The library will be closed on Friday 18th October due to an ABC Radio event taking place in the theatre and the library.  

eBooks can be downloaded during this closure. If you need help setting up an eReader or downloading eBooks speak to the library staff. 

The library will be closed on Friday 18th October due to an ABC Radio event taking place in the theatre and the library.  

eBooks can be downloaded during this closure. If you need help setting up an eReader or downloading eBooks speak to the library staff. 

News and Events

Monday 7 October 2024
Victorian Seniors Festival Tours

BOOKING INFORMATION HERE

Tours highlighting the library’s history and archives will be held as part of this year’s Seniors Festival, and members are welcome to attend. In recent years, these tours have been...read more
Sunday 20 October 2024
Sumi-e Japanese Ink Art Workshop

BOOKING INFORMATION HERE

Junko Azukawa started learning traditional Japanese calligraphy at the tender age of five. Since becoming a Melbourne resident in 2005, Junko has taught calligraphy and painting to adults and children,...read more
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Library

A range of cultural activities are held in the beautiful surrounds of the subscription library.
The library holds a 30,000 strong collection and hosts regular music performances, talks, book and screen clubs, and artist and writer-in-residence programs. Members enjoy the historic atmosphere and quiet haven in a bustling city.

Browse the collection

New Acquisitions

General Fiction
Here one moment / Liane Moriarty
General Fiction
Comedy in a minor key / Hans Keilson
General Fiction
The salmon who dared to leap higher / Ahn Do-hyun
General Fiction
More days at the Morisaki Bookshop / Satoshi Yagisawa
General Fiction
A trace of sun / Pam Williams
Crime Fiction
Miss Morton and the English house party murder / Catherine Lloyd
Crime Fiction
Guilty by definition / Susie Dent
Crime Fiction
Murder in Mt Martha / Janice Simpson
Crime Fiction
The murder of Mr. Ma / John Shen Yen Nee & SJ Rozan
Crime Fiction
We solve murders / Richard Osman
Non Fiction
A travel guide to the Middle Ages / Anthony Bale
Non Fiction
My brother Jaz / Gideon Haigh
Non Fiction
The men who were Sherlock Holmes / Daniel Smith
Non Fiction
How to blow up a pipeline / Andreas Malm
Non Fiction
The doctor of Hiroshima / Michihiko Hachiya
Other Genres
The collected stories of Eudora Welty / Eudora Welty
Other Genres
The great undoing / Sharlene Allsopp
Other Genres
A good girl's guide to murder / Holly Jackson
Other Genres
The hitwoman's guide to reducing household debt / Mark Mupotsa-Russell
Other Genres
The chocolate factory / Mary-Lou Stephens
Ebooks
The Devil's Flute Murders / Seishi Yokomizo
Ebooks
A Knife in the Back / Alex Coombs
Ebooks
The Comfort of Crows / Margaret Renkl
Ebooks
A Beginner's Guide to Murder / Rosalind Stopps
Ebooks
The Dog Sitter Detective / Antony Johnston

About us

The Melbourne Athenaeum enriches Melbourne’s cultural and educational life by fostering public engagement with the arts and culture, and supporting creativity.
A Management Committee of volunteers is responsible for the organisation’s governance. Every member joining the Melbourne Athenaeum becomes a custodian of a rich part of the city’s living history.
history image
State Library Victoria, www.slv.vic.gov.au, Alfred Martin Ebsworth, June 29, 1885.

History

The story that unfolds here is about a unique organisation that continues to contribute to the city’s culture in a building first completed in 1842.
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