Leslie’s Bookshop — Lyttelton
A magazine and local-books store in Lyttelton, Christchurch. Part of the Greater Christchurch secondhand bookshops directory — see also our NZ used-book price guide.
About
Leslie’s Bookshop is Lyttelton’s magazine shop and one of the best places in Canterbury for local-interest books. Look for the yellow “Leslies Bookshop — OPEN — over 2000 magazines” sandwich board and the wooden double doors beneath Lyttelton Coffee Company, down the small steps off London Street in the graffiti-mural J.D. Bundy building at 29b London Street.
It is more of a magazine store than a secondhand bookshop — more than 2,000 titles covering every hobby, sport, craft and corner of the world — but the reason it earns a place in our directory is its large Lyttelton and New Zealand book section. Books are mostly new local titles rather than used ones. On our visit the owner was friendly, welcoming and very knowledgeable about the Lyttelton community; it’s the kind of shop where a question about the port’s history turns into a proper conversation, and they’re happy to track down a title they don’t have on the shelf.
Leslie’s has deep roots in the harbour town. It traded on the corner of London and Oxford Streets before the 2011 earthquakes, reopened in a temporary space afterwards, and we understand the owner’s father ran the original store around the corner before the quakes. Make a Lyttelton book crawl of it: London Street Bookshop for literary secondhand is about 100 metres along London Street, then coffee upstairs or lunch on the waterfront.
Price tip: Mostly new books and magazines at retail prices — pair it with London Street Bookshop, about 100m away, for secondhand.
What you’ll find
Over 2,000 magazine titles, plus face-out racks of new local books: Lyttelton and Canterbury history (titles like Lyttelton Icon and Tides of Change on our visit), maritime and fishing history (Nets, Lines and Pots, coastal shipping, tugs and shipwrecks), railways, trucks and motoring, NZ walks and travel, and local fiction, non-fiction, children’s and art books. Not the place for cheap secondhand paperbacks — it is the place for books about Lyttelton and the harbour.
Practical info
- Address
- 29b London Street, Lyttelton, Christchurch 8082
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 9am–3:30pm; Sat 9am–2pm; Sun 10am–12pm (listed hours vary — call ahead)
- Phone
- 03 328 8292
Mostly new stock rather than secondhand — listed here because its Lyttelton and local-interest book section is one of the best in Canterbury. Down the small steps off London Street, beneath Lyttelton Coffee Company in the mural-covered J.D. Bundy building. Directories list slightly different hours, so ring 03 328 8292 before a special trip.
Visitor notes & reviews
“Surely one of New Zealand’s best magazine shops — more than 2000 magazine titles.”
Otago Daily Times (Mike Yardley)
“Magazine enthusiasts will be in heaven … they also stock journals, papers and local interest books.”
Neat Places