Douglas Stewart Fine Books, Armadale: Rare Books, Maps and Globes on High Street

High Street in Armadale has long been known for its antique dealers, art galleries and bookshops. At 720 High Street, Douglas Stewart Fine Books carries on that tradition. The antiquarian bookseller deals in rare books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, globes and fine art, with particular strength in Australian and Pacific travel and exploration and in Australian art. It serves libraries, galleries, museums and private collectors around the world, but its showroom doors are open to anyone curious enough to walk in.

A lifelong dealer

According to the business, Douglas Stewart began buying and selling books in 1995, while he was still in high school. Three decades later, he is one of the best-known figures in the Australian rare book trade. He has served for many years on the board of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (ANZAAB), including as its president from 2019 to 2023. He is also a mentor for the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB).

The website says the business is conducted according to the ethical standards of the major international trade associations it belongs to. For buyers, that matters. In a field where provenance, condition and accurate description are everything, membership of these bodies is a sign that items are catalogued and sold with care.

What you will find on the shelves

The stock is wide-ranging. Rare books cover subjects as varied as angling, architecture, Captain Cook, cartography, children’s books, the gold rush, Indigenous Australia, Judaica, literature, maritime history, medicine, natural history, performing arts, science, sport, wine and women writers. There are specialist sections for early Australian books printed before 1850, the work of Ida Rentoul Outhwaite and Norman Lindsay and his family, miniature books and private press editions.

Art books are a second major strength. The catalogue includes sections on Australian women artists, Australian Indigenous artists, the Hermannsburg School, the Australian Impressionists, artist books and photobooks. Beyond books, the business deals in what it calls “all types of heritage material”: photographs and photograph albums, manuscripts, maps and globes, prints, paintings and drawings, sculpture, and even antique games and toys.

Travel, exploration and Australiana

If there is one area that defines the business, it is travel and exploration, “particularly of Australia and the Pacific”, as the website puts it. Collectors of early voyage accounts, colonial-era Australiana and historic maps will find plenty to explore, both in the showroom and in the online catalogue, which can be browsed by region from Victoria and Tasmania to New Guinea, Antarctica and beyond.

Local history is well represented too. Items relating to early Melbourne and Victoria regularly appear among the stock, alongside material from every other Australian state and territory. For anyone interested in how the country was described, mapped and imagined in its early decades, the shop is a remarkable resource.

New acquisitions every month

Douglas Stewart Fine Books publishes a new online catalogue of acquisitions every month. The business recommends joining its email list to be among the first to see what has arrived, since many rare items sell quickly. It also produces catalogues and lists its upcoming events on its website. The team says it is always happy to answer questions about works listed online, so collectors can enquire by phone or email before visiting.

From Armadale to the world’s book fairs

Since 2009, the business has exhibited regularly at leading international book fairs. Its website lists fairs in London, New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Toronto, San Francisco, Boston, Hong Kong and Sydney, and invites clients to attend as its guests. The team also attends major auctions and can represent clients at selected auctions in Australia and overseas, which is useful for collectors who cannot be in the room.

Selling a book or a whole library

Douglas Stewart Fine Books also buys, “from important single items to entire libraries”. For families dealing with an estate, or collectors ready to part with a lifetime of books, the business offers advice on the best way to sell a collection. It is worth getting in touch before deciding what to do with books that may have historical or financial value. A specialist eye can often spot what others miss.

A first step into collecting

Rare books can seem intimidating, but the range here is broad enough to include pieces for new collectors as well as institutions. A first edition by a favourite author, an early map of a home town, a vintage children’s book or a historic photograph can all be meaningful starting points. Many collectors begin with a single subject they care about, such as a region, a sport or an artist, and build from there. Talking with a specialist who knows the market is one of the best ways to learn what to look for in condition, edition and provenance. Rare items also make memorable gifts for milestone birthdays or retirements.

Visiting the showroom

The showroom is open six days a week, and the team says it loves meeting new people and welcomes visitors. You do not need to be a serious collector to enjoy a visit. Browsing a room full of centuries-old books, maps and photographs is a pleasure in itself, and the staff can help you understand what you are looking at.

The shop sits on a stretch of High Street that has drawn antiques and fine-art lovers for generations. Trams run along High Street, and Armadale Station on the Frankston line is within reach. It pairs well with an afternoon of browsing the area’s galleries and antique dealers.

The website also advises that some pages may contain images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have died, reflecting the historical nature of much of the material.

Visit Douglas Stewart Fine Books

Address: 720 High Street, Armadale VIC 3143
Phone: (03) 9066 0200
Email: info@douglasstewart.com.au
Hours: Monday to Friday 10.00am – 6.00pm; Saturday 11.00am – 4.00pm; closed Sunday and public holidays
Website: douglasstewart.com.au
Instagram: @douglasstewartfinebooks | Facebook: facebook.com/DouglasStewartFineBooks
Good to know: Rare books, maps, globes, photographs and fine art | Monthly new-acquisitions catalogue | Buys single items and whole libraries | Auction representation