120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

We're Moving! 🚚 Our Hobsonville bookstore is closed this weekend. Please visit us on Monday in our new home πŸŽ‰

Nothing New: A History of Second-hand

3.78 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 78 ratings, 21 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Nothing New: A History of Second-hand by Robyn Annear explores the fascinating world of the second-hand economy. It delves into how people have historically reused, re-purposed, and recycled goods, offering insightful anecdotes and cultural contexts. The book invites readers to reconsider the value of used items across time and their significance in changing societies.
Read More
Format: Hardback
$3400
Elsewhere:
$3700
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this engaging exploration of the second-hand economy if you're fascinated by the stories behind everyday objects and how they connect to broader historical contexts. This read may appeal to those interested in the social and cultural significance of the used goods market throughout history.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Robyn Annear lends her signature wit to this fantastic history of second-hand: from the origins of the op shop to eBay, up-cycling and how new became normal.

Robyn Annear lends her signature wit to this fantastic history of second-hand- from the origins of the op shop to eBay, up-cycling and how new became normal.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Robyn Annear lends her signature wit to this fantastic history of second-hand, from the origins of the op shop to eBay, up-cycling, and how new became normal.

'Given the way we live now,' writes Robyn Annear, 'it would be easy to suppose that newness has always been venerated.' But as this wonderfully entertaining short history makes clear, modern consumerism is an aberration. Mostly, everyday objectsβ€”from cast-off cookware to clothing worn down to ragsβ€”have enjoyed long lives and the appreciation of serial owners.

Nothing New is itself an emporiumβ€”a treasure store of anecdotes and little-known facts that will intrigue and enlighten the devoted bargain-hunter and the dilettante browser alike.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Nothing New: A History of Second-hand by Robyn Annear has been praised for its enchanting narrative and insightful exploration of the world of pre-loved possessions. Reviewers have noted its comprehensive historical account, highlighted by quirky details and fascinating trivia. Annear's personal passion for the subject matter shines through, guiding readers with wit and charm through an intriguing history of second-hand items. Described as a light and engaging read, it captivates those with an interest in history and a penchant for a bargain, offering an enriching and entertaining journey through the stories behind reused treasures.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781922268303

Publisher: Text Publishing

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 05 November 2019

Country: Australia

Imprint: The Text Publishing Company

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 147.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 435g

Pages: 288

About the Author

Robyn Annear is the author of five books of history, including Bearbrass- Imagining Early Melbourne and Nothing but Gold- The Diggers of 1852. Her podcast 'Nothing on TV' presents stories from Trove historical newspapers.

Also by Robyn Annear

View all
  • Bearbrass: Imagining Early Melbourne
    Just a little way down Collins Street, beside Henry Buck's, is a perpetually dark but sheltered laneway called Equitable Place. Here you'll find a number of places to eat and drink. Settle yourself in the window of one, shut your eyes, and picture this scene of yore... In this much-loved book, Robyn Annear resurrects the village that was early Melbourneβ€”from...
    Paperback
    $3200
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • A City Lost & Found: Whelan the Wrecker's Melbourne
    "Old landmarks fall in nearly every block...and the face of the city is changing so rapidly that the time is not too far distant when a search for a building 50 years old will be in vain." - Herald, 1925. The demolition firm of Whelan the Wrecker was a Melbourne institution for a hundred years (1892-1992). Its famous sign -...
    Paperback
    $3400
    Elsewhere:
    $3700
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Adrift in Melbourne
    Melbourne’s streets have always been marvellousβ€”but the proud facades of the nineteenth-century boom aren’t the half of it. What about the stories behind them? The great corset scandal of Melbourne’s belle epoque; the heritage-listed toilets out the back of the Rialto; the exploits of the women who ran the brothels in Little Lonsdale Street; the reason George Mallaby starred in...
    Hardback
    $3600
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Shutter City
    Suppose that you could travel back in time to a Melbourne city street from 150 years ago or even longer. What might meet your eye that has eluded history’s gaze? Shutter City presents city street views spanning the hurly-burly decades of the 1850s to 1870s, between the gold rushes and Marvellous Melbourne. Robyn Annear peers into every shadowy corner to...
    Paperback
    $5999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Corners of Melbourne
    Beloved Melbourne historian Robyn Annear takes us on an unorthodox tour of the city's streets and corners, telling stories about the events and people that have made these the most interesting places to be. What better defines a city than its street corners? A corner gives you a starting point, a destination, and a place to turn. It's furnished with...
    Hardback
    $4000
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Lost Laneways of Melbourne
    Pre-order
    Lost Laneways of Melbourne
    Take a tour through Melbourne's backstreets and uncover the history, anecdotes and lore hidden within the 'City of Lanes'. 'The barbarous system which prevails in Melbourne, of huddling little cottages together in obscure back lanes.' Melbourne is Australia's city of laneways. It has been that way ever since European settlement. But the lacework of back streets and alleys famous for...
    Hardback
    $4500
    Pre-order
    Out 3 Nov 2026
  • Melbourne
    Melbourne: a city of stories grew out of Melbourne Museum's permanent exhibition, 'The Melbourne Story'. That makes it a selective history: one based on objectsβ€”things that have survived. The idea that objects can give rise to stories comes as no surprise to anyone who's ever dug up a shard of old china in their garden, or found an ancient button...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Fly a Rebel Flag: The Eureka Stockade
    Part of the award-winning non-fiction series for teens, The Drum 3 December, 1854. When government troops stormed the Eureka stockade, the battle lasted just twenty minutes, but it changed Australia forever. Fly a Rebel Flag: The Eureka Stockade by Robyn Annear offers an insightful look into this pivotal moment in Australian history. This compelling narrative, suitable for teenage readers, captures...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from History & Military

