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By: Max Olijnyk
Article published: 2nd Jul 09
Product: Books
Anatomy: Heart
What:
Brown & Bunting
Where:
237 High St, Northcote
When:
Tues-Thurs 11am-6pm, Fri 11am-8pm, Sat-Sun 11am-6pm
Contact:
9481 3388 or books@brownandbunting.com
I like the idea of second-hand bookshops. All those ragged travellers from the past jammed into a musty, badly lit detention centre, awaiting rescue. New bookshops are warm and smell nice. Thing is, the books don't come cheap, and perpetual browsing just makes you feel guilty and empty.
Brown & Bunting recognise this disparity and meet us halfway. This is a second-hand bookshop that presents its precious titles with the respect they deserve. Intriguing covers jump out at you from every corner - BAM! Russian Military Swords 1801-1817. POW! A first edition Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley. A special line in early edition children's books is aimed at discerning hipsters as much as their kids.
The owners Benita and Travis have been in the game for a while already, and continue to hold weekly stalls at the Fed Square book markets. But this is their baby. The shelving is beautiful, modernist and light brown, specially designed to accentuate the books and fit in with their personal tastes for titles from the '50s to the '70s. It really makes you wonder why you would ever buy a new edition of a book that was made with love so long ago.