Wander up towards the very top end of Bourke Street late most evenings and you'll stumble across one of Melbourne's most iconic bookstores. The Paperback Bookshop was named for its original tendency to shun hardback books, but these days you can find all sorts of tomes on its shelves, tables and sometimes even stacked neatly on the floor.
Push open the door as gently as you can (it's always near-silent inside) and you'll find a small, independent book lover's haven that feels far away from one of Melbourne's busiest streets.
The Paperback has been championing Melbourne's independent book scene since the '60s and has outlived countless chain stores in the CBD. With an outstanding fiction collection, classics galore, as well as an awesome array of Australian non-fiction, the shop also nabs some nifty numbers not available on these fine shores.
Stop by for literary dessert on your way home from dinner (seriously, this place is open until 10pm or 11pm most nights), or check out the salon series to hear from notable writers stocked in-store.