Step back time to Cole’s Book Arcade with a visit to its replica at the Melbourne Museum; or get a taste of Paddy’s Market with a trip to the Queen Vic. You can also check out Howey Place, where a tiny part of the Book Arcade’s back section still stands, and the nearby Block and Royal Arcades, where you can visit lolly shops, toy shops and high tea salons right out of the 19th century.

Think you can solve Mr Cole’s puzzles? Check out an online version of Cole’s Funny Picture Book — it gave me lots of ideas! It even includes the tune for Ruby’s song. And this album from the State Library of Victoria reveals the inside of the real Cole’s Book Arcade. That lolly shop was huge!

The Grandest Bookshop in your classroom:

Teaching notes, complete with curriculum descriptors, are available from Affirm Press. As well as historical information, you’ll find riddles, creative writing exercises and more. And you’re welcome to reach out to me for school and library talks via my profile at Lamont Authors.

More information:

If you’d like to learn more about Cole’s Book Arcade, EW Cole, and how the late 1800s shaped Melbourne today, my article in the Guardian is a good place to start. The Museum of Lost Things also offers an overview, as does this article from Urban Melbourne. Paddy’s Market is a little less well-documented, but try this entry from the Melbourne Encyclopaedia online.

The EW Cole Foundation website offers a comprehensive range of digitised primary sources about everything to do with Mr Cole and the Book Arcade, including a full list of Mr Cole’s works and some transcripts I’ve consulted in writing The Bookseller’s Apprentice.

Of course, all the best information is in books. I recommend:

Cole of the Book Arcade by Cole Turnley, 1974 — Mr Cole’s grandson, who reprinted the Funny Picture Books throughout the 20th century, wrote this biography based on a great deal of research and stories from his mother Linda, and her siblings, Eddie, Vally, Pearl and Ivy Cole. The expressive writing style, as well as the many colourful anecdotes about the family, their friends and the Arcade staff, make this my favourite resource. It’s out of print now, but worth seeking out.
Lost Melbourne by Heather Chapman and Judith Stillman, 2015 — A beautiful photography book revealing dozens of old Melbourne’s secrets lost to decay, fire, wreckers and cultural change, including circuses, mansions, hotels and dance halls along with Cole’s Book Arcade and Paddy’s Market. This is a great accompaniment to the 2022 documentary film, The Lost City of Melbourne.
Under the Rainbow: The Life and Times of EW Cole by Richard Broinowski, 2020 — I interviewed Richard during his launch over Zoom in lockdown! This biography is notable for its thoughtful analysis of Mr Cole’s mysterious early years. All the key stages of Cole’s life are accompanied by interesting historical detail about the times and places he inhabited.

Further reading