View all
  • Saving Elli
    One child. Two years in hiding. Three lives in mortal danger. In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's house, another Jewish girl is hidden. Her name is Elli. Her father has been executed at Mauthausen concentration camp. Her mother is fleeing for her life. Elli is next. To save her, resistance couple Frits and Jo Hakkens must risk everything, concealing her...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Spy and the Traitor
    The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre is a spellbinding Cold War thriller that unravels the true story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB double agent who risked everything to aid the British in the battle against Soviet oppression. In meticulously researched detail, Macintyre paints a vivid portrait of espionage, double-crossing, and unparalleled bravery, giving readers a riveting glimpse into...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    Suicidal Empathy
    The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Wager
    THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 'The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail... one of the finest nonfiction books I've ever read' Guardian 'The greatest sea story ever told' Spectator 'I cannot think of anyone who would not love this book... It is an extraordinary true story, beautifully...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • New Release
    The Cauldron
    How did an elderly cleric overthrow the Shah of Iran and change the world?Why did Bin Laden attack the USA - and why did the USA destroy Saddam?How did Britain and France carve up the Middle East - and why did the Kurds never get their own state? THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MAKING OF TODAY'S MIDDLE EAST: A SPELLBINDING...
    Hardback
    $4999
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Discipline
    Silence is complicity, but how do we confront the cost of speaking up? Sydney, May 2021. Ashraf is an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall. Hannah is a young journalist struggling to honour the voices of her community. When a Year 12 Al-Bayinnah College student is arrested for protesting a university's ties to an Israeli weapons manufacturer,...
    Paperback
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Man's Search For Meaning
    Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a profound, thought-provoking memoir and psychological exploration that delves into the harrowing experiences of life in Nazi concentration camps, intertwined with the author’s groundbreaking theories on existential psychology. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a beacon of hope and a roadmap for finding purpose...
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Shattered Lands
    'A sparkling debut by an outstanding young historian' – PETER FRANKOPAN 'This book is a revelation … both original and important' – MISHAL HUSAIN A history of modern South Asia told through five partitions that reshaped it. As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and...
    Paperback
    $3699
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story (Deluxe Edition)
    Pre-order
    Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story (Deluxe Edition)
    Capture His Story, Honor His Legacy The Official Hear Your Story Collection Your dad's story is more than just memories-it's a journey filled with wisdom, experiences, and defining moments that shaped his life. Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story is a guided journal that gives him the chance to share those stories in his own words, creating a legacy...
    Hardback
    $4999
    Elsewhere:
    $5500
    Pre-order
    Out 20 Nov 2026
  • Keep Calm – We Are Coming
    Keep Calm β€” We Are Coming briefly backgrounds the New Zealand Special Air Service deployment in Afghanistan β€” then goes into action. While primarily training Afghan forces, in Kabul the NZSAS had to respond to a series of β€˜spectacular attacks’ by heavily armed Taliban fighters wearing suicide vests and determined to inflict major casualties. In the words of those who...
    Paperback
    $4000
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Betrayal
    β€˜Tom Bower is the Inspector Morse of investigative biographers, a fluent, phlegmatic storyteller and a master of intricacies.’ Sunday Times The British Crown is in crisis, with constitutional threats at home and abroad. At a landmark moment in royal history, can King Charles overcome the scandals that blight the Royal family? Can the broken bonds between the Houses of Sussex...
    Paperback
    $3499
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Serviceman J
    New Release
    Serviceman J
    A new edition of the bestselling 2024 memoir by a former NZSAS commander, on serving in Afghanistan over four deployments and operating at the edge of his limits. 'Frighteningly, devastatingly real.' - The Post In 2011, following the Taliban siege on Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel, an SAS soldier identified only as Serviceman J was awarded New Zealand's second highest military honour...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.