Collector’s Treasury Commissioner St
TO GET HOLD OF COLLECTORS’ TREASURY PHONE 078 360 7749 and please tell them how you got hold of their details – thank you!
I’m a sucker for second hand bookshops, actually I’m a sucker for bookshops, period. But if you want a real experience visit the Collectors’ Treasury in Commissioner St in Joburg’s eastern inner city. It is located in an 8 story building – a very unprepossessing post-war structure, which is slightly further west of Arts on Main and the Maboneng precinct.
As you climb the steps from the front entrance on the street you know you have a treat in store. It is lined from floor to ceiling with piles of books and that’s before you have even reached the shelved books. And, despite having 8 floors to house the books, with well over a million books, space is a real problem! Collector’s Treasury is the largest used and rare book shop in the Southern Hemisphere. It might seem that there is total chaos, but brothers Geoff and Jonathan Klass seem to know where everything is. All you have to do is ask and if they have it, they will find it. Collector’s Treasury has been in business since 1974 and in the present location since 1991.
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Stay at Liz at Lancaster Guest House Get the most out of your Johannesburg visit! Liz Delmont, owner & on-site manager is the right person to give you the low-down & point you in the right direction. Johannesburg In your Pocket describes her as “a maven on all things Joburg”. The guesthouse notice board is constantly updated with her recommendations on how best to spend your time in the city! |
Apart from running the guesthouse another hat I wear is that of heritage historian. I write history reports on Johannesburg heritage and have found some real gems here – books which are out of print and have proved invaluable for my research. For example Anna Smith’s Johannesburg Street Names is the most amazing resource to have on my bookshelf at home.
And there are all sorts of other wonderful items – old vinyl records, ornaments, maps, periodicals, photographs and lots more wonderful ephemera.
So enjoy your excursion to this veritable hobbit’s treasure trove. You could spend days ferreting around this pre-digital world.