VUW Textbooks

This page contains handy information relating to Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) textbooks and student notes including:

• Useful definitions
• Our story: sorting, ordering and stocking VUW textbooks
• Our low price guarantee
• Rush
• Ordering textbooks on the Web
• Other textbook-related services at vicbooks
• Lecturer textbook order form
• Lecturer student notes order form

Useful Definitions

The following definitions are for words that may appear on the vicbooks website, in-store and in your course outline/s.

Prescribed - the textbook your lecturer considers fundamental and specific to the course; buying and using this textbook will help you achieve academic success. 

Recommended - the textbook your lecturer recommends for broader knowledge and understanding of the course material. Particularly consider buying this textbook if you are taking this subject as a major.

Extra Reading - usually reference material that is subject specific, particularly useful in languages.

Student Notes - a selection of bound reading material chosen by the lecturer as directly relevant to the course; an essential purchase. For more information on student notes, click here.

Our Story: sorting, ordering and stocking VUW textbooks

vicbooks stocks all prescribed and recommended textbooks and student notes for undergraduate and postgraduate courses at VUW.

Our two physical stores (Kelburn & Pipitea) stock the textbooks and student notes that are set for courses taught at each respective campus (for example, the textbook for a course taught at the Pipitea campus will be available from our Pipitea store), although we are able to transfer books and other stock items between our stores for you.

We work closely with academic staff to source the correct editions at the best possible price. To achieve this we have developed relationships with publishers and suppliers all over the world.

We order our textbooks months in advance to take advantage of sea freight shipping, which has a major impact on keeping the price of textbooks down as well as allowing us to sustain a smaller carbon footprint. It also means that the textbooks that you want are generally in-store when you need them at the beginning of each trimester!

Books are ordered by the trimester. By confirming textbooks before ordering, we aim to make our operation as efficient as possible - reducing excess both in terms of stock and costs, which could, otherwise, ultimately trickle down to you, the customer. Our website reflects this approach by only displaying those textbooks and student notes that are currently being used or are soon to be used. 

In addition to prescribed and recommended textbooks and student notes, we have a carefully selected range of reference and related titles that can also help you achieve success. For more information, contact us or come in-store. 

Our low price guarantee

We are committed to bringing you the best prices possible on our textbooks that we can. Check out our low price guarantee for more information.

Rush

The first two weeks of trimesters one and two are vicbooks' busiest times of the year. Students return to classes and need to get their textbooks and student notes for those classes.

Our shops are transformed and, in fact, we open a third, temporary location, our one-stop-shop, to keep up with demand.

The one-stop-shop is in the Memorial Theatre Foyer on Level One of the Student Union Building at Kelburn. When it opens each trimester you will find all undergraduate textbooks and student notes for the courses that are taught at the Kelburn campus there.

Postgraduate textbooks and student notes are available from vicbooks Kelburn on Level 3 of the Student Union Building. After the one-stop-shop closes for the trimester, Kelburn undergraduate textbooks and student notes can also be found here. 

vicbooks Pipitea stocks all undergraduate and postgraduate textbooks, student notes and related reading for courses that are taught at the Pipitea campus.

We try really hard to have all textbooks and student notes in-store for the start of each trimester (the process of getting them in begins months in advance) however, this is not always possible. If that is the case with one of your textbooks or student notes, visit us in-store: we have systems in place to get your book or notes to you as soon as possible.

Ordering textbooks on the Web

You can order your textbooks directly from this website (click here to search and pay for your books online). It is a great way of getting your books quickly, avoiding the queues and you can even get them delivered right to your door.

It's all about choice.

You can choose when and where you purchase your books - anywhere you can get an internet connection you should be able to access our site and purchase books.

And you can choose whether you want your books delivered (within New Zealand or overseas), or whether you would like to collect them from one of four collection points (vicbooks Kelburn, vicbooks Pipitea, the Resource Shop at the Te Aro Campus or the library at the Karori Campus).

You can even choose to create your own printable textbook list for all your courses. Simply use our book search facility and print off the resutlts. That way, if you want to purchase your books in-store, you know exactly what you need to look for. 

If you use our online shop to purchase an item that is out of stock you will be notified of the date that it is expected. You are also placed in a priority queue to receive the stock as soon as it arrives. If you do not wish to wait we are happy to refund purchases for out of stock items.

Other textbook-related services at vicbooks

As well as supplying all prescribed and recommended textbooks and student notes, we offer a range of relevant services.

We buy and sell second-hand textbooks for current VUW courses. To view the current buyback list, click here. 

We are also happy to generate quotes if needed for a Training Incentive Allowance. Either email vicbooks Kelburn or vicbooks Pipitea or visit us in-store. 

If you want to read more on a particular subject and we haven't got what you want in stock then our special order book service is for you. Our motto is: if it's in print, we can get it. For more information, check out our Special Orders page or enquire in-store.

For the full story on course-related costs please check out StudyLink.

Lecturer textbook order form

Forget about the paperwork - just fill in this textbook order form, submit it and we will email a confirmation to say your order has been received - easy!

We need to receive your orders by the end of September for first trimester the following year to ensure your textbooks arrive on time and by mid-April for second trimester.

If you have a query on a title or wish to get an inspection copy of a textbook that you are thinking of adopting please contact us.