By the book: Get ready to party like it’s 1876
It began supplying books to avid readers during the colonial era and 150 years later QBD Books is about to celebrate its legacy.
By day Nick Croydon sells books. At night he writes them. Which might sound like a glib oversimplification, but it’s pretty well on the money.
The English-born businessman who has been in Australia for 25 years is CEO of QBD Books, a hugely successful franchise opening stores while others close.
The business is going well and getting ready to celebrate its 150th anniversary.
What started as the Book Depot in 1876, established to meet the soaring demand for books following the landmark Queensland Education Act of 1875, has survived economic recessions, the digital revolution and everything else the last century and a half has thrown at it.
Today QBD Books is Australia’s largest book and puzzle retailer. It is Australian-owned, operating more than 90 stores nationwide. While physical retail has faced challenges, QBD continues to expand its national footprint and thrive, with four new stores set to open this year.
The historic milestone of 150 years in business will be marked with nationwide events, promotions and literacy initiatives throughout 2026.
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“And we will be having a big party at Howard Smith Wharves,” Croydon promises.
With all that going on it’s probably good that he has cleared his desk and just “handed in” his second novel, Nautilus. The first was The Turing Protocol (Simon & Schuster, 2025), speculative historical fiction with a thriller edge, his debut novel for adults. (He has written children’s books.)
The Turing Protocol story is this: During World War II Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing has created a machine named Nautilus that can send a message back to the recent past. After Turing uses it to help the Allied forces succeed on D-Day, he sees the power (and potential danger) of what he has created. He knows he can only entrust it to one person – Joan, the mother of his secret child. Over the next 70 years the Nautilus is passed down through the Turing family, who must decide for themselves when to use this powerful invention. Will it save the world – or destroy it?
Nautilus continues the story, in a way, and suggests that Turing may not have committed suicide after all. If you know the tragic story of this great Englishman, you will recall that Turing was persecuted for his homosexuality. In 1952, he was convicted of “gross indecency” and forced to undergo chemical castration, via hormone injections, to avoid prison. He also lost his security clearance, was barred from working on government cryptographic projects, and later died … by suicide (or so they say) in 1954.
Fascinatingly, Croydon, who is in touch with Turing’s family, says they agree that there may be something fishy here. Thereby hangs a tale … or two novels.
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Croydon, something of a globetrotter who once worked as a bean counter with Deloitte in Hong Kong, writes his novels at night after busy days running QBD Books. That means travel all over Australia (it is a Queensland company that has gone well and truly national). He says his Australian friends tell him he has seen more of the country than they have.
Croydon was born in Surrey, England, and has more than 25 years experience running international publishing companies and book retail businesses across the UK and Australia. When not travelling for work he lives in Brisbane with his wife, Esther, and their children.
He points out that the foundation of the company is intrinsically linked to a defining moment in Queensland’s history with the store opening its doors just months after the passing of the landmark State Education Act of 1875. As the government championed free and compulsory schooling, the Book Depot was established to meet the soaring need for accessible educational materials and books for the wider public.
‘it was driven by the belief that books and education should be within everyone’s reach, and we are incredibly proud to be continuing that legacy’
Today, that same commitment to accessibility drives a company that has weathered massive shifts in the retail landscape, from economic recessions to the digital revolution. QBD Books continues to expand its network and grow its online presence to break down barriers to reading by offering diverse, affordable titles and fostering early childhood literacy programs.
“Our 150th anniversary is more than just a retail milestone … it’s a celebration of a 150-year commitment to Australian minds,” Croydon says. “When the Book Depot first opened in 1876, it was driven by the belief that books and education should be within everyone’s reach, and we are incredibly proud to be continuing that legacy. Our longevity is a testament to the enduring power of physical books, the dedication of our passionate staff and, most importantly, the unwavering support of our loyal customers who have made us part of their reading journey for generations.”
To commemorate this historic milestone, QBD Books will be hosting a series of nationwide events throughout the year beginning this month with “top 150 books of the last 150 years”, with promotions across 92 stores and online; and a Brisbane-based large-scale event (the aforementioned party) in June, the QBD 150 Year Festival of Reading.
“I think we have a very good business model,” Croydon says. “We’re not 100 per cent books, probably 90 per cent. And we are the largest jigsaw puzzle seller in the country. During COVID we sold out and we are getting back to those levels now. A point of difference is also how much we invest in staff and training.”
He adds that there is nothing “pretentious” about QBD Books and that the demographic appeal is wide and varied.
“And … we have lots of bargains,” he adds. Even better.
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