“Every crease is a story.”
New Zealand
The Atlas lists 18 independent bookshops in Christchurch, 6 of them selling secondhand books — including 1 antiquarian bookseller. The densest cluster offers 4 possible stops over an estimated 2.5 km; actual walking routes may be longer.
Antiquarian · since 1894
Founded in 1894 and selling secondhand books since the 1960s, Smith's lost its three-storey Manchester Street home in the 2011 earthquakes and found a new one in the Tannery at Woolston. It remains fiercely independent and is the place for rare and out-of-print books on New Zealand history, te ao Māori, the arts and the outdoors.
The Atlas currently lists 18 active bookshops in Christchurch. This is the number in our directory, not a claim that every shop in the area has been recorded.
6 listed shops are categorised as selling secondhand books. Stock changes frequently; ask a shop directly if you need a particular book.
The Atlas displays available source information. A listing without opening hours or access details is incomplete, not necessarily closed or inaccessible. Check each shop's website and confirm anything essential before travelling.
Use the map and the crawl planner to choose stops close together. Displayed route distances are estimates, not turn-by-turn walking directions. Check crossings, hills, opening times and the actual walking route before setting off.
Plan a bookshop crawlYes. Send the shop's name, location and a reliable website or other source. Suggestions and corrections are reviewed before changing the Atlas.
Suggest a shopShop data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence, with descriptions of featured shops by Creasy Spines. Opening hours change — check before a long journey. Suggest an edit