War of the Worlds», first published in 1898 by Heinemann & priced at $ 1500. It’s easy to lose track of time at Archives Fine Books. You can spend hours looking at amazing collections you won’t find anywhere else; a sanctuary for true book lovers, escaping the «noise» of the real world.
Whilst we love Paris’s historically famous & romantic Shakespeare & Co bookstore, & Porto’s exquisite Livraria Lello (Portugal), in Brisbane’s Archives Fine Books we have something that’s truly wonderful, amazing, & close to our hearts.
Go check them out, support local, to ensure the story of Archives Fine Books continues, and to keep the love of books alive!

I am a sucker for books. Old books, in particular. Books with a past, a history, books that have been previously owned and read by someone else.
While there are book stores scattered all over Brisbane, it’s hard to find a truly special one. I came across Archive Books a few years ago, and it has since become my favourite place in the city to spend time. There are so many books to look at the flick through, so many spines to run your fingers across as you make your way down the long aisles.
I love the creaky floors and that old book smell this place has to it. I have been able to find so many precious books — Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales, the Prince and the Pauper, those old Goosebumps books I used to love as a kid.
I love Archive’s Books, this place is truly a gem, and I always find myself walking out with a handful of new books to add to my collection. I urge anyone reading this to pay this place a visit and get lost in it for an hour or so.

A hidden gem for any lover of literature out there. Archives has an old time/​Harry Potter Library-​esque feel to it due to the rows and rows of shelves stacked ceiling high with amazing books just waiting to be discovered.
The owner is friendly and knows his collection so well he can point you in the direction of whatever title you may be looking for including anything related you might enjoy. If you are a lover of books definitely make sure you keep a few hours free to give this amazing place the attention it deserves.
So many treasures to be found!

Addictions can take many forms. While I am no slave to caffeine and no-​one has ever thought to describe me as an adrenalin junky or junky of any kind really, I do have a serious problem with books.
An addiction of this magnitude requires that I have an affordable, reliable source of paperbacks on hand at all times. And while I have been known to drive for three days to get to the second hand book store with a copy of the title I desire, I am lucky in the respect that are some great suppliers a little closer to home.
Archives is one such place. It is everything you want a bookstore to be really; crowded, quiet and scented with that wonderful smell that says great ideas have been captured in pages that are stored here.
The staff are excellent. Somehow they manage to keep track of all the items that are crammed onto the shelves. They are also capable of answering questions like ‘if, hypothetically, I had to buy a book for my ex’s sister’s daughter who is into photography and pirate metal, what would you suggest?‘
Archives is easily one of my favourite stores in Brisbane and one that I only dare to visit when I have a minimum of three hours spare in my day!

Even if you don’t have time to stroll down Archives’s aisles and run your fingers over the lovely faded book spines, make sure you just step inside and INHALE. Old books. Shitloads of old books. *Disclaimer: if you are asthmatic please consult a medical doctor prior to sniffing this shop.*
I have found some seriously amazing stuff in here. Favourite discovery? A book of fairytales from the 1900s with hand painted illustration panels. There’s no way there’s nothing in here for everyone. If you wanted a book about the migratory patterns of balding, albino chipmunks they’d probably have it.
And you know what else rocks about Archives? That’s right, it’s next door to Pancake Manor. Books and pancakes in one trip? You’ve basically attained nirvana (and I don’t mean the band)!

The staff at Archives Fine Books are very friendly and know the stock inside out. More often than not they’ll be able to tell you whether or not they have a book off the top off their head. I like how this place has a library vibe; it’s very quiet, the shelves are completely packed, and the books are stacked higgledy piggledy. But the perk is you can take these treasures home and they’re yours!
Archives stocks different editions of classics, so I’d recommend stopping by here if you’re after a thoughtful present for a bookworm friend. (There’s one particular section devoted to Folio books alone.) Otherwise it’s worth stopping by to gape at the huge range of stock they have on sale and fantasise that you’re Belle in Beauty and The Beast.

I get a warm little feeling in my heart every time I think about Archives. I also snicker a little when I walk past the big, empty monolith that was Borders. Why? Because I was amongst the many who thought that stores like Borders would sign the death sentence for stores like Archives.
I am so happy I was wrong!
Archives strength isn’t in selling thousands of cheap print runs that you can buy on Amazon, their strength is in the rare, the unusual, the desirable. Got a boyfriend who’s obsessed with an obscure writer? You’ll be able to find a nice old edition here. How about a parent who loves the classics? Archives is a no brainer. Secret Georgette Heyer addiction? Sorry, there’s none left, I bought them all.
Don’t just wander around silently, talk to the staff. The stacks in this place are HUGE so unless you have visited over and over you’re going to need some advice about where to start your search. The other perk of chatting to the staff is in harvesting a wee bit of what they know. Start talking about one author and they’ll probably recommend another, and then another, until before you know it your mind = blown.
Hot tip, yes it’s a book store, but this many books in one place kind of instantly turn into a library. Turn your phone on silent or you’ll feel like a pariah.

Go to Archives Fine Books! But don’t, because if you do you’ll be tapping into my secret favourite place, and God forbid I have to share it. I read somewhere that the amazing smell old books have has something to do with the sap or the wood in trees and how it ages, I don’t know. But when you walk into Archives, the smell of old books hits you and you become overwhelmed with nostalgia towards everything. It’s like an untouched library where you can just revel in the history and the memories that these books made just by changing hands.
They don’t just have old books; they also stock newer copies at lesser prices, you just have to be prepared to have a bit of a rummage to find what you’re after. More often that not, you’ll come out with things you weren’t even looking for. That’s the beauty of Archives.
I’ve found some real gems there including The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton, a 1986 copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray, an old and tattered copy of Moby Dick with a very cute handwritten message, and my favourite, an 1890 copy of The Romans Under The Empire that was clearly a school library book and that I have every intention of never ever giving back.
Some of the books are a little steep in price (I payed $ 17.50 for my copy of Dorian Gray) but I feel like you pay for a little bit of history there too. Archives Fine Books is just down from the Pancake Manor and if given the chance, I would while away all my spare time there.
Take some time out and go visit Archives. You can buy some books or ask about trading some in!

I found first found Archive’s through a friend,
having sadly lost the address (and also the name of the store)
in the ghostly recesses of my mind
I was over the moon of in finding it all over again.
I love the other wordly-​ness of this store,
you can roam the long corridors and feel quite insignificant gazing up at the
vast piles of literature.
You can also geek over the abundant smell of old literature
and spend whole days in perusing the large range of well worn and well loved books.
Insider tip!
Those with severe dust allergies are strongly recommended
to bring a mask
(.and perhaps a sandwich because your probably going to be there all day.)