Armchair Adventures

Armchair Adventures High quality 2nd hand fiction, reference, children's, rare and antiquarian books at the Coolroom Emporium, Old Cheese Factory, Robertson NSW.

You'll find us on the ground floor in the old Buttery. Rare books by appointment only at Wildes Meadow. Bookfinding service, custom slipcases, book valuation, books bought, Tintin comics, Popular Science, sports books, biographies, cookbooks, gardening, art, collecting, hardback and vintage fiction, eclectic non-fiction, rare and antiquarian books (by appointment only). Lay-by available, terms & conditions apply.

Today is all about unpacking. Proper sorting will come next, but for now my aim is to get all the books out of boxes an...
11/06/2026

Today is all about unpacking. Proper sorting will come next, but for now my aim is to get all the books out of boxes and back onto shelves. If you hear a muffled cry, that will be me drowning in a sea of books. Maybe I should I take a snorkel with me?

Thought I'd share this here as it's something all book collectors have to confront. Sometimes stickers stop me buying a ...
08/06/2026

Thought I'd share this here as it's something all book collectors have to confront.

Sometimes stickers stop me buying a book, sometimes the book is rare/interesting enough to make me swallow my sticker-qualms. Knowing how to take them off makes the decision easier and it's always a great feeling to see stickers peel away and to know you've left the book in better condition than you found it.

We've finally come to our last day of trading at the Coolroom Emporium in Robertson. In our 10 years here the store wen...
08/06/2026

We've finally come to our last day of trading at the Coolroom Emporium in Robertson. In our 10 years here the store went through many changes and expansions. We covered everything from comics to rare antiquarian books, and helped connect people with books of all kinds. It wasn't always easy and we worked hard to stay afloat through bushfires, floods, Covid and road closures that cut the town off from all tourist trade for months at a time. We were pleased and proud to help the local community through those trials but ultimately Robertson (with a population of only 2017 people) isn't big enough to support a dedicated antiquarian book store, and the drop-off in tourist trade (which many local businesses depend on) has become a permanent state of affairs. Combined with rising theft and vandalism and direct competition from an independent op-shop, we've been pushed to the brink and then over into the abyss.

But the end of one thing is also the chance for a new beginning.

We are looking for a new home in one of the bigger towns of the district and are also exploring pop-up shops for the school holidays. We will also transition to trading online although what form that takes is still under discussion. We will continue posting books for sale here, and in dedicated book collector groups so please stay tuned for updates. And we will continue talking and writing about books and look forward to starting new book-conversations with bibliophiles everywhere.

A big thank you to Cathy and the Emporium staff without whom we couldn't have made it happen, and to everyone that visited our store and bought books over the last 10 years.

We look forward to connecting more people with great books.

It's a long weekend, it's gorgeous weather and it's our last 3 days of trading in Robertson, so come in and treat yourse...
06/06/2026

It's a long weekend, it's gorgeous weather and it's our last 3 days of trading in Robertson, so come in and treat yourself to a great vintage book.

We're open every day from 10am-4pm, and you'll find us on the ground floor of the Coolroom Emporium (Old Cheese Factory building).

It feels strange to be in our last week of trading at our Robertson store. Just 6 days to go! Sale in-store only at Ar...
03/06/2026

It feels strange to be in our last week of trading at our Robertson store. Just 6 days to go!

Sale in-store only at Armchair Adventures on the ground floor of the Coolroom Emporium (in the old Cheese Factory), Hoddle St, Robertson.

We are now in our final weeks of trading at our Robertson outlet. Thank you to everyone who has supported us by buying ...
27/05/2026

We are now in our final weeks of trading at our Robertson outlet. Thank you to everyone who has supported us by buying books - we appreciate having less to pack. We'd be really happy to reduce our packing even further so please come in and grab a bargain. Many books are priced at $5 and $10, including hardcovers.

Collectable-quality books at op-shop prices until 8th June (we will close after the long weekend).

If you're familiar with 7 Years in Tibet then you'll know that Heinrich Harrer didn't escape alone and that the original...
25/05/2026

If you're familiar with 7 Years in Tibet then you'll know that Heinrich Harrer didn't escape alone and that the original escape party comprised 5 men, 2 of whom returned to the POW camp and the others split into 2 groups and then 3 (or put another way, one went off in a huff on his own). Of the 5 men, 4 wrote books about their experience and this is one of them. It's very interesting to read the different perspectives of the men and their responses to the same circumstances, and the inevitable frictions that arose between them and also the different objectives that each man had. All of them ended up not speaking to each other for long periods and Aufschnaiter's memoir "8 Years in Tibet" could just as easily have been called "Not Bitter, Much". Maegner's account sheds some light on the enmity that arose between Harrer and pretty much everyone else.

This is a 2001 reprint (hardcover with dust jacket) of Maegner's account, in near-fine condition. You really don't have to be a war-book enthusiast to enjoy it, as it's as much an adventure as anything else. An arduous adventure, it must be said, but not without some highlights. And the escape itself beggars belief.

$25 + postage

Two lovely bright Noddy books, one with a child's name in it (Noddy be Careful) but no other marks. Some very minor she...
24/05/2026

Two lovely bright Noddy books, one with a child's name in it (Noddy be Careful) but no other marks. Some very minor shelf wear but otherwise very nice copies of this much-beloved series.

$20 each or $35 for both + postage, only available online (not in-store). DM for more info or to buy.

Recently we were talking to fellow book dealer Sonny Ideker about prize bindings. Schools still give books as prizes bu...
23/05/2026

Recently we were talking to fellow book dealer Sonny Ideker about prize bindings. Schools still give books as prizes but it's been a long time since they invested in specific bindings let alone a binding of this quality. The finest tooled calf with real gold (not synthetic foil) feels like a worthy prize and in this case the binder was also asked to reflect the content (William Morris's Earthly Paradise) with a border of Morris-designed poppies.

Prize bindings have a collector market all their own and are a beautiful way to make a collection of books. Who wouldn't want a shelf full of books this lovely? They're also made in small numbers making them limited editions and in some cases unique.

Because our online followers are missing out on our current in-store sale, we've decided to do some special offers, just online, starting with this beauty. Discounted from $550 to $350 (yes, you read that correctly, it's a $200 saving) and we're including free shipping anywhere in Australia. We will post overseas; DM us for a quote.

Looking for a vintage reading copy of a classic? We have plenty of early 1900s editions of Austen, Dickens, Hardy, Wild...
19/05/2026

Looking for a vintage reading copy of a classic? We have plenty of early 1900s editions of Austen, Dickens, Hardy, Wilde, Stevenson and more. Most are priced at $5-$10 and are a great way to make an instant reading library with a vintage aesthetic. The sale only runs for two more weeks and the books are melting away.

Armchair Adventures, on the ground floor of the Coolroom Emporium (Old Cheese Factory) Hoddle St, Robertson.

Address

107 Hoddle Street
Robertson, NSW
2577

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4am
Wednesday 10am - 4am
Thursday 10am - 4am
Friday 10am - 4am
Saturday 10am - 4am

Telephone

+62423635041

Website

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